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!
Nature abhors a vacuum and when one thing is wiped out, something else will always take its place.
It’s not a big stretch to say you can thank the snake killers for any apparent invasion of vipers.
Snakes leave ‘scent trails’, of a sort and I’m sure other snakes take note of who may or may not be around to eat them.
The ones who are ‘brave enough’ to kill off rat snakes may not have the guts to be whacking rattlers or coppers with shovels and so now you have your current situation.
Thirty years ago, the DNR might have considered your good idea.
But they’re not who they were, before.
YMMV but our DNR is now a bunch of fascist liberals who seem hell bent on doing everything exactly contrary to what is right and natural.
Before, it was local good ol’ boys who had both guts and common sense.
In my experience, the DNR went from the 80s, when a guy would show up at your house at 2am to check on an injured possum to now, when they won’t even answer the phone, from 9 to 5.
But rescue an injured fawn or squirrel off the side of the road and they’ll be right there to arrest you.
For two years, I have hauled Pinky the boa around with me on the Harley and thousands of people have met him, most of them being serious snake phobics.
In that time, I’ve had so many ‘converts’ run up to me later, to tell me that they have saved snakes off the road, have been telling their friends to leave snakes alone and just generally changing the attitudes of others, whenever they can.
A lot of them are his friends on his FB page and people who used to be terrified of snakes went to great efforts to sign petitions fighting the insane ‘exotics laws’.
It’s a ripple effect.
It may only be a drop in the bucket but every little bit helps.
FWIW, every time I go out, people ask “Where’s Pinky?”.
If hubby goes out by himself, nobody asks “Where’s Shari?”
The snake has groupies.
:)