I would call the Humane Society in a heartbeat if I knew of anyone killing animals in such ways - and I'm a hardened veteran of the Varmint Wars, mostly against the damn raccoons. I've never killed one - I did trap one once, but I had to let her go when her two little babies came out of the woods, because they wouldn't have survived if I'd transported the family to unfamiliar. I wouldn't want to eat a 'civilized' raccoon, ewww - they're trash-raiding scavengers; who knows what pathogens they picked up from the dumpster?

Only two things I know will reliably prevent varmints of all kinds: a 10-foot electrified fence set in concrete, or a large and active watchdog. Hunting cats do a pretty good job of keeping down the rabbits, squirrels and woodchucks, but they're no match for raccoons.

Anyone who would deliberately kill garter snakes deserves to be locked in a small concrete room with all the insects the murdered snakes would have eaten in their lifetimes if they hadn't been murdered.