Any ideas?

[pam]

Man there is all kinds of wildlife here David lol. Haven't seen any rattlers tho, knock on wood. Just copperheads and cottonmouths. Year before last we were at the river and me and ashley were out in the middle when everybody started hollerin at us and I turned around and there was a big-ass (scuse my french but that's only way to descibe it ) cottonmouth comin right at us, it had got stirred up from all the people. I started easin ashley around behind me and started back towards the bank and it swam right by me. talk about sweatin in ice cold water lol.

I like mountain lions too, there were pictures took of a panther last spring about 30 miles from here. We got everything from bobcats to coyotes to coons to armadillos runnin thru the yard somtimes. The coons come up on the porch and eat the left over catfood bald eagles nest in the woods back of here, hawks do too.

All the grankids learn about snakes pretty early, cause they are everywhere even in town. Josh used to have em in the retaining wall where they lived. Just a little nerve-wrackin at times I don't mind snakes EXCEPT for copperheads for some reason they just creep me out.

[Joanna]

... copperheads for some reason they just creep me out.

Probably because they stink so bad...  When I smell THAT smell, I always get panicky & paranoid.

I was going to suggest pigs, but see someone else did first.  I really don't know how that could work, they'd keep the snakes out of the pig pen for sure, but you can't just let pigs have the run of the yard...  I hate pigs though, almost rather have snakes (just kidding!)

My brother-in-law (and yours) suggested ginny hens; but if you can't keep cats, ginny's probably wouldn't last long either.  Good luck!

[Lookatmeknow!!]

What type of dog or if any do you have?  Someone suggested Rat terriers where we used to live.  We had one and didn't see any around the house.  Not sure if it really works or not.  But they are such cute dogs!!!

[pam]

 Yeah I thought of guineas Jo but thought the same thing as you on account of the cats

I don't have a dog Angie, I have a wolf. Don't know if she would kill a snake or not, she sure hates possums and armadillos tho.

[Judy Harder]

I have noticed  in my last 3 or 4 days of walking, that the snakes are out and trying to stay warm.

Where I walk is the old road that used to go north of Longton  across the Hitchin creek bridge. I like it cause as soon as I get across the highway, I don't have to deal with cars (except for Lloyd, and him I dodge) and or dogs or people.....
The old  blacktop is still there and I usually walk to the bridge and except for  a few clumps of grass I can see where I  walk.

Plus Scooter  ( a rat terrier) is ahead of me on a leash and would sound off if a copperhead or  something else was there.

He is very good about finding Cat Scat and his nose is the best at sniffing out trails.
the snakes I have seen he ignores.
The largest was about 3 feet long and heading into the grass as we walk up to him, there wasn't any way that Scooter did not see him.
the other ones were all young ones that looked like twigs and all of them were laying in the sun and trying to stay warm.

I didn't have any trouble, except I started
"Tip Toe-ing through the place and really keeping alert.

You could call it snakey!!! LOL.
But, they ran (slithered) from us and I  knew I was safe.

With the weather changing, they are starting to den up and you really need to watch in lean-tos or wood piles until we get snow or freezing temps.

Just be careful. Maybe get a pellet gun and or carry a gun.

[Chelle]

When we moved out here to the farm 22+ years ago, nobody lived out here for about 7 years.  I had copperheads and rattlesnakes in my yard.  #1 thing we did is poured a cement top over our rock well.  Copperheads loved the cool dampness and would thrive by our well.   #2 I kept my grass mowed short and had about 30 guineas and 10  to 15 chickens.  We also had 3 dogs and lots (20) of cats.  I would lose a guinea or two to cats but they usually hatched out enough chicks to make up for it.  They are very good protectors.  Once in a while I will see a snake down our lane but in our yard very seldom.  Any animal that roams, cats, dogs, chickens, guineas, ducks, pigs,  etc.  will keep the snakes away plus keeping the grass mowed.  Now I have 3 dogs, 1 cat.  No snakes.

[Wilma]

We used to have lots of cats, too.  Once in awhile we would find a partially eaten snake and once we found a cat carrying a snake.  We didn't have to worry about rattlers or copperheads in Sedgwick County, but having moved there from here we were fully aware of snakes.  My husband grew up in Elk County and he could smell a copperhead, too.  Here in town, the only snake I have seen is the six foot black snake that I told about in the snake thread.  Being that close to it and having time to really look at it, I realized that it was a beautiful snake, but I still don't want to handle one.

[oldmom]

Daddy always had a "bunch" of rat terriers around and we didn't have a problem with snakes around the house - we also didn't have problems with mice, rats, possums, raccoons, etc.  He tried to start a prairie dog town once, the rat terriers took care of that idea!!!