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                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1



                        INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS' CONSENT


The Board of Directors
Venus Exploration, Inc.:

We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statement (No.
333-73457) on Form S-3 of Venus Exploration, Inc. of our report dated April 7,
1999, except as to Note 3 which is as of December 20, 1999, relating to the
consolidated balance sheets of Venus Exploration, Inc. and subsidiaries as of
December 31, 1998, and 1997, and the related consolidated statements of
operations, shareholders' equity (deficit), and cash flows for each of the years
in the three-year period ended December 31, 1998, which report appears in the
December 31, 1998, annual report on Form 10-K as amended of Venus Exploration,
Inc.

Our report dated April 7, 1999, except as to Note 3 which is as of December 20,
1999, contains an explanatory paragraph that states that the Company has
suffered recurring losses from operations and has an accumulated deficit, which
raise substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. The
consolidated financial statements do not include any adjustments that might
result from the outcome of that uncertainty. Our report also contains an
explanatory paragraph that states that the consolidated financial statements
have been restated to reduce the amount of impairment expense for the year ended
December 31, 1998, to give effect to escalating price assumptions in the
impairment calculation.

/s/ KPMG LLP

San Antonio, Texas
February 1, 2000