Just keep grass mowed and dont have anything where they can den or hide under. And I mean nothing. They dont like being out in the open like that. So they may explore your yard but they wont stay.

Im on 7 acres backs up to Dickinson Bayou with heavy woods on both sides of the bayou and open uncleared large field next to me and the drainage bayou on the other side of me.

Been here since Jan 2020.... only seen one water moccasin.....that was when they moved a bunch of dirt to build the house next door. Was about 4 or so coral snakes when I first moved in and was mowing. Nothing since. There is a HUGE rat snake hangs out near our horse hay stack.... he gets to stay. And just last week saw a large banded water snake which are harmless. Nothing up by the house since ive kept the grass nice. I mow by the bayou and my yard and the rest is where the horses roam. You would think right on those woods and on the bayou we would see more. But thats it going on 7 yrs. Nothing since I started mowing.

SGrem said:

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Just keep grass mowed and dont have anything where they can den or hide under. And I mean nothing. They dont like being out in the open like that. So they may explore your yard but they wont stay.

Im on 7 acres backs up to Dickinson Bayou with heavy woods on both sides of the bayou and open uncleared large field next to me and the drainage bayou on the other side of me.

Been here since Jan 2020.... only seen one water moccasin.....that was when they moved a bunch of dirt to build the house next door. Was about 4 or so coral snakes when I first moved in and was mowing. Nothing since. There is a HUGE rat snake hangs out near our horse hay stack.... he gets to stay. And just last week saw a large banded water snake which are harmless. Nothing up by the house since ive kept the grass nice. I mow by the bayou and my yard and the rest is where the horses roam. You would think right on those woods and on the bayou we would see more. But thats it going on 7 yrs. Nothing since I started mowing.

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And if you can stand it, a cat.

410 snake charmer - or just go with the 12 gauge

May have told this story on this board before but when we moved to San Antonio in 2002 I moved ahead of the family and lived in an apartment in UC for a few months. One day I went down to the office to pay rent and the local TV news troublemakers were there investigating complaints about rodents in the complex. As I walked in the manager was explaining that an adjacent lot had been cleared and the rodents had fled, that they had complained to the city who had failed to address it and the complex had put out hundreds of pounds of poison trying to solve it.

Me: Oh, cool a TV crew. What's going on?
Reporter babe: Sir do you live here?
Me: Yes, ma'am.
Reporter babe: Sir, I'm Reporter Babe from the TV Troublemakers, can I ask you some questions?
Me: Sure.
Manager: Oh, this is gonna be fun!
Reporter: Sir, we've received complaints about rodents in people's homes. Have you had any problems?
Me: No but I live upstairs so maybe they haven't gotten that high yet. This is an easy problem to solve.
Reporter: How would you solve it.
Me: Just get a few snakes. They'll eat a few rodents and the rest will move on.
Reporter: But then you'll have a snake problem.
Me: That's easy too. Get a few cats. Snakes don't like cats so a few will get eaten and the rest will move on.
Reporter: But then you'll have a cat problem.
Me: Get a gun.
Reporter: Oh My God!
Me: Problem solved. Am I gonna be on TV?
Cameraman, visibly laughing: Probably not.
Manager: Told you that would be fun!

Guinea fowl will fix the snakes, but then you'll have a noise problem.
Same for 410, but the noise doesn't last as long.

you need a mongoose