However, they all provide information about how the rattlesnake hunt was promoted over the years and are all the more interesting for this fact alone.

Some of the reproductions of these leave much to be desired as they are scanned images of photocopies of the originals and I apologize form this. However, if I can get my hands on any originals I will be able to make better reproductions.

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SPORTSMEN THROUGH THE AGES have hunted lions, leopards, tigers, and other vicious wild beasts. Now they have added rattlesnakes. Okeene puts on an annual rattlesnake hunt that is fast climbing into high favor with sportsmen throughout the nation. Since weather determines the activity of the snakes, and since they must be active-but not too active-the exact date has to be set each spring. Most years it falls on the Sunday before or the Sunday after Easter.

Quick as the date is set, sportsmen circle it on their International Sports Calendar; for there is a tremendous thrill in hunting and capturing live rattlesnakes. Sponsored by the local Jaycees it has developed into a first flight event where every participant must exercise fair play, have steady nerves, keen eyes, perfect coordination and all other traits of a true sportsman. Last year the hunt attracted near 30,000 visitors from twenty-five states that reached from Alaska to Massachusetts and from Texas to the Dakotas. Three foreign nations – Newfoundland, Iceland and Iran – were also represented.

The Okeene event was born twenty years ago. The idea took hold and spread like wildfire. Last year at hunt time nearly a hundred private planes headed toward Okeene and many a car traveled in that direction. Visitors enjoyed the green wheat fields stretching for miles on all sides of the town, and watched for her four tall landmark her three huge grain elevators, and the beautiful spire of St. Alban’s Catholic Church. At 7:30 Sunday morning a marked snake was released.

Red paint had been smeared on its head as a mark of identification, and a one-hundred dollar reward offered to the one who captured him and brought him to the snake market.

At eight o’clock the Hunt Headquarters opened for registration. Fourteen hundred eighty-five licenses were issued -the largest number on record for a hunt. Promptly at ten o’clock the first caravan started for the gypsum rock hills of Salt Creek Canyon, 15 miles south- west of Okeene. It was headed by Wayne Parker, president of the Jaycees and Chief Rattler of the IARH. His car and those immediately behind him were filled with members of the press and those taking pictures for radio and television. Then came the stream of cars filled with hunters and onlookers. The cars parked at the foot of the eroded, flat red cliffs above where Salt Creek has carved an enormous canyon-the hunting area. The spectators sometimes sat and looked the area over, but the hunters I piled out quickly impatient to be on the job. Most hunters went in small groups and carried one container for their catches. Others were so ambitious that they brought along a truck with a sturdy box built in back.

As the hunt got under way everybody not only looked; they listened. Their ears weren’t tuned to the twitter of the birds, or to other usually enjoyed sounds of nature. Their ears were listening for just one sound-the buzz that the dread rattler gave when he was about to strike.

Even the old-timers stepped cautiously as they hurried up the nearest hill and over its flat top and headed for a den not yet visited by this year’s hunters. Energetic onlookers slowed their pace and picked their way care-fully as they climbed up rocks and eased down slopes, shaped by erosion. Everybody stepped with extra caution as he climbed over the limestone band at the top of the hill, for last fall the snakes had hibernated up here in the high, dry air.

Some of the observers got excited trying to keep up with the catches, as they were made. Three were caught under one rock. Twenty-five feet to the right another group bagged two fine, big specimens. Snakes were every where coiled and striking, but producing little damage for the hunters were cautious. Those in charge of the hunt were relieved when they could report that only one person was bitten in the field-the victim was a boy from Dallas. A bite-fang had gone deep into the end of the third finger on his right hand.

Fortunately the boy and his father were well informed about snake bites. Between them they used first aid so successfully that the boy didn’t have to go to the hospital. Though a bit shaky, he continued on the hunt.

When the hunters began returning it was evident that no serious hunter had made a dry run in the hills. Even the first-timers caught at least one snake – some caught several.

Next came the disposition of the catches. Venom was milked to be sent to laboratories all over the world, to be prepared for numerous uses. For example, it is used as the basis for anti-venom injected to treat snake bites; it is used in the treatment of cancer; of epilepsy; and some serious eye troubles. It is converted into one of the newest blood coagulants. The newest medical hope for the venom is that it will help those suffering from muscular distrophy.

The finest specimens were auctioned to zoos as far a field as South Dakota. Two large canneries competedfor the snake meat, increasingly popular as steaks and as tidbits used at cocktail parties. Shoe, belt, and bag manufacturers always want more skins than can be supplied. The heads are in demand to be mounted. The rattles are variously used. There is a demand that exceeds the supply for every inch of the snake.

Prizes were plentiful. In addition to the hundred dollars offered for the marked snake, there was a prize for the longest, the heaviest, and the runner-up in each class. Other prizes were awarded; then 50 cents per pound was paid for rattlesnakes sold in the open market.

Like many another sport the Sunday hunt is preceded by days of festivity. By the preceding Friday the Okeene Hotel is full and all Jaycees have their homes bursting with guests. The overflow finds excellent accommodations in nearby hotels, motels and lodges. High favorite among the lodges is the one at nearby Roman Nose State Park.
People scurry around, get located, then step out for fun. Festivities open with the luncheon Friday, where the candidates in the Queen contest are honor guests.

The Queen and the runner-up are selected at the luncheon, but identities are carefully guarded until crowned at the Friday night dance, held in the airport hangar. Music is furnished by a big name band, a capacity crowd attends and dances far into the night.

Saturday some go into the hills for some practice hunting. Many of those left in town go from group to group and listen to the tall tales that are being told. Two oft-repeated tales are still prime favorites, probably because those who participated were present and could be called on to verify the facts.

Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Davis, of the Mohawk Zoo in Tulsa, were able to tell their tall tale because they were familiar with the rattlesnake. The tale started when the two, letting enthusiasm outweigh caution, crawled into a cave with a small opening to capture some extra fine diamond-back rattlers that had retreated to the crevices in back. Everything was under control, and they were preparing to rake out the snakes and sack them when they heard a furious buzzing sound behind them. They wheeled around and were gazing straight at the trouble. Three fat rattlers were cutting off the only exit to the rock-bound vault in the cave and were slithering forward, determined to see what was bothering their den-mates. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were in their direct path. Mr. Davis was flat on his belly, where he had been investigating the snakes in the crevices.

Neither spoke. They could each handle one snake, but that left the third one free. Instinct and training made Mrs. Davis ease down beside her husband. The two lay flat on the floor, face down; for they must be crawled over as if they were a couple of extra rocks.

The ruse worked, but both Mr. and Mrs. Davis declared that those snakes felt yards, not .feet, long, and they must have used slow motion technique in their crawling.

Once the snakes were safely with their denmates Mr. and Mrs. Davis decided against disturbing the reunion.

Another favorite has to do with Joe Durham, then Chief Rattler of the IARH, and his companion, who flew to the canyon in Joe’s Piper Cub plane to pick up some hot rattlers and take them twenty miles to a special ceremony. They put the sacked snakes in the rear of the cockpit and were cruising along unworried when Joe’s companion nudged him and barely managed to say, “One of those snakes is loose and looking at me.”

Joe looked back. A four-foot rattler was free of that sack and headed toward him. The companion grabbed up one of their hunting sticks and whacked at the snake, but failed to kill it. He decided that three sure were a crowd in that cabin; so he climbed out on the gang- way, held on to the wing-strut with one hand, and jabbed at the snake with the other.

Joe didn’t have much confidence in his companion as a killer. He dipped the right wing of the plane and pulled the nose up. That way he broke the snake’s traction toward him, but he was still too close for safety, so Joe headed groundward. Three hundred feet above the ground he sighted a wheat field. He tossed the snake out of range by one more upward flip; then dipped again and swerved in for a dead-stick landing. He moved out of his seat in a hurry for by then the snake was in striking distance.

A tenderfoot would have said the snake could have the plane if he wanted it, but Joe and his companion weren’t quite that scared. They got the snake out, tightened the draw-string on the sack, and took the catch to the intended destination.

These and other tales were being handed about as the crowd gathered in the school gymnasium for the annual banquet. The Queen was presented, then all present were served rattlesnake steaks as the chief at-traction of an excellent dinner. Those eligible were initiated into the “Order of the White Fang”, membership 175. The candidates were those who had been bitten last year and returned to receive the honor.

Everyone-spectators and hunters alike-has a real enthusiasm for the way the Okeene hunt has been made into a first class sports affair combined with a lot of good times. Other locations have liked the plan so well that they have organized hunts of their own. Going hunts are located in Wynona and Anadarko, in Sweetwater, Texas, in Alamogordo, New Mexico, and in Morris, Pennsylvania.

Even with these concerted efforts those interested in the sport of rattlesnake hunting need have little worry that the end of their sport is in sight-science and common sense will reassure them that the rattlesnake will no doubt fight his battle and survive for a long, long time.

If you would like a copy of this article in its original format you can get it from our download section .

Seems as if Joe and a fellow named L. V. Irwin were given the job of mapping the best areas for their fellow snake hunters to look for rattlers during Okeene’s upcoming Rattlesnake Roundup. Joe had never been snake hunting with Irwin, and Irwin had never been flying with Joe, so they were both going a lot on faith. It being April, the roads were muddy, so Joe and Irwin decided to fly out to Salt Creek Canyon, a spot known for good snake hunting. When they got to the airport, they found only one plane available, an old homebuilt Stewart biplane with a 90-horse Gypsy engine. A slight drawback like that doesn’t discourage avid snake hunters, however, so Joe cranked it up and they took off.

Arriving in the Salt Creek Canyon area, Joe set her down on a road on the Cargill Ranch and they struck out on foot for the canyon a mile away. They found several dens where rattlers were holed up and noted them on their maps. It was still early spring and most of the snakes were in hibernation yet. This Irwin guy was a practical joker type and had one of those wind-up buzzers. Every time he caught Joe not looking, he’d touch him with the buzzer and Joe would jump out of his skin because the thing sounded like a big rattler that was mad. Joe decided to himself he’d fix Irwin, once he got him back in the plane. As it turned out, this was a big mistake, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.

They climbed to the rim rock, crossed over to Ruby Canyon and were walking down a creek bed when Irwin suddenly yelled and jumped back. He had almost stepped on a huge diamondback that was well camouflaged on the rocks. Gathered around the six and a half foot rattler were about 10 smaller ones four feet long. They had found Big Mama and her family. She was a locally notorious rattler that many hunters had tried unsuccessfully to catch through the years. Big Mama weighed about 20 pounds and was about four inches thick in the middle. She had 14 rattlers on her tail.

Irwin was a seasoned snake hunter so he was anxious to bag Big Mama and her brood. Her presence could assure plenty of interest and attendance for the big Rattlesnake Roundup.

Joe wasn’t sure they could bag her, they hadn’t really come prepared for hunting. Big Mama was too large for the little loop snare they had, but they decided to try anyhow. Joe found a forked tree limb, and tried to hold the rattler down while Irwin. slipped the snare over her head but Big Mama bucked .and wiggled and broke Joe’s tree limb like a match stick’. Joe got a bigger limb and tried again, jumping back time after time as she struck at him, knocking bark off the limb with her sharp fangs. If Joe had been hit he’d have been S.O.L. because Irwin couldn’t fly the plane to get him back to a doctor. They struggled with Big Mama for about fifteen minutes more, until Joe finally maneuvered her head in the right position and Irwin slipped the noose over it. Even then she was a handful, thrashing around as they tried to lift her into the sack. By the time they got her in the sack they had choked her pretty good and were afraid she was dead. They were afraid she was now merely a candidate for the taxidermist. but like Mark Twain, the reports of her death were greatly exaggerated. Bagging Mama’s offspring was easy and they soon started back with a whole sack full of snakes. Finally back at the plane, they put the sack of snakes on the floorboards between the two cockpits and took off. The neck of the sack was tied with wire-securely, they thought.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -
To cook it, to breed it, to make a pet out of it, or to pit it in a fight against another rattlesnake, a chicken or a bear.

Those were some of the reasons people gave Benjamin Roberts in responding to Sunday’s classified ad he placed in the Kansas City Star reading “Rattlesnakes for sale.”

Roberts, 38 scoured the Glass Mountain range near Okeene, Okla., a week ago to search for the elusive Western Diamondback rattler. He said the trip netted seven snakes, ranging in size from 3 feet to 51/2 feet. The latter was sold for $35, the remainder for $10 each, Roberts said.

One snake, measuring 4 1/2 feet, was kept for the Roberts family to eat, he said.

“We did a poor job of cooking it,” Roberts said. “We conked him on the head, then put him in a pan and shoved him in the oven But the body popped out of the pan”

“I smelled something burning,’. Roberts recalled. “I looked in the oven and the body was wound around the shelves, and his tail was sticking in the pilot light.”

Roberts said his ad drew many callers, some serious, some questionable.

“One guy wanted snakes that would fight,” Roberts recalled.” He said he was tired of bingo and wanted to see a snake fight. I told him rattlesnakes don’t fight among themselves, and he asked if they would fight a chicken. I told him the chicken would fly away. Then he asked if it would fight a bear. He asked if I had a bear.”

Roberts said it was the first time he had caught any rattlesnakes; and he planned to return to Oklahoma next spring on another hunting trip.

Canyons on the Cargill ranch southwest of Okeene had more population last Sunday than ever in the history of this country when several hundred rattlesnake hunters and camera fans attended the annual Rattlesnake Round-up of the Okeene Junior Chamber of Commerce; And when the hunters left, the snake population suffered a loss of over one hundred. There were 105 rattlers caught by actual count and probably many more that were not reported.

Under the capable direction of L. V. Irwin, bunt leader, and in spite of adverse weather, the hunt was bigger and better than the previous year. Sportsmen turned up from many scattered and faraway places. Altogether three hundred and sixty-eight people registered, which was almost twice as many as last year. Fifty-one Oklahoma towns and cities were represented. People registered from eleven cities in eight states other than Oklahoma: Ohio, Oregon, Colorado, Georgia, California, Arkansas, Kansas and Texas. Melvin Lubbers listed his address as the cruiser U. S. S. Northampton, and it is quite possible that he came all the way from Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, to snare a rattler.

Several counts were made of cars which left town for the hunting grounds and most agreed that number was near three hundred.

A good many of the snakes captured this year were very large, but not extremely active, because of the previous cold spell. It was reported that only one person was bitten, a young man from Enid: and a prompt serum shot saved him from any serious harm.

The record for the biggest rattler caught went to Fred Beisel of Okeene, who captured one nearly six feet long with 12 rattlers and a button. A.J. Wright and Frank Conaway of Fairview had the day’s best record, capturing 17 between them. Harry Rector, Enid fireman, gave a demonstration on removing fangs and milking poison at the conclusion of the hunt, Fred Wahl, hunt guide, attracted a lot of attention and had camera fans on his trail when he carried the largest rattler captured around his neck through the crowd, having a firm grip, however, on the rattler’s neck.

A recording of the Round-up was transcribed in the Hey Drug Store under the: direction of Terry O’Sullivan, with the aid of a staff from WKY , Eugene Lyons and Dixie Boy Jordan. This was broadcast from WKY at 7:30 Monday morning. The mobile unit on which the recording was made was brought to Okeene from Sallisaw, where a Dogwood Festival was held Sunday.

The Okeene Junior Chamber of Commerce wishes to thank all who helped with the Round-up, by the use of their time, work, facilities, property, or publicity. This organization also wishes to announce a contest for the best still pictures submitted to T.G. Rice or Orville von Gulker for judging before May 20. The awards for the best three pictures are$1.50, $1.00 and 50 cents.

In the early 30′s some of the ranchers started hunting them in when they weren’t working hours and soon learned how to handle the rattlesnakes bare handed. As time went on townspeople joined in these unorganized hunts and the sport sort of caught on. Others soon heard of these hunts and each spring new hunters came into the hills with the ranchers to help rid them of the Rattler which was a hazard to cattle and other livestock. These unorganized hunts eventually developed a new sport.

In 1939 Orville von Gulker outlined plans for an organized hunt to the Okeene Jr. Chamber of Commerce. Realizing this sport had possibilities and being unusual they decided to hold an advertised Rattlesnake Roundup. The first event caught hold and newsmen and magazine writers around the country became interested and many sport editors made much of the new found sport. From this point on the hunt became an annual spring event.

The holding of the hunt in spring is based on the annual movement of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake. During the months of October and November the snakes make their way back to the dens that are located under the heavy gypsum cap rock found in the hills west of Okeene. They spend the winter in hibernation until the warm spring days begin to bring them out of hibernation. As they days warm up the snakes begin to sun themselves just outside their dens. At this time the snakes are often slow and sluggish, and milky eyed and blind from hibernation. Despite this, they can strike very quickly and on the warmest days are very vicious.

The early hunters used brake rods from early automobiles and forked sticks to pin down the snake which were then picked up by bare hand and dumped into sacks. This kept many a would be hunter from participating in the sport. However, this would soon change.

In 1946 the mechanical type hunting tong was developed by the Okeene Jaycees and it immediately took hold. Gone were the days of having to pick up rattlesnakes with your bare hands and hundreds of new hunters joined the search for the rattler. This new way of hunting meant that anyone could hunt the Rattler and it was and still is a common sight to see women and children hunting. The Rattlesnake Roundup began to grow by leaps and bounds as the sport was opened to all persons who wished to hunt.

It’s interesting to note that these new hunting tongs found their way into the hands of hunters all over the U. S. A. with orders coming in from all over the country. Some tongs were taken overseas by servicemen to hunt other types of snakes.

Hunters come from all over the U. S. and the world come to Okeene to join in or at least have a look. Moreover, the hunt has been reported in many other countries including Tripoli, Sydney, Australia (Sydney and the State of Tasmania), the Fiji Islands, Japan, England, Germany and France. The unusualness of the Rattlesnake Roundup makes the event a much talked about sporting affair.

Even the U. S. Airforce and some Atomic installations have come here to photograph and copy our means of hunting in order to make the site of new operations usable. Workmen feared the reptiles and refused to work in areas where they were found. Thus the Okeene Rattlesnake Roundup became a National Defense item.

The Okeene Rattlesnake Roundup takes on the Air of a festival of FUN. Many people come to Okeene just for FUN on Rattlesnake Roundup day. Only about one third actually hunt the snakes. Many are just on lookers the first year and the next year they find themselves ready to hunt after being acquainted with the ways of hunting and handling snakes.

As time goes by, stories drift back from the hunt; The cars that “had the snakes loose in it; The man who jumped out of a moving car. The Snake that got loose ‘in the airplane, The truck load of snakes that caught fire; the lost hunter who was left in the Canyons. Many humorous stories drift around about the Rattlesnake Roundup. Many hunters tell the of coming face to face with that legendary rattlesnake “Old Smokey” and the Old Rattler himself has been seen by many in Okeene including the author.

For Thrills, Chills, Sport and a real days outing in a pioneer setting, the Salt Creek Canyon country holds all this for the outdoorsman; Picnicker and the Snake Hunter. Or come and be just a plain onlooker, BUT don’t miss the Okeene Rattlesnake Roundup. It comes but once a year.