You never know...Snakes Alive!!!!...or dead

I found this little guy the other day right at the foot of our deck. Ambitious little bugger, he was maybe 2 1/2 ft long. I took a couple of pics then left them alone. Came back about 20 mins later - nowhere in sight, don't know whether the toad got free, the snake won or gave up...

How about this ambitious BIG bugger...

Beautiful! I like snakes, still miss my ball python-although my dog couldn't stand him. She went bananas every time she saw him, so we had to keep him upstairs. I usually end up moving a least one or ow baby garters in the spring when we're mowing. I'll never forget the first spring when we bought our old house, I walked out to wash my truck and...there were about 50 or so garters in the ditch next to the driveway. It was amazing. They did it every year, until the crows got them one year and they never came back. Glad except for the odd rogue copperhead we don't have poisonous snakes here though.

FYI, This thread is from last summer.
Maybe I shouldn't revive (or de-rail) it, but I found it while researching ways to keep snakes out of my woodstacks. I have nothing against the HUGE blacksnake that lives in the barn, but after killing three copperheads on the back patio last summer I want to discourage any other snakes from moving in.

What you have done is encourage them to come by killing the ones there already. the mice and rats will multiply enticing more snakes.

I will let a black snake go. Barely. All the other rattle headed copper moccasins get what ever is handy be it shovel, axe, or shotgun.