Around Montana
Conditions vary across the state. Choose your city below, then describe what’s happening around your home or business.
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Local snake information
Snake control in Montana
Learn what to look for around your property, explore your city, and ask about an inspection or a quote.
Snakes in Montana: what to know
What to note
Where you see snakes, how long it has been going on, and anything you’ve already tried are the most useful details to mention.
A useful next step
Ask about an inspection, what treatment would involve, and whether follow-up visits are included. You don’t need to identify the problem yourself before getting in touch.
Local research
Snakes in Montana: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which snakes actually live in Montana, when they are busiest, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Montana has only 10 native snake species, and only the prairie rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis) is venomous.
Only venomous species
It is also the only native Montana snake with a rattle on its tail.
Montana State University ExtensionPrairie rattlesnakes occur throughout Montana, typically below 6,500 feet, favoring open arid country but also ponderosa pine stands and mixed grass-coniferous forest.
Statewide range and elevation
They are most likely on south-facing slopes and around rock outcrops, and turn up in yards near brush and wood piles.
Montana State University ExtensionMontana Fish, Wildlife & Parks states that of the 10 species of snakes found in Montana only the western rattlesnake is poisonous, and that control programs for the harmless species are not necessary.
Montana FWP on snake control
FWP advises leaving snakes alone and using exclusion - sealing openings a quarter inch or larger - rather than killing them.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & ParksWhen snakes are busiest in Montana
Most rattlesnake encounters and bites in Montana fall between April and September, with snakes basking mid-morning after cool nights and inactive below about 60 degrees F.
Montana FWP and MSU Extension use different common names - western rattlesnake and prairie rattlesnake - for the same species, Crotalus viridis.
Rules that apply in Montana
For context, nationally
Sources: Montana State University Extension; Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks; CDC/NIOSH. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Explore Montana cities
Anaconda
Semi-Arid Continental · rural setting
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Belgrade
Semi-Arid Continental · rural setting
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Billings
Semi-Arid Continental · urban setting
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Bozeman
Warm Summer Continental · suburban setting
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Butte
Semi-Arid Continental · suburban setting
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Great Falls
Semi-Arid Continental · suburban setting
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Havre
Semi-Arid Continental · rural setting
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Helena
Semi-Arid Continental · suburban setting
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Kalispell
Warm Summer Continental · suburban setting
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Miles City
Semi-Arid Continental · rural setting
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Missoula
Warm Summer Continental · urban setting
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Livingston
Warm Summer Continental · rural setting
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