Spring detecting

It`s been awhile since i posted here. I am normally just an autumn and winter detectorist and panner ,but with the way things have been in the last couple of years , i haven`t been out much .
I am a solo operator and going bush in the warmer months brings the greater risk of encountering snakes . The grass is growing and getting thick around my area ( Ballarat ). Even the CFA burns from last year are getting overgrown. I don`t feel safe swinging a detector alone in these conditions of long grass and warm sunshine. Getting bitten when out in the scrub alone could be fatal. Even with gators on , it is still a risk.
Does anyone else share this sentiment or are you happy to have a swing alone ?

Hi soldier, yep have had similar concerns, I wear leather gators, thick jeans, and knee pads and I don't put my hands in area's that I can't see in.
I carry 2 full size compression bandages that can go from toe to upper thigh and always check if I have phone reception.
To be honest in all the years I have been detecting I've only come across 3 snakes and they took off quicker than me.
One occasion I just stood very very still and let the blighter pass me, it took a lot of will power not to go and run like the wind.


cheers   moredeep

About 20 years ago i was a line and pole inspector checking a farmers swer line pole,and said to my off sider with all these rocks around the pole there might be snakes underneath, as we cleared rocks around pole,a 12" green snake took off like a rocket and you could see how fast he went as the grass parted.  If a snake had come after you and you had a head start he would catch you very quick. i aggree with you Moredeep.

Another time in Bendigo on the outskirts ,their was a small area of land and the pole was on one side in long grass, as we started digging around the pole we found all these baby field mice so i said to my co worker, dont kill them ,and started picking them up and set them aside in the long grass,when all of a sudden about 1/2 a dozen baby snakes took of f in all directions ,dont know how we did not get bitten,but my co worker took off down the street, and i tell you i was not far behind him. Anyway decided we wont continue testing and checking this one.

PS Soldier i agree you should always have a companion with you.

Had my share of unnerving encounters with snake and one thing that stands out is most of them happened whilst I was walking not detecting.If you are detecting slowly they tend to move along though I've still had to be aware not to step on them sun baking or uncover them when moving rocks etc.Haven't seen any this year yet but won't be long.

Good thought on the long bandages Moredeep. I have them ,but not as much of it as you. I went after relics on private property last year and took my father who doesn`t detect. While standing at a dam edge he went to pick up a big stick at his feet and it took off at pace . So lucky.
My old prospecting partner did the wrong thing by me several times ,so that is why i fly solo. It is also good for the mental health. Right now a lot of us need it.

I have been prospecting for 42 years and can count the number of snakes I have encountered on one hand. And none were close calls. I guess I make a lot of noise

I got rattled by the last one,had trouble sleeping that night seriously took me a while to get the confidence back up.

I take it you may nearly have stepped on it ?

I grew up on a farm next to a swamp and tigers were nearly a daily occurence for the warmer months.

Out bush most I come across are browns but I find if you leave them alone they'll leave you alone. If a snake takes fright it will generally take of in a straight line and if you or someone else is in it's path then it can give you a bit of a fright or a bit of a laugh depending on if it's heading towards you or heading towards your mate.

I have had copperheads , tiger and black snakes around my place . I busted one stalking my sleeping cat a few years ago and another small black one i somehow saw in the shadows at night outside my front door. He got away ,but bit one of my other cats on the way out. She survived after vet treatment . When i am out swinging , i am usually pretty focused and try to walk slow to cover the ground properly, so my footsteps may not be as loud as others. I have however been out in the summer going over CFA burns after they have been declared safe.

mozzie's and inch ant's are more of concern, they're becoming very active


cheers moredeep

soldier of fortune wrote:I take it  you may nearly have stepped on it ?

Actually I walked into it after it raised itself about waist high,we both were so startled we headed in opposite directions.

That is truly scary .

Hi soldier of fortune, i have detected alone at times during spring and summer.
I make sure to wear gators and carry bandages, also carry my PLB especially if there is no phone reception.
Not advisable be walking back to your car or camp to raise the alarm as you will be speeding up the effect of the poison.
Be safe out there.

i detect all through summer up here in NQ and have only seen one brown snake in my time i do shy away from thicker bushes and shrubs and/ or enter with care and yeah gators and a PLB are a must