How to scare a snake away from your property

If you encounter a snake in your path, you may be tempted to scare it away. If you are in the wild, it is not a good idea to confront a snake when you are not familiar with the surroundings. It is also not a good idea to scare a venomous snake, like a rattlesnake. Many snakes will see this as threatening behavior and they will strike in order to protect themselves.

What to do

If you do encounter a snake, there are some things that you should do rather than try and scare them away.

Remain motionless. Snakes will seldom strike if they do not feel threatened. If there is a snake in your path just stay where you are and allow it to pass.
Back away slowly. Do not make any sudden movements that can be perceived as aggressive.
Protect yourself if you are going to be walking in long grass. Wear thick boots that cover your ankles. You may even want to wear thick gloves. Carry a walking stick that can be used to protect yourself in an emergency.

If you are at home and a snake has made its way onto your property you need to identify the type of snake before taking action. If the snake is venomous, you should contact animal services or a professional wildlife remover. They will be able to catch the snake without anyone getting hurt.

If you do have a snake trap on hand it would be a good idea to place it in the vicinity. Once the snake enters the trap, it will be stuck. You can then place the trap in a pillowcase and take the snake to another location. Once you get there, you can pour a small amount of oil on the snake to free it from the glue.

Scaring them away

You should never try to scare an animal away when you are face to face. If the animal thinks that you are a threat then you may be in danger. However, if you want to keep it from entering your property, there are some methods that you can try to scare them away.

If the snake is not poisonous, you can try and squirt it with the garden hose. The water might make it flee. The same effect can be recreated by a motion-activated sprinkler. It is placed at the entrance to your property or in the vicinity of where the snake was spotted. Once the snake triggers the sensor a sharp blast of water is squirted at the animal. This creates the illusion that there is a human close by. Snakes might be scary to us, but they are just as scared of us.
If you see a snake, you may also be able to scare it away by making a sudden move. They are scared of humans and if they do not retaliate, they may be scared off.
You can plant strong-smelling plants around the perimeter of your garden to keep them from entering.