Up here in the northeast, I've been known to get out of my truck and remove snakes from the road to prevent them from being killed. Especially, the snakes who consume rodents - they are very helpful when the woods are infested with chipmunks. That said, during the time I spent in Georgia, I never saw any shortage of cottonmouths. In fact, I would say it was quite the opposite. The way I see it, if a poisonous snake puts a man's well-being in danger, it does not seem inappropriate for a man to defend himself. Just my thoughts on the subject...