Yankton snakes (Vermillion, Tyndall: live, moving to, yard)

[jacque110]

My husband and I maybe moving to Yankton, SD from Indianapolis,IN. I've been reading several postings about how nice of a place Yankton is. But, my main concern is the snakes. Call me a baby, but I have a fear of snakes. Are rattlers very common to see in Yankton? What about in the trails of Yankton? Around the home? Thanks

[debey]

I personally think rattle snakes would not be a comman thing in Yankton....aren't they more prominent further West River, than in the Yankton area?

[Jammie]

Debey, you're right. We actually don't have rattlers east of the Missouri River. BUT there was a year when a lot of semis carried hay from West River through here and they had those yucky passengers. Some of them decided to slither off the semi while the trucker was sleeping and they stayed HERE. Can't remember how they were discovered, but they did warn us to be cautious. But that's a very isolated incident.

Jacque, don't feel like a baby at all. I despise ALL snakes. I am absolutely terrified of them. If you go off the beaten path, you may encounter one. There may even be a time or two that you'll see them in your yard. But it's actually rare to see one here. Your odds are probably about the same as in Ind.

[debey]

jammie, i remember hearing about, that also....that is definetely NOT the norm...USUALLY, the hay from EAST RIVER is shipped West River...........

[MJ1986]

Jacque, I wouldn't worry about the snakes. You will be fine.. And i hate them too!

[ahoffelt]

I am 100% scared of all snakes and keep close tabs on them. We lived in Vermillion for 9 years and they were quite common. They were garter snakes only, but they are as bad as any in my opinion. I know a person there who had trouble with them coming up in his toilet. My sister lives in Tyndall, which is only 1/2 hour away from Yankton, and had horrible experiences with snakes in their yard. They were everywhere. So, you may have trouble in Yankton, you may not. You are almost guaranteed to see them at some point if you have a yard or go to parks. You will especially find them around the river.

[Chris19]

The garter snakes are small and are not harmful. I have come across them from time to time and run when I see one. I hate snakes, but they serve their purpose in the natural ecosystem. One would either have to go down to southern Kansas (copperheads) or over to west of the Missouri River in SD (rattlers) to find the bigger snakes.

[jacque110]

Thanks everybody for the info. It makes me feel more at ease that the larger snakes are not in the area. Hearing about the one post having snakes come out of the toilet gave me the creeps! Yuk. I was mainly concern about rattlers. It's interesting how everybody references location as "west or east of the river". Makes since because the river runs in the middle of the state. Looking forward to the move. Thanks again.

[rjl78]

Rattlers are the only poinsonous snake in South Dakota. They are rare east river. I don't blame you... I hate snakes as well.

But in a city they should not be common.

[Jammie]

EWWW, I've heard about them coming up in bathrooms, but have never known anyone that experienced that so hopefully it's quite rare.

There is one snake that is here and you could encounter it mainly out of town. They're called bullsnakes and they are huge and ugly.