Rattlesnake Rescuer

Member Profile: Stephen Winter 

Article by Melinda Knutson, Coulee Region Chapter Chair

June 5, 2026

Stephen Winter removing a snake from St. Mary’s University. Photo by Dusty Hoffman.

Stephen Winter wears many hats, most of them related to conservation. Steve is an active member of the Minnesota Driftless Chapter of The Prairie Enthusiasts; he served on the Chapter Board for several years. He now serves on Chapter committees and manages the Chapter Facebook page. Steve lives in Winona, MN. During the day, he’s a Refuge Biologist for the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife and Fish Refuge, which covers 261 river miles from Wabasha, Minnesota to Rock Island, llinios. When he’s not busy with work or volunteering with his Chapter, he enjoys a most unusual hobby —rescuing rattlesnakes.  

Timber rattlesnake held by with a hook. Photo by Stephen Winter.

Knutson: How did you get interested in prairies and rattlesnakes, in particular?

Winter: I grew up in Nebraska on a rural acreage. We had six acres of remnant prairie that my brother and I used to play together in. Of course, I didn’t know anything about remnant prairies at the time. In college I read the classic Nebraska wildflower book by Jon Farrar1 and learned that many of the plants in that six-acre patch of ground were characteristic of remnant prairies. When I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Kansas State University, I learned a lot about prairies through the many range ecology and range management classes I took. My time in Kansas at Konza Prairie was transformative; I now have a ‘Konza world view’ when it comes to understanding tallgrass prairie ecology. I studied the interaction of fire and large grazers, bison and cattle, in multiple Great Plains grasslands during my Ph.D. at Oklahoma State University, and in my subsequent post-doctoral work there. Through it all, I developed an ever-greater passion for prairies! 

I’ve been interested in snakes for as long as I can remember; my oldest sister kept a garter snake in the garage when I was a small child, and I remember being fascinated by it. There were lots of big bull snakes on our land in Nebraska. I’ve interacted with many different types of snakes in several jobs, including stints in California, Texas and Kansas. Among many close calls with rattlesnakes around the country, a massive western diamondback rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) in Texas particularly stands out in my mind.  

Knutson: How does one rescue a snake?

Winter: We’re trained to use both snake hooks and tongs, a holding bag and other tools to safely capture and hold the snakes until they can be released. Jaime Edwards, a now-retired Minnesota DNR employee, did a great job of training me to handle these rattlesnakes during relocation events. She has done so much to raise awareness about timber rattlesnakes in southeast Minneosta and the need to protect and restore their habitat here in the Driftless Area. 

Knutson: Tell me about one of your rescues.

Winter: One landowner is regularly visited by timber rattlers; he told me he gets three to six snakes a year in his yard. He said he doesn’t mind them if a responder is available to relocate them. The day before I arrived, a different responder had rescued one snake, but another one escaped. I captured the second snake and was ready to take it to my car by walking between his house and the neighbor’s house. But he said: “Don’t say anything to the neighbors. Come through the house and go through the front door to your car so they don’t see it. They may be upset to know there are rattlesnakes around here and start killing any snake they see.”  

Knutson: What do you do with the snakes you’ve rescued?

Winter: We try to find suitable habitat as close as possible to the capture site, ideally no farther than ½ mile. Research shows that the snakes are very tied to their own winter dens; if they are moved too far and can’t find it, they are likely to die. Because female snakes don’t reproduce until they are 7-11 years old and they only reproduce every 2-3 years, the loss of even one female is significant. Females don’t move very far from their winter dens. In the summer they give birth, usually at what are called birthing rocks —rock outcroppings exposed to the sun but with crevices they and their neonates (young snakes born that summer) can retreat into. These are often on the hill prairies that the conservation community works to protect and manage. The neonates follow their mother’s scent trail to her winter den, thus imprinting them on that winter den, which they’ll use exclusively for the rest of their lives. 

Knutson: What is your advice to someone who comes upon a timber rattlesnake?

Winter: They’re relatively rare; you may never see one again in your lifetime. They won’t bother you unless provoked. If you are lucky enough to see one, stop and stand at a safe distance. Soak up the experience and count yourself lucky that you got to see such a wonderful creature. 

Timber rattlesnake found in Winona. Photo by Stephen Winter.

This article appeared in the Summer 2026 edition of The Prairie Promoter, a publication of news, art and writing from The Prairie Enthusiasts community. Explore the full collection and learn how to submit your work here. 

About The Prairie Enthusiasts 

The Prairie Enthusiasts is an accredited land trust that seeks to ensure the perpetuation and recovery of prairie, oak savanna, and other fire-dependent ecosystems of the Upper Midwest through protection, management, restoration, and education. In doing so, they strive to work openly and cooperatively with private landowners and other private and public conservation groups. Their management and stewardship centers on high-quality remnants, which contain nearly all the components of endangered prairie communities.