Add a mighty sharp machete to your standard equipment. It comes in handy when MR. No Shoulders decides he doesn't want you in his territory! 'specially dem nasty cotton mouths. Ain't no decency in dose animules atall.
personally, I would never kill a reptile, but I did disturb an underground hornet colony afew years back. I didnt leave any footprints for the first 50 yards.
Living on a farm I normally don't kill any wild animals because most are very helpful and really don't bother you that much. One of the best things about living out here is watching the wildlife. But a cotton mouth and pygmy rattlers are another story altogether. They will not run nor will they back down. I'd rather tangle with a lynx any day rather than a cm or pr. Both are deadly and vicious.
I keep two King Snakes in the barn for rodent control and they work very very cheaply. I don't have any rats and my wife stays out of my shop and private belongings! Hehehe!!!!
Living and detecting in Florida, your tool needs differ from say Washington state or Maine. Here is my tool kit I posted on another site a while back. A Cotton Mouth will chase you, and they get mighty big. Yes, that is a switchblade.... ....Gil