EMPORIUM — Several hundred people visited the Sinnemahoning Sportsmen’s Club Snake Hunt, held Saturday and Sunday in Cameron County.
The event is hosted by the sportsmen’s association and sponsored by the Keystone Reptile Club, which hosts several other snake hunt events throughout the year.
Sinnemahoning is the largest of those events, and it drew more than 130 registered participants for this year’s hunt.
All hunters must have a valid license from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. They must also attend a safety session prior to the event, which is held at the club on Friday evening.
Snakes can be caught within a 30-mile radius of the club grounds. All snakes are marked and must be returned by the hunter to the area in which they were caught.
Overall, 40 timber rattlesnakes were caught, along with seven copperheads and 12 non-venomous snakes.
This year’s Ultimate Snake Hunter was Keaton Bender, who turned in 258-inches of snake. Measurements are taken from one snake per species turned in during the hunt.
Saturday’s prizes are for weight only, and in total, Saturday’s turn-ins equaled 26 rattlesnakes, four copperheads and seven non-venomous snakes. The largest Yellow-Phase Timber rattlesnake turned in Saturday weighed four pounds, three ounces and was caught by Alan Hildebrand in Elk County. Todd Miller caught the largest Black-Phase Timber rattler, weighing in at three pounds, ten ounces. It was found in Cameron County. The largest copperhead weighed 11 ounces and was caught by Thomas Housler. The largest non-venomous snake Saturday was a two-pound, one ounce Black Rat snake found in Cameron County by Jarred McNeil.
For both days, the largest timber rattlesnake was caught in Lycoming County by Tim Price. The snake weighed more than four pounds and was 56 inches long. The second largest was caught by Hildebrand on Saturday, measuring 54 inches long.
The largest copperhead was turned in by Donna Kime. The one-pound, three-ounce, and 35-inch snake was caught in Clinton County, as was the second-largest copperhead, which was 36 ½-inch long and weighed 13-ounces.
Matt Deal was awarded for most rattles with 14 on his 47-inch long rattlesnake.
The event featured camping, food and vendors, along with a display of venomous and non-venomous snakes from around the world. Education is a big part of each event, and Bill Wheeler Jr., of KRC ran educational programs from the snake pit throughout the day Saturday and Sunday. The highlight of these events is the Kids’ Pit, when the venomous snakes are removed from the area and children are allowed to come in to interact with non-venomous snakes.
Throughout the event, the Sportsmen’s Club is open, a chicken barbecue was offered and tickets and giveaways are sold and held. Vending items available included Antietam ice cream, fur pelts, leather and woodworking art, and t-shirts and other clothing.
The Keystone Reptile Club sponsors several such events each year. Three more events are scheduled for this summer: This Saturday and Sunday in Noxen, Wyoming County; June 25-26 in Cross Fork, Potter County; and July 16-17 in Monroeton, Sullivan County.
