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The Sinnemahoning Sportsmen's Association began conducting competitive rattlesnake hunting events on its club grounds in the Cameron County town of Driftwood back in the 1960s.
Most of those hunts have been under the direction of the Keystone Reptile Club, whose long-time president, William Wheeler Jr., has been in charge of the hunts each June since 1993.
Wheeler also directs similar rattlesnake hunts that are put on by the Kettle Creek Hose (fire) Company in Cross Fork in Potter County in late June, and by the Monroeton Rod and Gun Club in Bradford County in mid-July.
Rattlesnake hunts have drastically decreased in number over the years, according to Wheeler. There were once 15 held across the state, but now there are only five. Along with the aforementioned three hunts, there is also the Morris Township Fire Company's Rattlesnake Roundup in Tioga County, and the Noxen Volunteer Fire Company's Rattlesnake Roundup in Wyoming County -- both of which are held in mid-June.
"We once had up to 15 in the state of Pennsylvania, but the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission put a limit on the season for snake hunts,'' said Wheeler, 52, who lives in the Adams County town of Gardners. "The season now begins on the second Saturday of June and runs through July 31.''
Hunting for rattlesnakes is certainly not for everybody, but Wheeler -- whose entire family, including his wife and their grown son and daughter, hunts for snakes -- was indoctrinated into the pastime by his late father, William Wheeler, Sr., who had also been president of the Keystone Reptile Club.
"It's like anything else -- everybody is into different stuff,'' Wheeler, Jr. said. "Some people like to jump out of airplanes, and I have no idea why they do that.
"It's been a family affair,'' Wheeler, 52, said. "I grew up in it, and I've been all over the country hunting snakes. You have to have a great respect for the creatures, but you don't have to kill every one that you see.''
Wheeler said that his purpose in directing the hunts is to educate the public about snakes in various ways.
He stresses that rattlesnakes aren't aggressive, seeking to avoid humans and not strike unless intruded upon or provoked. He also advocates for the preservation of the snakes -- all of the hunts, which include competitions for hunting copperheads and non-venomous snakes as well as timber rattlesnakes, are catch-and-release events -- and instructs the hunters on proper safety procedures.
Hunters canvass the mountainous terrains of the various snake-hunting sites to secure their catches, and the snakes are then placed into a bucket. Wheeler measures the snakes on a wooden board and weighs them on a scale in order to determine the various awards, after the snakes are placed head-first into a glass tube to prevent strikes.
"I'm really doing these as a tool to educate the public,'' Wheeler said of the events. "There are so many wives tales about snakes that are totally false. Snakes don't attack people. They don't want anything to do with people.
"People want to kill every snake that they see, and that just isn't right,'' Wheeler added. "If, at the end of the day, I can (convince) one person not to kill a snake when they see it, then I've done my job.''
Cody Creveling, 34, of Bloomsburg, who has assisted Wheeler at the snake-hunting events for many years, also stressed the importance of educating the public about snakes.
"These events are a good learning experience for the public,'' said Creveling, who is also a snake hunter himself. "One of my main goals is to educate the public, and to tell everybody that snakes get a bad rap, but that they really aren't bad. It's all about respecting the animal.''
Thirty or more years ago, snake hunters at events like Sinnemahoning engaged in team snake-sacking contests, and bites were much more common than they are today. The sacking contests were banned in 2006, and Wheeler hasn't seen any hunter get bitten so far this year.
"We don't want anybody free-handling snakes, and there are not too many people who would do that now anyway,'' Wheeler said.
The hunters wear snake-proof boots, and use either tongs or a golf club with the head removed and a hook added -- in order to pry the snakes from underneath rocks or brush. The hunters then place the snakes into a breathable bucket or bag and bring them in for measuring and weighing.
All rattlesnakes caught and brought back for measurement are required to be at least 42 inches in length, which essentially limits the contests to the catching of male rattlers, which are much more in abundance than the smaller females in the state's woods.
Wheeler has been bitten several times himself during his snake-hunting ventures, but said that it's always been his own fault.
"It's not dangerous to catch them, as long as you're doing the right things, like watching where you walk, and paying attention to the snake,'' Wheeler said. "The times that I have been bitten, it was always a case of me not paying attention to what I was doing and not respecting the animal. It was never the snake's fault.''
People who hunt for rattlesnakes in Pennsylvania are required to purchase a $25 snake-hunting permit online from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, in addition to possessing a valid Pennsylvania fishing license. The snake-hunting fee for non-residents is $50.
There is a $5 registration fee at events like Sinnemahoning, and proceeds benefit organizations like town volunteer fire departments or sportsmen's clubs -- which often present youth education about the outdoors.
There were 178 hunters registered at the Sinnemahoning event June 12-13, and awards were presented for such categories as largest rattlesnake, largest copperhead, and largest non-venomous snake.
Entire families have become involved, but minors are required to hunt with adult supervision.
"We hand out a provisional permit at the event registrations,'' Wheeler said. "That allows the hunter not to have to use the snake permit tag that they buy with their fishing licenses.''