Love seeing the bull snakes in the yard, as that means less mice. Garter snakes need to stay low around here, as the racoons, skunks and hawks eat em up, but they're good at going after grasshoppers that could be eating up your garden. I get garter snakes in the house once in awhile. It was funny when the cat had one cornered. Cat would tap it on the head and the garter snake would strike, making the cat leap high in the air. Pretty comical it was.
I had a two week break between jobs recently that coincided with the spring "snake season" we experience every year, and of course I packed in about 8 detecting trips to the hills.
Came across 8 or 9 rattlers, 3 or 4 Bulls and a rare Ringed-Neck.
A couple of the rattlers were a bit to close, but when they first come out for the season they're grumpy and really make sure you know they're there. Can't wait until it hits 100, and they disappear all day long again.... makes for more peaceful swinging.