When we had a mouse and rat problem, a big group of black snakes arrived to enjoy some rodent meals. After the foxes moved in and killed all of the rats and most of the mice, most of the snakes moved on. I wish there were a way of attracting some foxes, but you probably have to get rid of the rodents yourselves.
[QUOTE=Vindicated;8306323]
No offense taken, I am working on de-sensitizing myself-but it’s a long road for me. I can finally not run away screaming (like a little girl). I now turn and walk away quickly. The one in my driveway, I was able to stand 5 feet from it for almost 10 minutes before the heebie geebies got the better of me.[/QUOTE]
I find the more time I spend learning about them, the less freaked out I am. Since a park we go to a lot has a lot of snakes, and I’m trying not to impart my fear onto my kid, I’ve started hanging out at snake forums, and the livingalongsidewildlife.com blog, and testing my ID skills.
The more time I spend learning and seeking out information, the more comfortable I feel around them, to the point where I actually grabbed and moved a large rat snake this summer.
Keep in mind, it is getting to the time of year when garter snakes are looking for a hibernation place. Keep an eye on buildings, especially the house or you may have snaky housemates…and it does happen: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/another-119-snakes-found-in-regina-area-home-1.2825931
Snakes can live in rocks, but they are much easier to see than a planted bed with flowers and shrubs.
I was cutting back a forsythia with the help of my Mom. I was sitting on the ground cutting branches out to thin it. I would cut then hand the branch to Mom who would throw it in the truck bed. I ended up lopping a copperhead without realizing it. Pulled it out with a branch. You should have seen me jump!!
Also, on the mouse front, if you have stalls with mats that aren’t occupied might be worth pulling the mats. I just did that on an end stall and it was all tunnels shudder. Husband was nice enough to toss some mouse poison into the stall walls (where cats/dogs etc can’t find) and “forgot” to tell me until I asked where the heck the SMELL was coming from.
After gelding was smart and gashed his leg I “found” one of the sources of the smell curled up very dead in my standing wraps shudder
Barn is under construction so we do have piles of wood all over. Worked on the wash stall this weekend and found two red bellies and a black racer. Racer fled, redbelly kept coming back. we literally relocated him into the far field 3 different times and he kept returning…I’m sure he’s back under some piece of wood or another.
Husband just surprised me with 3 semi ferals so hopefully once they are a bit bigger the mice population will go down. When that happens, plus the construction is done I’d imagine our snake issue will go down.
I’m not anti snake, but not exactly found of sticking my hand on one when I’m trying to grab a 2x4. Personally I like snakes, and don’t mind them around. My husband is terrified of them…and hides it with the “I don’t want them to bite our young son, or eat a kitten”. I’ve already scoffed at the kitten thing…they are roughly 12 weeks and nothing around that barn will be able to consume the kitten. Plus they were playing tackle all over the woodpile sunday and some how escaped uneaten 
only option is hunt them all :(, poor you!
I’ve had luck keeping snakes out of our “cool”, stone, pump house in the summer by throwing a handful of moth balls in on the floor. They also stopped an armadillo from digging into our stable.
[QUOTE=Ambitious Kate;8306201]
Also, I have never, ever known of a snake chasing a person. They just don’t do that.[/QUOTE]
Both Cottomouth snakes and Copperheads chase people, ask me how I know. OP, is your area in a drought? Because if it is, that is why you are seeing more snakes around your house. The rattlesnakes used to come down from the mountains during the droughts when we lived in western Loudoun Co. VA. That being said, except for whatever is a “brown” snake, those two you mentioned are not in the least aggressive but I did remove a 6 foot long snake that lived alternately in my attic and in my basement. Yes, we had mice and I left her there longer than I should have. We did not kill her, she was relocated to a nice barn with an owner who was eager to have her.
[QUOTE=Calamber;8308149]
Both Cottomouth snakes and Copperheads chase people, ask me how I know. OP, is your area in a drought? Because if it is, that is why you are seeing more snakes around your house. The rattlesnakes used to come down from the mountains during the droughts when we lived in western Loudoun Co. VA. That being said, except for whatever is a “brown” snake, those two you mentioned are not in the least aggressive but I did remove a 6 foot long snake that lived alternately in my attic and in my basement. Yes, we had mice and I left her there longer than I should have. We did not kill her, she was relocated to a nice barn with an owner who was eager to have her.[/QUOTE]
If she lives somewhere where a snake with Michigan in its name lives, she doesn’t have copperheads or cotton mouths. I was a field biologist for years in the south and literally tripped over cotton mouths- never so much as a hiss. People exaggerate these things all the time. Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone!
[QUOTE=ThatBayHorse;8308277]
If she lives somewhere where a snake with Michigan in its name lives, she doesn’t have copperheads or cotton mouths. I was a field biologist for years in the south and literally tripped over cotton mouths- never so much as a hiss. People exaggerate these things all the time. Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone![/QUOTE]
You might enjoy this (on the myth of cottonmouths chasing people):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=314N7xIeRR8
(it seems many cases of being “chased” are people being between the snake and where it wants to go)
Get a few spayed female barn cats.
OP–Any chance you live near woods? I have a couple wooded acres, with basically my house, front yard, driveway, and pole barn being the only cleared areas. The snakes like to come out to my yard to warm up after hanging around in the woods most of the day.
I, too, live in Michigan and have a huge phobia of snakes. Snakes were in my hay shed when I kept squares, and would hang out in the round bales when I pulled hay off those. Now, my horse happily eats off a full round bale in his pasture. 
I haven’t noticed a difference with killing off rodents. We have an awesome mouser cat. There really aren’t many places for the snakes to get into the sun to digest their food, and my yard is just right there for them.
I’m trying to co-exist. Like, the other day, after watching one slither into my tack room, it only took me ten minutes to carefully walk in there to grab my saddle as quickly as possible and run the other direction.
I’ve improved! (after only living in this situation for 4.5 years…)
In Virginia, according to the Agriculture Extension officer I spoke to, the number one predator for copperhead snakes (and snakes in general) are cats. They affect the snake population in two ways, direct hunting and food removal.
Barn cats are great employees. They only eat a little kibble, but they love to destroy rodent populations which are the basis for snake infestations. Delete the mice, the snakes move out. Snakes are mostly motivated by fear and hunger. Without food, they will move on to keep alive.
Barn cats also enjoy catching wriggling snakes and trying to determine what magic causes them to wriggle so. Unfortunately, the process of searching for the magic in the snake often results in the magic escaping from the snake, as it were.
[QUOTE=ThatBayHorse;8308277]
If she lives somewhere where a snake with Michigan in its name lives, she doesn’t have copperheads or cotton mouths. I was a field biologist for years in the south and literally tripped over cotton mouths- never so much as a hiss. People exaggerate these things all the time. Leave them alone and they’ll leave you alone![/QUOTE]
In case you missed something I had quoted from the poster who said that snakes do not chase people and that was not the OP. I am sorry to pop your bubble, but water snakes, cottonmouths and copperheads have chased people that I know, the water snake was by far the most aggressive but the copperheads jump further than you think they can for their length. None of them were being bothered. The one man who was actually bitten by the copperhead nearly lost his hand. His dog was barking at something in the grass, he thought his tether had become entangled, he went over to investigate and reached for the dog and the snake jumped at him. The water snakes chased the young woman out of the river. And I myself was chased into my car by a cottonmouth. I was not out snake hunting either where he or she and his clan would have been absolutely entitled to bite me since I was intruding on their property with malicious intent.
When we bought our farm it came with a 3 legged cat and huge rats a ton of mice and a lot…alot of snakes and a gigantic 12 year old manure pile…We even had snake upstairs in the loft.
Rat Poison came first, moving the manure pile took a few weeks…coincided with mowing and removing shrubs rock piles wood piles…Then I introduced cats to live in the feed room. Snakes moved to the house garden …got JRTs and weed Whacker…and if I saw one I killed it…We also do not feed in sheds nor put hY in them, clean shed floors every spring and end of summer, weed whack close to all buildings on farm and fence perimeters…seems to have made a big difference in sightings…no rodents no snakes in barns…occasionally a rat wanders in around fall and cats dispatch it PDQ…
[QUOTE=Calamber;8312382]
In case you missed something I had quoted from the poster who said that snakes do not chase people and that was not the OP. I am sorry to pop your bubble, but water snakes, cottonmouths and copperheads have chased people that I know, the water snake was by far the most aggressive but the copperheads jump further than you think they can for their length. None of them were being bothered. The one man who was actually bitten by the copperhead nearly lost his hand. His dog was barking at something in the grass, he thought his tether had become entangled, he went over to investigate and reached for the dog and the snake jumped at him. The water snakes chased the young woman out of the river. And I myself was chased into my car by a cottonmouth. I was not out snake hunting either where he or she and his clan would have been absolutely entitled to bite me since I was intruding on their property with malicious intent.[/QUOTE]
Thank you for this!! The water moccasins in Ok. are VERY aggressive…they will come up out of the water right after a person or dog!! I KNOW!!
Haven’t read all the replies but look into getting chickens. They eat small snakes and can kill larger ones. They will help deter the snakes. At least it works around here. I’ve only seen three small snakes, and two of those were in the process of being eaten by a chicken.
[QUOTE=crosscreeksh;8312567]
Thank you for this!! The water moccasins in Ok. are VERY aggressive…they will come up out of the water right after a person or dog!! I KNOW!![/QUOTE]
I KNOW to. One of the scariest things I’ve ever been through. It tried to climb into a boat we were in.
Chickens also will eat mice, check YouTube.
I just keep repeating to myself: they are a sign of a healthy ecosystem, they are the sign of a healthy ecosystem. But were in the west side of the PNW and there is nothing poisonous around.
