Snakes arnt bad, being from Canada like 1895 we dont really got snakes though I dont even think the "Missisaga Rattler snake" thats the only poisonous one here I know of is actually able to kill a person with its venom.

Now if I was in Austrilia I'd probably not want to step anywhere near a bush etc a snake might come out of I hear they got some of the most deadly snakes in the world

Anyways back on topic maybe a snake will be good to kill the beavers. Just makes sure its not a type that has venom

Dimitri

Vince , I hate to take 1895SS's side, but man and snake do not mix.

In Nam my buddies killed a 3 foot cobra next to my bunk while I was in it sleeping and while in a compromising position in the outhouse a banboo crate (called a two stepper, one bight and you have 2 steps before you are dead) went between my legs. I was constipated for a week.

Are there good snakes, yes, the ones being tanned on the side of a barn.

kbis wrote:

Vince , I hate to take 1895SS's side, but man and snake do not mix. In Nam my buddies killed a 3 foot cobra next to my bunk while I was in it sleeping and while in a compromising position in the outhouse a banboo crate (called a two stepper, one bight and you have 2 steps before you are dead) went between my legs. I was constipated for a week. Are there good snakes, yes, the ones being tanned on the side of a barn.

No problems with taking 1895ss's side....he's not a bad sort of a bloke....for a Marlin owner.

Know what you mean about cobra's. When I was in Malaysia when in the Army we always had to check the ablutions carefully for them before showering or crapping. I think the BIG pythons were worse than the cobra's though. We still found that if you left them alone they would leave you alone.

Be great if you could train the snakes to deal with the beavers. Maybe you could identify their home (the beavers) and place a small quantity of high explosive in or under it....say no more than about 15lb to 20 lb, sorta get their attention.

Seriously though. I think a trap may well be the only option left if you can't shoot them.

Cheers, Vince

kbis: Try this: If you want to use your 243, get varmint loads. They fragment upon impact, and ricochets will be a minor or nonexistent problem. .22 rimfires ricochet more.

Do you have a good .22, something that can keep 5 shots on a playing card at 50 yds? Cheaper, quieter and effective.

Critters are not supposed to be disturbed by red or green tinted light. Sooo... an easily portable 2 or 3 cell with a red or green filter should work, If it will shine properly to about 50 yards. A $2.49 supermarket light will do, it it has the range. Plenty of lights will fill your needs. Tape and shim it to the fore end of your weapon, whatever it is, so the sights point somewhere in the middle of the beam at about 50 yards. 22s or the 243 will obviously provide less recoil, and therefore need less retaping. Don't let the light touch any part of the gun, or you will be replacing light bulbs about every shot with the .243, and that, my friend, will become EXPEN$IVE fast.

Of course, you can spend real $$$ on a "tactical" light mount and light.

Now: Set up a blind maybe 25 yards from where the beasties are doing their worst. It can be as simple as a tent, or some burlap sacking on a light frame, and leave it for a while, so the critters become used to it, then take your most comfortable chair, a shooting rest, a cooler with some libation that doesn't degrade your shooting, mosquito repellant, and wait for the critters to show. Or sneak into it in the early a.m.
Good luck!

I am reminded of the critter in "Caddyshack"

Dimitri wrote:

I dont even think the "Missisaga Rattler snake" thats the only poisonous one here I know of is actually able to kill a person with its venom. :?Dimitri

Dimitri: I don't think a snake would kill a beaver, unless it felt threatened enough to envenomate. It is too big to eat, so why bother?

I once thought Massasauguas were really little snakes, like the Pygmy Rattlesnakes we had where I grew up, but l was wrong! I saw my first one ever at the Desert Museum in Arizona a couple of weeks ago, and they are respectable sized reptiles! I thought the same about the Mojave Green Rattler, which is fairly rare, and has the only neurotoxin based venom of the rattlesnakes. The museum had one, and it was of respectable size, too.

I just don't like snakes!

sniper wrote:

Dimitri: I don't think a snake would kill a beaver, unless it felt threatened enough to envenomate. It is too big to eat, so why bother? I once thought Massasauguas were really little snakes, like the Pygmy Rattlesnakes we had where I grew up, but l was wrong! I saw my first one ever at the Desert Museum in Arizona a couple of weeks ago, and they are respectable sized reptiles! I thought the same about the Mojave Green Rattler, which is fairly rare, and has the only neurotoxin based venom of the rattlesnakes. The museum had one, and it was of respectable size, too. I just don't like snakes!

G'Day Sniper. Mate, don't ever kid yourself that something is "too big" for a snake to eat so it will leave it alone. Have a look at this link, it will open your eyes. Bear with it, it takes a little while to open, but it is worth the wait.

Snake/Kangaroo

If a snake wants a feed and a beaver is handy, it will chomp it.

I have a very healthy respect for snakes and this respect is partially fuelled by fear, but as I have said before....I leave them alone and don't antagonise them. Stay away from them and don't give them a reason to start chewin' on ya.

Cheers, Vince

One of the many reasons I'd think twice about going into the Austrilian outback

Seriously thought I do think that any of the larger snakes in North American would have a problem with a beaver.

Dimitri

Vince wrote:

[ If a snake wants a feed and a beaver is handy, it will chomp it. Stay away from them and don't give them a reason to start chewin' on ya. Cheers, Vince

Vince:

What IS that? The Snake That Ate the Sydney Opera House?

You sure grow'em big over there, Vince!

Of course, never having experience with large constrictors, I didn't imagine that was possible. There were no breeding populations in my home state of Florida when I left to seek Fame & Fortune. Nor were there any of the exotic, African or Indian subcontinent venomous snakes, but there are now, due to escapes and Hurricanes.

An average size human might stand about a 50-50 chance of surviving an encounter with a snake of that size, unless that was a small 'roo. Was it a Red? Even then...

The "little" snakes we had when I was growing up, Eastern Diamondbacks, Cottonmouths, (3-4 ft. average) and Coral Snakes, were bad enough, and the dogs were forever getting their noses bitten, usually by the Pygmy Rattlers when they were sniffing where they shouldn't have. We didn't lose a hound that I can recall, probably because the herptiles didn't choose to inject their snaky juice, but the residue and bacteria made them sick puppies for a while.

Dimitri wrote:

Seriously thought I do think that any of the larger snakes in North American would have a problem with a beaver. Dimitri

We once found an Eastern Diamondback rattler of about 2 feet that had been killed in scrub clearing operation, and he had just recently eaten a medium size cottontail rabbit, so, apparently size doesn't matter, within certain limits.
I would be interested to see how something like that would play out, though...say with a 4ft Diamondback (which is a darned big one) and a 25 lb Beaver.

Sniper,

How I figure it if the snake is slightly big and has a chance at a beaver it will try to go for it. Snakes dont have "fixed" skelotines as showen by that link Vince posted

Only thing is I think the snake will have a hard time going for the beaver in the water so it might take some time before a snake gets the beaver.

Dimitri

Vince - how can you let something like the snake in you post just go on its way? That thing would probably eat you .

I don't know if the cotton mouths down here would go after a beaver. I have heard that if you get in their area that they will actually get in your boat after you.

[quote Hey mate, have a look at this link. It will give you a pretty good idea of the reptiles we have in Australia. Cheers, Vince[/quote]


Vince;

How many of those creepys are venomous? Just looking at 'em raises the pucker factor to a ridicuous level. Are the Montiors the large, man eating sort?

Egad, man! Are Aussies naturally immune to snakebite, or have you all developed a natural resistance from being bitten by everything that walks, creeps, or crawls?

sniper wrote:

Vince wrote: If a snake wants a feed and a beaver is handy, it will chomp it. Stay away from them and don't give them a reason to start chewin' on ya. Cheers, Vince Vince: What IS that? The Snake That Ate the Sydney Opera House? You sure grow'em big over there, Vince! An average size human might stand about a 50-50 chance of surviving an encounter with a snake of that size, unless that was a small 'roo. Was it a Red? Even then...

That is one of our pythons. I would reckon on him being maybe 6' long. The roo he ate is not a particularly big one either.

kbis wrote:

Vince - how can you let something like the snake in you post just go on its way? That thing would probably eat you.

Mate, this is the type of snake I am looking for to put in the roof cavity of my house. When my daughter and her husband were managing a Dairy Farm over here there were usually a couple sleeping in the rafters of the dairy. Would clean up any rats at night. They are non-venomous.

sniper wrote:

Vince; How many of those creepys are venomous? Just looking at 'em raises the pucker factor to a ridicuous level. Are the Montiors the large, man eating sort? Egad, man! Are Aussies naturally immune to snakebite, or have you all developed a natural resistance from being bitten by everything that walks, creeps, or crawls?

The vast majority of our snakes are venomous to one degree or another. We have some of the most venomous snakes in the world over here. Have a look at the Tiapan, King Brown and Tiger Snake....all very nasty.

Our monitor, or goanna, aren't that big. The biggest would get to maybe 5' not including the tail ! They are all carnivores and will bite if cornered, and it is a nasty bite that gets infected badly. The big monitors that will eat a man are the Komodo Dragon in Indonesia. The only way a goanna would get to eat a man is if he found a dead body, then he would hook in because they will eat carrion.

We don't encounter snakes all that often unless you spend an awful lot of time in the bush. As a general rule snakes will hear you and slide off quietly way before you even know they are around.

I'm more concerned about our spiders:

Spiders

And of course all the other nasty insects like tics, centipedes, etc etc.

Cheers, Vince

Vince

Now I do know one thing, I'm glad to be in a climate thats too cold for too many spiders and snakes

I did learn one thing from all these snake and spider stuff though, need to get a anti-venom kit for my first aid kit ... Might not be as posionous here but its best to be perpared

I got another idea on how to deal with the Beavers, put in some Northern Pike inside the water

Quote::

It eats mainly fish, but on occasion water voles and ducklings have also been known to fall prey to pike. It is moreover a cannibal and this cannibalism serves in maintaining stability in the pike population. Young pike have been photographed eating pike of a similar size.

What do you think ??

Dimitri

I don't think the Pike is a good idea, I am trying to get my bass and cat fish population back after the gator visited.
If it comes down to the choise between beavers and snakes, I will buy the beavers 2X4's if they get rid of the snakes .