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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Montana’s bullsnake is the subspecies Pituophis catenifer sayi, listed in the Montana Field Guide under the broader species account “Gophersnake” (Pituophis catenifer). Look for a yellow to pale background, large dark dorsal blotches, side spots, keeled scales and a dark band around the eyes. Most are 3–5 feet long, although the state guide says some reach 7 feet. They are widely distributed where suitable habitat exists, and Montana’s accepted state rank is S5.
What Montana calls a bullsnake
Common names can make this snake seem more taxonomically complicated than it is. Montana’s official account is organized as Gophersnake, the species Pituophis catenifer. That account lists “Bullsnake” and Pituophis catenifer sayi among the other names. The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) treats P. catenifer sayi as a valid subspecies whose English common name is Bullsnake.
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In practical terms, a Montana bullsnake is not a separate species from the animal covered by the state’s gophersnake account. “Gophersnake” is the broader species-level name used by the state guide; “bullsnake” identifies the subspecies and is the name most people use when asking what they saw.
The name also explains why accounts from different agencies may use either word. A field observer can be looking at the same animal even when one source says gophersnake and another says bullsnake.
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How to identify a bullsnake in Montana
Use several features together rather than relying on one color, one spot or the snake’s reaction to you. Montana’s Field Guide describes a yellow background with large black-to-brown blotches down the back and another series of blotches along the sides. The dorsal blotches become more widely spaced toward the tail. The belly is yellow to white and is often marked with black spots.
Pattern and color
- Base color: commonly yellow or yellowish, with geographic variation.
- Back: a row of large, dark black-to-brown blotches.
- Sides: a second series of darker blotches or spots.
- Tail: the dorsal pattern generally opens up, with blotches farther apart toward the tail.
- Belly: yellow to white, often with black spotting.
Color and contrast can vary across the species’ range. A faded, dusty or unusually dark individual should not be rejected solely because it does not match a single photograph. Pattern arrangement, head markings, body build and scales are more useful in combination.
Head marking
A black band is usually visible on the head in front of the eyes and extending below them. This band is one of the most useful features to check from a safe distance. Do not move closer or handle the snake to inspect it; binoculars or a zoom lens are safer ways to see a head pattern.
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Scales and body shape
The dorsal scales are keeled, meaning each scale has a raised ridge rather than a completely smooth surface. Bullsnakes are also heavy-bodied. Scale texture is difficult to see on a moving snake, so it should support—not replace—the broader pattern and head-marking assessment.
Size
The Montana Field Guide says gophersnakes can reach 7 feet, while most range from 3 to 5 feet. Size alone cannot identify a bullsnake: young snakes are much shorter, and several Montana snakes can overlap those lengths.
Bullsnake or rattlesnake?
People often ask this after seeing a large, blotched snake in grass or beside a road. A threatened bullsnake may coil, raise its tail and shake it in a rattlesnake-like display. The National Park Service describes this as defensive behavior. It is a warning and a bluff, not a reliable species test.
Do not approach a snake to see whether it shakes its tail, and do not assume that a calm snake is safe to handle. Defensive behavior can change with distance, temperature and the animal’s immediate stress. Identification should rest on visible traits—blotch pattern, head band, keeled scales, belly markings and overall build—observed without disturbing the snake.
The available Montana material does not establish a complete bullsnake-versus-prairie-rattlesnake field table. Treat any quick rule based on one color, one behavior or one body feature as unreliable. If you cannot identify the snake confidently, leave it alone and give it a wide berth.
Where bullsnakes occur in Montana
The state account describes the gophersnake as relatively common within suitable habitat and widely distributed across portions of Montana. That is a broad distribution statement, not a claim that every part of the state is occupied or that the snake is equally abundant everywhere.
The 2025 conservation-rank report says the species is associated with a wide range of habitats within its Montana range. The reviewed state sources do not establish dependable, site-by-site viewing locations. They also do not provide a verified statewide viewing season. A particular trail, park, county or date should not be treated as a guaranteed place or time to find one without a separate local source.
Because the species uses varied habitats, a sighting can occur in more than one kind of landscape. Habitat suitability, prey availability, shelter and seasonal conditions all affect where an individual is visible. “Widely distributed” describes the overall state pattern; it does not predict where a snake will appear on a given outing.
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Bullsnakes are constrictors that hunt a broad range of prey. The National Park Service’s Jewel Cave National Monument account, which describes bullsnakes in nearby South Dakota rather than Montana, states: “Diet consists primarily of small mammals such as mice, voles, and rabbits.” The same account also notes that they eat birds, bird eggs and other snakes.
This diet helps explain why bullsnakes can thrive across different suitable habitats: they are not tied to a single prey species. A snake’s food choices also vary with what is available locally and seasonally. The South Dakota account is useful natural-history context, but its measurements and local observations should not be presented as Montana-specific data.
When threatened, a bullsnake may coil, elevate the tail and shake it. The display can make the animal look and sound more intimidating, giving it a chance to deter a predator or person without immediately fleeing. It is best understood as a stress response. Watching from a distance allows the snake to settle and move away.
What Montana’s S5 rank means
Montana Natural Heritage Program accepted the gophersnake’s state rank as S5 on January 27, 2025. The accepted-rank justification reads: “Species is relatively common within suitable habitat and widely distributed across portions of the state.” That wording is the agency’s explanation for the rank.
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S5 is a conservation-status assessment, not a census. It does not provide the number of bullsnakes in Montana, the number seen per mile or a measured statewide increase. The rank report explicitly says short-term trend data are unavailable. Therefore, the rank should not be translated into a population estimate or a claim that numbers are rising.
Assessment measurements are not snake counts
The 2025 report gives a range extent of 380,530.8 km² and an area of occupancy of 14,698 four-square-kilometre cells. Both figures are credited to the Montana Natural Heritage Program’s 2025 assessment. Range extent describes the broad area associated with the species; area of occupancy counts mapped grid cells where suitable or occupied habitat is represented. Neither figure is the number of individual snakes.
Threats and uncertainty
The rank report identifies mortality associated with basking on roads as a concern. Vehicle collisions can kill snakes, and greater visibility on roads may also increase persecution. The report says these factors may contribute to mortality of reproductive-age individuals, while noting uncertainty about the size of the impact.
It also describes habitat as likely stable within approximately 25 percent of its condition since European settlement, while warning that persecution could cause local extirpations. “Stable” in that assessment does not mean every site is unchanged, and the potential for local losses is why a statewide rank should not be used to dismiss problems at a particular location.
How to watch a bullsnake safely
- Stop and create distance. Keep people, pets and vehicles away from the snake’s path. Never block its route.
- Observe without handling. Use binoculars or a camera’s zoom instead of approaching for a closer look.
- Do not provoke a display. Do not tap the ground, corner the snake or test whether it shakes its tail.
- Let it leave. A snake that has room to move is less likely to remain defensive.
- Use caution near roads. Do not step into traffic or reach toward a snake that is basking on pavement. If a road-killed animal is present, report it through an appropriate local wildlife channel rather than attempting to move it.
These precautions protect both the observer and the snake. They also avoid turning a brief identification opportunity into a stress event or a road-safety hazard.
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Common identification mistakes
“It is yellow, so it must be a bullsnake.”
Yellow is a common background color, but color varies geographically and overlaps with other snakes. Confirm the blotch arrangement, head band, body form and, when visible from a safe distance, keeled dorsal scales.
“It shook its tail, so it was a rattlesnake.”
Tail shaking is part of the bullsnake’s rattlesnake-like defensive display. Behavior alone does not establish the species.
“It was too large to be a gophersnake.”
The state guide reports that some reach 7 feet. Most are 3–5 feet, but length varies with age and individual growth. Size should be a supporting observation, not a deciding rule.
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“S5 means Montana has a population count.”
The rank summarizes conservation status. Montana’s report supplies mapped range measures and says short-term trend data are unavailable; it does not give a statewide abundance estimate.
Using a field guide
Montana’s Field Guide is the official online starting point for the state account and identification traits. A printed North American snake field guide can be a convenient companion for hikes, especially when you want regional illustrations away from a signal connection. It is optional, not a prerequisite, and should supplement—not replace—the state account and safe observation practices.
What is established—and what is not
The strongest Montana-specific conclusions are the snake’s combined identification traits, its 3–7-foot size range with most individuals 3–5 feet, broad distribution in suitable habitat and accepted S5 rank. The reviewed sources do not establish a Montana population total, a reliable encounter-rate statistic, guaranteed viewing sites or a statewide viewing season. Keeping those limits clear prevents a broad species account from being mistaken for a precise forecast of where or when you will see a snake.
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