Some snakes are "good" so try to learn the difference
@Retired_Engineer: If I could be allowed to clarify this I'd say that we only have 4 snakes that are venomous and only 2 of them are "bad".
Coral snakes (red touches yellow, kill a fellow) are common around here and are our most toxic snake by a long shot (part of the cobra family), but they don't have fangs like a viper. Â They have to sort of gnaw on you repeatedly for you to get enough venom in you to hurt you. Â Sort of like a snake hickie. Â They are such a small threat that they stopped making anti-venom years ago. Â Their mouth is also so small that even a full-grown adult would need access to your little toe or little finger and again, for a sustained time. Â They are shy, they are skiddish, and if you get bit by one it's because you are dumb enough to be playing with it.We technically have rattle snakes indigenous to the area but they are pretty scarce, they are also very skittish, and they'll run from you long before they'll fight. Â Again, unless you're messing with them you are safe.That leaves cottonmouths and copperheads. Â Both will bite you. Â Both can be aggressive. Â Cottonmouths tend to live around bodies of water. Â They smell like ammonia and you really don't have to make them mad...the sort of stay that way. Â Unless you have a pond or creek in your back yard you probably will never see one of these guys. Â Copperheads, on the other hand, are plentiful and will have no problem hanging out in your yard, garage, doorways, etc. Â Most people get bit by stepping on them without seeing them. Â When we're camping I always remind my kids to shuffle their feet as they walk through the brush. Â Better to scare them off than step on them. Â Although a nature lover and protector of wildlife, I have no problem with people killing copperheads. Â They do have their purpose in nature and I'll shoo them away personally, but I understand someone's desire to kill this particular snake if it's in your yard.So that's 4 "bad" snakes, only 2 of which you will probably ever see in your yard in this area and only 1 that presents any sort of practical danger to you. Â All the rest serve a purpose in our ecosystem. Â Rat snakes, corn snakes, milk snakes all eat bugs, lizards, and rodents as do garter and ribbon snakes. Â King snakes eat rodents, bugs, lizards, etc in addition to eating other snakes. Â None of them will eat or harm children or grandbabies. Â None of them will eat or harm your ankle-biter dogs. Â The OP said it themselves, left alone the snake just disappears and is a threat to no one.<gets off soapbox> 4951