What To Do When You Encounter A Snake In Oklahoma

Warm summer weather means snakes are more active here in Oklahoma, increasing the chances of running into one.

The Oklahoma Center for Poison and Drug Information has received six calls for snakebites in the last couple of days, and five of those involved venomous Copperheads.

There are a lot of families out at Keystone Lake enjoying the water in the summer, but part of having that fun is keeping an eye out for dangerous wildlife.

There's nothing like spending a summer day outdoors, but as kids and families have fun in the sun, danger could be slithering nearby.

"From what I understand, the cottonmouths are aggressive out here," said lake visitor Ray Vaughan.

He is taking his kids out to the lake for a camping trip to have some fun, but safety around wildlife is on his mind.

"I tell my kids, if you see something, back away slowly, just stay away from it, don't touch it or anything like that," said Vaughan.

That advice Ray gives to his kids is right in line with what wildlife experts say is best practice.

"Stay calm if you see a snake make sure the kids and the dog are away from it and observe from a distance and let that snake go on its way," said Micah Holmes with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

He says of the 46 snake species in Oklahoma, seven are venomous.

"5 of those are rattlesnakes, then copperheads, and cottonmouths or water moccasins." 

Holmes says Copperheads are common near Tulsa. They like wooded areas with trees and leaves. He says the best thing is to stay aware of your surroundings like keeping an eye on where you step during a hike or watching your hands when gardening. 

"As long as we're kind of avoiding those areas where they like to be and stay in kind of the more populated areas, places where you can see all around you and stuff, it makes them feel pretty safe," said Vaughan.

Ray just wants to keep his kids out of a potentially dangerous situation.

"I'd rather not interrupt our camping trip with a trip with having to take you to the hospital."

Wildlife experts say snakes are most active here in Oklahoma between April and October, so we still have a few more months to keep an eye out.