I sometimes think I got more snakes on my land than any other critter. I just about can't spend half a day mowing without seeing one race away from me. Mostly they're black rat or milk snakes, but I have cotton mouths and copper heads around here also.
My philosophy is if it's close enough to kill, then I kill it.
Last winter when it was really cold out, I was clearing some saplings and underbrush with a small dozer. I killed about a dozen snakes in a quarter acre just scaping the surface with the blade. When I backed up I'd see half a snake lying there pulled out of a hole.
My biggest scare this year happened the day after cutting a bunch of 2X4's. I left the ends lying inside my barn door for the night before closing up. The next morning while cleaning up, I uncovered a rather large black snake all coiled up. I took off and grabed a shove. It went the wrong way into my barn. My heart didn't slow down for at least an hour afterwards.
Ever since I killed him, I've had all sorts of Toads hanging around my barn at night. Some rather large ones. I like Toads much more than snakes!
I got two dogs now that I hope will help keep the snakes away, and I cleared out all the jungle around my barn to cut down on their habitat. Now I have a nice place for a pasture as an unplanned suprise.