1
                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1


                        INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS' CONSENT




The Board of Directors and Shareholders
Venus Exploration, Inc.:


We consent to incorporation by reference in the registration statement on Form
S-8 of our report dated March 28, 2001, except as to note 16, which is as of
April 10, 2001, relating to the consolidated balance sheets of Venus
Exploration, Inc. and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2000 and 1999, and the
related consolidated statements of operations, shareholders' equity and
comprehensive income, and cash flows for each of the years in the three-year
period ended December 31, 2000 which report appears in the December 31, 2000
annual report on Form 10-K of Venus Exploration, Inc.

                                                         KPMG LLP


San Antonio, Texas
April 18, 2001