Woods Lore. About Australian Snakes.

I was out picking Lemon Balm this afternoon and came across an Eastern Brown snake. Fortunately he went away from me, as I have found most snakes will when they can. The majority of people that get bitten do so when trying to catch or kill a snake, or because they trod on one. We used to get a lot of King Brown snakes in our house in the Territory, even found one in our child's cot when I went to lay him down one day!
NEVER step over a log or downed tree if you can't see what is on the other side. Mostly you won't be able to see the other side close to the tree. Go around the tree/log or step up on the log/tree and stop & look before your next step.
Mostly we get Eastern Brown snakes and Red Bellied Black snakes around here, but we did have a Tiger Snake kill one of our dogs some years ago. Mostly a snake will move away from you if it senses you are near, but if you are hunting or stalking and walking quietly, then you may get closer to a snake than you want to!
Learn to identify the snakes common to your area. Learn first aid. Always carry bandages when in the bush. Look where you are walking and sitting.

This video below is the best one I have come across so far.

A Little Birdie Told Me So! Learn to understand & pay attention.

Most animals have a way of communicating danger to other animals, and that includes us humans. The Blackbird in the British Isles is a typical example, and I will bet that many a deer hunter in Scotland has cursed them for it. But you should learn to understand these warning signals, and pay attention to it. I was just outside picking some fresh greens for my lunch. I was just about to reach into the garlic chives when a Fairy Wren nearby gave its warning signal that there was a snake. I pulled back just in time as the red bellied black came out of the chives!
And yes, I did thank the Fairy Wren.

A female fairy wren.

Red belly black.

Pioneer life or 30 years a hunter. By Philip Tome.

Pioneer Life.

Or 30 years a hunter.
By Philip Tome.


“Taking salt and flour with us we pushed up our canoe to a place called Round Island”.
“We now brought our venison together, and built a scaffold on which we placed it to dry. It may well here to describe the manner of preserving Elk’s meat in the summer. It is first cut into thin slices and salted down in the skin. We always carried a bag of salt with us for that purpose. Two large poles are laid across crotches about five feet high, and a number of smaller ones are laid across these. After the meat has lain a sufficient length of time in the skin, it is spread upon this scaffold, and a slow fire built under it. The fire is gradually increased and the meat turned until it is dried through. In this state it is called jerk”.
“My father commenced mending his moccasins”.
“They came up pine creek with a keel boat loaded with flour, pork, sugar, chocolate, tea, and all kinds of clothing for the men”.
“We all had fishing lines”.
“I called to Strawbridge to throw the axe at the snake”.
“During the winter when the river was covered with ice, the deer would fall into the air holes and become an easy prey (to the wolves). We took off the skin and if the deer did not prove to be very good, we would leave half of it to the wolves, but if it was good, we left the refuse parts to encourage them in pursuing the deer”.
“On leaving the house we always put on a pair of woollen socks and leggings over our shoes to protect our legs from the snakes”.

Image added by Le Loup.