Goat_Walker,
You need to talk with your Dad. While I agree that a machete is not the best weapon to dispatch a poisonous snake, (to close), there are better things available. Talk to him about getting a .22 single shot or pump rifle. Then get bird shot. This is like a shotgun shot but with fewer pellets. It is also not very effective over 10 yards. But at 5-10 feet it will do a good number on the snakes. Problem is someone has to watch the snake, and someone has to get the gun. Dont spend a lot of money on the .22 if you are only going to shoot the shot through it, the shot is bad for the barrel over the long run. Also when shooting, be sure to watch out for hard objects that can cause the shot to bounce back at you, like rocks, bricks, pieces of hard metal. Also if you do shoot the snake, do not immediately pick it up with your hands, the mouth can still be dangerous. Treat it like it is alive.
Another wives tale about snakes, they can strike at 1 ½ times their body length. So be careful.
One way I have kept snakes away from the house is to keep the grass trimmed short for a good distance. They do not like being exposed to the air attack of hawks, so the shorter the better.
You need to talk with your Dad. While I agree that a machete is not the best weapon to dispatch a poisonous snake, (to close), there are better things available. Talk to him about getting a .22 single shot or pump rifle. Then get bird shot. This is like a shotgun shot but with fewer pellets. It is also not very effective over 10 yards. But at 5-10 feet it will do a good number on the snakes. Problem is someone has to watch the snake, and someone has to get the gun. Dont spend a lot of money on the .22 if you are only going to shoot the shot through it, the shot is bad for the barrel over the long run. Also when shooting, be sure to watch out for hard objects that can cause the shot to bounce back at you, like rocks, bricks, pieces of hard metal. Also if you do shoot the snake, do not immediately pick it up with your hands, the mouth can still be dangerous. Treat it like it is alive.
Another wives tale about snakes, they can strike at 1 ½ times their body length. So be careful.
One way I have kept snakes away from the house is to keep the grass trimmed short for a good distance. They do not like being exposed to the air attack of hawks, so the shorter the better.
