It's springtime, and along with the warmer weather come the region's snakes out of their winter hidey-holes.
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Among the most common species in the Wimmera and Grampians regions include tiger snakes, red-bellied black snakes, eastern brown snakes and copperhead snakes.
For Beaufort based snake-catcher Gianni Hodgson, avoiding trouble with snakes is less about danger than it's about merely monitoring one's surroundings.
It all comes down to commonsense, Hodgson said.
"It's just about looking out for signs. Don't be putting your hands under things without knowing what's under there," he said.
"If you've got to pick up a log or firewood, get like a rake and roll the log before you pick it up if you think there might be a snake.
"Make sure there's nothing under it. It's just implementing methods that give you protection.
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"If you're walking through long grass, don't go barefoot, put some shoes on and wear some long pants."
Children and pets that may frolic in gardens and grassy areas may be more likely to encounter snakes.
"If you have children you can talk to them and inform them. Just something simple like saying 'look, if you see anything that's wiggly, don't pick it up, stay away, and come tell mum or dad' etc," Mr Hodgson said.
"With pets, it's obviously a very different situation because you can't explain things to them and more a matter of making sure that you're on top of things and keeping your property up to standard.
Mowing lawns regularly, as well as brushing up leaves, clippings, and other places a snake could hide, are ways to minimise the risk.
"It makes it less attractive for the snake to want to be in there," Mr Hodgson said.
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"There's nothing you can do to stop them coming in, but the more you do, the less likely for them to come.
"If you've got pets and small children, it's a very good idea to kind of keep everything well-maintained."
Monitoring children and pets is another factor in keeping them safe.
"Just keep an ear out if you're home. Dogs will usually bark before they go in for a sniff or a bite with a snake."
"If you hear your dog barking, go out and have a look at what it's barking at. It could just be the postman or it could be a snake."
Snakes are generally shy and like to avoid people; however, it can be safer to remove them.
Mr Hodgson recalled cases where he removed snakes in high traffic areas such as near porches and footpaths.
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"If it's hanging around a doorstep and you're walking in and out of that area every day, sometimes multiple times a day, there is a chance that one time you might come down and step on him accidentally, if you're in a rush," he said.
"In that case, it's in your best interest safety-wise to get it moved somewhere else.
"If it's down in a paddock by a shed where you might go once a month, it's not an immediate danger to you.
"If I took him away a month later, another one might have moved in by then.
"Knowing that there's one around there just means that you can be proactive in keeping yourself aware of what's going on."
However, Mr Hodgson said if anyone felt distressed by the presence of a snake, they shouldn't hesitate to call him.
"If you do see a snake and you want it to be removed you can call me,"
"It is very important to be watching the snake from the moment you see it until the moment I get there, they tend to disappear very quickly."
Mr Hodgson emphasised that if a snake bites someone, the best course of action is to call triple zero immediately.
Hodgsons Snakes can be reached on 0490 415 734.
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