My best friend lives in south-central Virginia.
She walks her dog pack on the old logging roads every day and until it’s too cold, they all must step over or around the Eastern Diamondbacks who sun themselves on the trail.
[she once saw an albino one]
She’s never had to harm one except for a single exception.
Her area has been under drought for years and food is scarce for prey and predator, alike.
A singular squirrel took up residence on her porch, having been attracted by her apple tree.
One day, she and her family came home to large rattler on the porch, who was seeking to get that squirrel, since other prey was very scarce.
She also has a small frog pond nearby so it may have been seeking water, as well.
They tried to shoo it away but it kept coming back and one day, it lunged at her son.
They hated to do it but they shot it.
I could not fault them because they had neither the equipment or expertise to bag and relocate it.
For myself, I simply make my property attractive to rat snakes.
They eat other snakes and it seems other snakes know this and stay away.
In 24 years, I have never seen rattler or copper, here, although I know for a fact there are lots of them on the ridges and mountains around me.
For whatever reasons, we don’t seem to have many rat or king snakes around “my” local fishing spots. And, usually local DNR’s frown on private individuals “stocking” their lands, skies, or waters, with anything. But, who knows, maybe the DNR would consider the addition of some predators of venomous snakes. Then they’d probably be wise to put up a sign or 2, explaining that the rat or king snakes are there to eat the copperheads. We DO have a lot of locals who will kill any snake they see, and I’ve rescued quite a few, myself... (Harmless snakes, I mean, there’s no helping some of these people...)
Obviously (I hope), I’d rather not have to deal with copperheads in the 1st place!