The park I walk in daily is surrounded by mountains & there is a lot of wildlife. In warm weather, snakes will surface. I heard a woman say, "Be careful; there's a Rattlesnake near the playground." I saw that it was a non-venomous Gopher Snake. I took him with me on my walk. He was very friendly.
I had a black snake in the middle of my yard last week. It didn't scamper when I walked out the door, so I figured there was something up. The next day there was a shed there.
Woodpeckers peck holes all around the trees below their nest holes so that the sap seeps out. Apparently most tree-climbing snakes won't/can't cross the sap. Maybe smear something sticky on the bird house pole?
I was thinking more along the lines of concertina wire. I just hate the thought of cutting a snake. Somehow, doing the same to possums or raccoons doesn't bother me...they seem more culpable.
Noooooooo!!!!!!! I don't love them, and I've never held one, but if you see snakes they are attracted by critters you want even less. That goes for copperheads as well.