If you find yourself out golfing one sunny afternoon, you might run into a sign warning you about rattlesnakes. But how likely is it for you to run across an actual rattlesnake? 

"It's possible," explained Conservation Officer, Rich Hildebrand, "that there are some rattlesnakes in that area but their traditional range, for what we call the prairie rattlesnake is in the southwest part of Saskatchewan, along the Grasslands National Park and the western part of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatchewan."

He added that while we may be quite a bit out of their range, it is possible for a snake to travel along the river to our area. 

"We do have one record of one around Elbow, Sk but it is believed that it got washed down along the South Saskatchewan River and ended up there."

He added that if people are reporting snake sightings, they could be seeing the hog-nosed snake which is not venomous. 

"It will vibrate its tail in dry leaves and things like that and it makes a very sound to a rattlesnake

However, since it is a possibility, he shared a few tips on how to stay safe.

"Keep your distance and not startle it. Hopefully, it will give it's warning before it would do anything."

Hildebrand shared that so far, there have been no confirmed reports of rattlesnakes in or around Estevan.