Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup: A West Texas Tradition

SWEETWATER, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – “If you hear something rattling, freeze.”

Many residents of West Texas are familiar with the phrases “If you hear something rattling, freeze” or “watch your step,” as the region boasts a rich variety of wildlife, including rattlesnakes. In Sweetwater, Texas, approximately 181 miles west of Dallas, visitors can enter a coliseum to hear the distinctive sound of hundreds of rattlesnakes, as the largest rattlesnake roundup is hosted.

GALLERY: Gearing up for the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup

For 66 years, people from all over the United States come to see the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup held by the Sweetwater Jaycees. This event has been in the national spotlight, from research, the economy, and culture to education.

But what exactly can you expect to see when you enter those coliseum doors?

Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup PR Director Chris Soles walked us through what happens at the largest rattlesnake roundup each year.

The rattlesnake roundup in Nolan County, Texas, begins with hunters searching for snakes in the woods. Each hunter uses different gear, such as snake-proof boots or gear, gloves, tongs, snake hooks, and boxes to keep the snakes in. KTAB/KRBC spent some time on a guided hunt, searching for snakes 25 miles away from Sweetwater, Texas. Since it was a cold day, the snakes were hidden in their burrows. Some hunters used gas to encourage the snakes to come out by placing a small amount in the hole.

After snakes are captured, they are brought to the Nolan Coliseum and placed in the holding pit.

From there, they are moved to the milking pit, where Sweetwater Jaycees extract the venom.

“Each snake is milked; we use that venom. It goes through a process and is used for medical research,” Soles said.

After that, they move to the research pit, where data is recorded for the species.

“They measure each snake, sex it to see if it’s a male or female, record some data, and then give it to Texas Parks and Wildlife,” Soles said.

Soles said the amount of pounds they collect each year varies on many factors.

“The poundage is going to vary from year to year, depending on how many hunters we have and the weather. As you know, we do have less hunters this year. Also, the weather is declining as the day goes on right now. Hopefully, they’re out there hunting and catching them and bringing them in to us.”

Sweetwater’s Rattlesnake Roundup creating unique family traditions

After the research pit, they are taken to the skinning pit where the heads are removed and sold separately. The skins are then rolled up and sold, while the meat is cooked and shared among those in attendance. Additionally, there is an opportunity for attendees to skin their own snake at the pit.

Although the Rattlesnake Roundup contributes an average of $8 million annually to the economy, its main goal is education.

“Everything that we do here is to teach the public safety what to do if they encounter a rattlesnake. We don’t do the crazy things… like putting them in a handbag, getting into a bathtub, or getting in a sleeping bag. We just don’t do that here. We’re here to teach the public what to do if they encounter a rattlesnake,” Soles said.

Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup 2024 Schedule of Events

He added that the event and the Sweetwater Jaycee’s goal is to teach and support the community.

“The main goal or the outcome for this event is to teach the public safety, how we live in West Texas with these rattlesnakes, and then also, you know, the money that we make off of this, everything, we’re nonprofit. So everything goes back into the community; we give to kids, we give scholarships: the youth baseball, basketball, softball, every sport that the kids play, we sponsor teams, and that’s what we do is give back to our community,” Soles said. “We’re nonprofit, and that’s service to humanity, which is the best work of life. And that’s part of our motto and our creed. That’s how we live our lives. We don’t get paid to do this, not one penny. A lot of us have to take vacation time to be able to do this.”

This event also brings in vendors, from boutiques to carnival food trucks. James Smith with Randal’s Wildlife Creations works with retailers across the United States and said the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup is large in comparison.

“This is so much larger; more snakes draw in a bigger draw all over the world, whereas the other shows are just mostly local people. So it’s quite interesting to come here and visit with people from all over the world. We’ve had people from Washington State, Oregon, Utah, Wyoming, Arizona, and all those states that are far away come just to see the show here. So it’s well known,” Smith shared. “A lot of unique things they do they have the milking pet, which is really unique. They have a safety handling pet, and they tell you all kinds of information about the safety how to be safe around snakes. The other shows I go to, I don’t see that, so it’s really educational. The things parts they put out here.”

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An event this big also brings a type of culture to this little town out west.

“This weekend, there will be 40 to 50,000 people, and they come from all walks of life — all the states, different countries. It’s great to meet new people and show them how we live out here,” Soles shared.

One of the many traditions is the Miss Snake Charmer pageant. Jane Vanderveer-Collins was Miss Snake Charmer in 1971 and regularly brings her children for spring break, sharing the family tradition.

“My mother was the first Miss Lake Sweetwater. Then my brother entered me into this, being his little sister, and I’m very grateful. I represented our family business,” Vanderveer-Collins recalled. “My brother was president of the Jaycees. And the Jaycees go out and feed people, and they just do a lot of good things. They helped me walk off the stage last night, which was very good. But they help people, and they save cattle; they help make the antidote. It’s just good for the community.”

However, some controversy has surrounded this event, as some people have expressed their desire to see it shut down. Last year, KTAB/KRBC spoke to protestors, who said, “We’re out here because we’re against animal torture, animal abuse, animal cruelty. You name it, we’re against it.”

Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup wrangles with animal rights protestors

Chairman of the board and Sweetwater Jacyee Red Hurd said this in response:

“Whether we agree or disagree with what happens on at the Roundup, we’re never going to go over and silence anybody. We would love to be able to sit down and talk. Just because we don’t agree doesn’t mean that we have to be enemies. We could reach a compromise, and if we can’t, then we’ll just agree to disagree. Last year was my 2024 president here, and we had some protesters, and somebody came in and told me about it. And I’d say that’s their American right to go ahead and protest, whether we agree or disagree with what they’re saying and what they’re doing. Give them a place up at the front so they can protest; let them do their thing. Leave them be because, at the end of the day, we’re still all Americans, and we all have those same rights.”

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