Larger snakes I simply carry them to the woods along the back edge of the property when found to reduce the chance of injury by lawn mower or dog. Smaller ones I dont bother with. Snakes dont bother me at all and I dont kill them just because they are there.
Snakes have a place in the system, it just doesn't happen to need to be near my chicken coops, lol.

I've met some aggressive water snakes in my years...just won't go away sometimes. Had a big one in Hartstown swamp that insisted on trying to get in our little flat bottom boat. Mean buggy !
Most land snakes seem to vanish ,but those water ones can get on your nerves sometimes.

Fisherlady - thank you for the picture of the barn. It reminds me of my Grandfather's barn. Good memories. Even the day he yelled at me to get out of the barn. There was a long (at least when you are 6 or 7 every snake is long) black snake sneaking up behind me. He used the pitch fork on it. I don't ever remember him raising his voice except that day..

@Captain Hook, totally agree on water snakes being more aggressive. Grew up visiting my Grandad's  Southern Md farm and it had swampy area in the woods loaded with cotton mouths and his cellar often had a few inches of water in it along with a few more of the nasty critters. Was honestly the only snake I can say I actively avoided.
 
@recman.... glad you liked the picture. I love that old barn, even with the uninvited critters that share it. We have a decent group of bats who call it home along with the occasional black snake or milk snake. The snakes like the rafters joints for aid in shedding skins. The hay storage provides plenty of mice and other critters for their food also.

Fishing the Shenango River one afternoon with my daughter and we were wading and catching Smallmouths when a water snake showed up. Slapped at it with my pole and back again it came, after several tries this snake was still after us in the water, finally after a push down stream it disappeared. Once again this water snake had an aggressive attitude !

A visitor found about 5 ft up in the oak tree in the yard. It was only about 3.5-4 ft long... and another the same size found being harassed by one of my hens.

Water snakes are aggressive! Same with them water spiders snakes I dig spiders I do not like! I'll scream and run like a girl lol caught my first rattler this summer that's a rush ! The areas they live are just plane beautiful also seen some nice bull elk and a huge bear that was not afraid of us, really made us think about carrying on our snake hunting adventures