Prairie rattler bite is bad news for humans. Need to get to a hospital. Dogs hogs and horses usually take it pretty good. They den in old Prairie dog holes a lot. They can den in any suitable hole but they are common around dog towns. See them out in the day a lot in spring and fall. Go underground when it gets cold at night then lay out in front of a hole in the sun during the day. Just the opposite in the heat of summer. In summer they often just shade up someplace. Traveling away from the dog town. Prairie dogs are known to bury them. Snakes can not dig a hole. They dont eat adult prairie dogs as they are too big.

Gary there are pockets east of Lincoln too along the old salt marsh areas. The more the land gets developed though the more they disappear.

Pretty common northwest of Topeka. I never saw one over about 18-20”. This one was next to the foundation of my house. Kinda hard to tell the scale but those are just normal blades of fescue lawn grass.

Interesting. I’ve never seen one nor did I know we even had them here. I figured they were all in North Ga. I will say over the last 10 years or so I see fewer rattlesnakes than in my entire lifetime before that. That’s all I used to see were Diamondbacks, Canebrakes, a few copperheads, and even fewer cottonmouths.
I’ll now see maybe 1-2 Diamondbacks or Canebrakes crossing the roads alive, but see many many cottonmouths and hardly any copperheads anymore. That includes private and public lands.

Saw a roadkill copperhead about a month ago. Had my grandkids with me. County road no traffic so stopped and let them get out and have a good look so they can avoid any live ones they see.

Looking at pic I may have seen one before. But mistook it for a milk snake ??

Common practice for most all DNR agencies is to promote something that most people don't want.

Does Wolves come to mind? Or Mountain Lions in Michigan and Wisconsin!

Exactly my thought and concern. I was surprised how much WDNR is trying to increase their population. Yet there are so many other DNR divisions that are underfunded due to budget crunches.

Hmmm. Map says they are in western kansas. Maybe the map is mistaken.



Maybe Fort Hays State is mistaken too?
https://webapps.fhsu.edu/ksherp/account.aspx?o=33&t=105

Had a cat bitten by one and the fur fell off around the fang marks Lots of swelling ,seen the snake /s swimming along the bank a few times a gray and white pattern .The bridge has rocks from a quarry under and on both sides . This is head waters of the upper Iowa river .

Also known as pygmy rattler

Ive had a few I remember seeing around here. trap on a gals ranch that got bit a few yrs ago in her rock garden

That range map is for the "western massasauga". I believe the OP is referring to the eastern variety

There have been sightings in Butler County PA

I lived in PA most of my life and never seen one. I believe, although rare, they are only found in Butler and maybe some adjoining counties in Western PA.

As stated earlier .
Winter in the bottom lands and move up into the woods for the summers.
Not uncommon here .
Protected by the state.
Early 70's I would find 3-4 every year in my yard.
I see a few on the roads dead.
I used to save the tails in a kitchen matchstick box.
Probably run across it someday.

Read the response’s about none being in western Kansas.

I'd hate to step on 1. Unfortunately WDNR is doing ~everything they can to increase the population around here