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Snake season is well and truly here today again.

We've had two inches of rain in the last couple of days, and warm sunny weather today. The ground is steaming.

My father warned me he had seen a snake track in the sand of a deer paddock a week ago and bumped into one of them at midday today. He was near my peacock cage, where there are a lot of mice that feed on the spilt feed for the birds. The snake felt a bit trapped, sliding towards the cage, he did not seem to want to go it (

I believe peacocks kill snakes ), did not go under a water tank for some reason, slid back into the deer handling yards.

Decided to go for a shotgun and some shoes or boots. I was barefoot. Was pretty sure he would be gone by the time I got back there, but I also needed to go through that gate to get to a paddock where I hoped to move a buck into a new paddock and return the main herd back into that field. Especially if there are any new fawns hidden out there somewhere.

Left the dog locked in the yard to his distress.

Walking in the grass was careful a good 30 metres away as you never know where you bump into them. And yes, there he was a good 8 metres in front of where he was previously. He slid and hid in some rocks of an old cow ramp, but I managed to spot his back and cut him in half with the shotgun. The front half with the head amazingly slid off in to some posts nearby. Never seen that before. Had a shot at it as it slid away.

Now this would prove an opportunity to do some snake proofing of Blitzen the GSP. We BELIEVE he is afraid of snakes and jumps away from them but ... put an electric collar on him. Took him to the area, and ran right over all the spots the snake had slid over. Sniffed around. Stupid dog, did not even smell half a snake lying right past where he ran. But went into a point looking at me. Encouraged him slightly to look in that area. He sniffed working into the grass, and ended up with his nose an inch from the cut off snake! Gave him a full no.4 shock on the collar. He lept backwards, a good couple of metres into the air, somersaulting, and landed on his side in the grass. Told him to run away with me, saying BAD ... SNAKE, BAD ... SNAKE etc.

Felt mean, but it is better he learns not to investigate snakes. The blood smell on the snake may have been a bit different this time. Don't want to loose him to these very deadly brown snakes. Will collect the two halves, and give the dog more lessons to reinforce it in the next couple of days. Good to do this every year.

Now snakes in Aus are of course protected. In SA they may be killed if near homes and workplaces etc where they are endangering lives, pets and livestock.

I don't have a shortage of them. No longer running sheep, we have high grass, sometimes up to a metre and half on parts of the property.

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John aka NitroX

...
Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"

Edited by NitroX (28/11/11 12:19 AM)

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