Things That Might Bite

[Ralph]

#3393

It’s summer and in a few years it’ll be fall hunting time again. 🙄

We’re all out and about and looking for things to get bitten by:D.

We all know to step on a log rather than over it, keep our hands where our head is when we’re grabbing, pulling, hoisting, whatever. But we all get a wake up call now and then.

I live in a part of the world that bites, stings, pokes or all three at the same time so I’m suspicious of pretty much everything when I’m out and about. But I got a surprise at the lease the other day and fortunately my suspicious nature barely kept me out of trouble.

With our rainy spring this year there’s been washouts on the roads in and out of my favorite areas and in this one particular spot where I had to detour a bit there was a rock about the size of an over inflated football (You New Englanders know about them right?) that looked like it could wipe out the sidewall on a tire.

So I jump out the truck, grab the far side of the rock to move it, fortunately it rolls down the hill about the time when I saw the first wasp. Then another, then another, by this time I’m in rapid retreat to the truck. When I get in and shut the door and look in the mirror I can see hundreds of wasps boiling out of a little hole that had been under the rock.

Whoa, of all the rocks in Texas I pick the one with a nest of ground wasps. Whew. Lucky, I was on my toes.

So I’m saying, no telling where, when, what or how, things can go south in a hurry.

What have y’all come across not good???

[grumpy]

#19657

TICKS!!!!!

[paleoman]

#19814

Downed primary (electric lines) in wooded areas. It would be easy to get kilt if not paying attention. Watch for these lines on right of ways, particularly in overgrown wooded areas now that we’re in “storm season”. If you can’t see it in the air, back out and call it in. It’s almost invisible until you’re right on top of it and you don’t want to do that. A tree could be pulling it down low to the ground and it’s just that easy to walk into if you’re not paying attention. Stay safe my friends!

[Stephen Graf]

#20257

We’ve been having these crazy electical storms for the last 2 weeks. Lots of lightening, no rain. Not much anyway. So the other day I was out for a walk and the storm clouds moved in…

I decided that maybe I ought to call the house and get the wife to come pick me up instead of trying to make it back. Tried to call on the cell and there was so much static in the air, the phone wouldn’t work.

My doughter was out on her bike coming back from feeding the animals at the neighbors (they were gone to the beach) when she turned the corner home and saw the house on fire 😯

So she ran in, got mom, and they came out and drove down the road to get me. That part worked out well…

Anyway, got home, got the buckets, and started pouring water on the house. Got the fire out. Pulled siding off to drench fire in wall. Got that done.

Fire Department finally showed up. It looked to me like what happened was that lightening had hit the gas line coming in the house and blew a hole in it and light it on fire. I had turned the gas off as part of my fire extinguishing efforts.

The firemen and I were standing around talking about it. One of them said “Na, couldn’t happen” Just then lightening hit the line again and made a big flash/boom right there in front of us. No fire as the gas was turned off. Lots of raised eye brows though…

Anyway, new insulation and siding back up. Waiting on gas company to come redo gas line from tank to house.

[David Coulter]

#20338

Wow, that’s way too exciting! I’m glad that no one was hurt other than shaken up and I’m glad you saved your home. I hope you are all well today. Best wishes, david

[paleoman]

#20387

Steve – glad all ended well! Lightning is scary stuff, especially when it’s right on top of you.

[Ralph]

#20469

Glad y’all are safe and not too much damage.

Being an ex high lineman and substation electrician I have seen plenty of lightning damage and I’ve been knocked face down in the mud from the concussion of a lightning strike. The stuff scares the hell oughta me.

Y’all were very fortunate and blessed.

Glad the lightning topic was brought up.

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/

[Don Thomas]

#20923

There must be something about bugs in Texas (my ancestors came there in covered wagons, so I can say that.) Some years back I was fly-fishing for redfish in the Laguna Madre, wading the flats about a mile from the nearest land. Suddenly, a honey bee was buzzing around my head. No big deal, right? Then there were ten, then there were hundreds. Finally one landed on my hand and stung me, and that was the attack signal. The light went on in my brain: Africanized killer honey bees! The water was to shallow for me to get below the surface, so I took a visual bearing on our boat, closed my eyes to keep the bees out, and started to run. Fortunately, daughter Nicole was paying attention, realized something was really wrong, and initiated a dust off. By the time we were out of there I’d probably been stung 300 times. Had I been allergic, Traditional Bowhunter would have another Co-Editor. Sorry for rambling, but I’ve never been able to figure out how to work that instructive encounter into a hunting story. Give me grizzlies anytime. Don

[Mark Turton]

#21583

I’m with Grumpy when it comes to tick’s last month the dogs got dosed with Anttix and a collar each, each evening I pick thru them, who got the ticks, me.

Steve, lightening and gas, you and the family were so lucky hope the repairs go OK.

African killer bees, jeez.

I guess Jim will be along shortly with tales of antipodean wildlife, the stuff that Qantas doesn’t advertise.

[Charles Ek]

#22742

pothunter wrote: I guess Jim will be along shortly with tales of antipodean wildlife, the stuff that Qantas doesn’t advertise.

It has been done already, to hilarious effect: In a Sunburned Country, by Bill Bryson. Do not read this book in a public place if you fear embarrassing yourself when you wet your pants from laughing.

As for the topic at hand, I’ve once sat down on a wasp nest. Once. If I had been carrying a recurve instead of a longbow, I might not have been able to retrieve my pack.

[Col Mike]

#23104

Charles

Thanks for that book tip. Although I have steamed by the continent twice never got to visit. That link is hilarious.

Back to the topic: Some years ago on routine training patrol in Thailand —the hissing was more like a scream and then right in front of me reared up a king cobra, looked me in the eye (so he was at least 8 feet long). That trail was his and we backed out with no injuries to either of us. Alas, all we had later for relaxing was warm Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. 🙁

Mike

[paleoman]

#23221

Woodchucks! I was throwing bags of fertilizer off a p.u. and Momma must have had kids in that high grass. She growled like a little Grizzly and kept me on that truck a while. Am sure she’d have sawed some shin meat off me if she could have.

[SteveMcD]

#23251

Very lucky R2. Glad you are ok. That is scary. Me.. I’ve bitten by so many ticks this spring I have had flu like symptoms for a couple of days now. Going to see my doctor tomorrow.

[Ralph]

#23267

colmike wrote: Charles

Alas, all we had later for relaxing was warm Pabst Blue Ribbon beer. 🙁

Mike

Hey Mike, didn’t know king cobras liked warm beer. 😀

Seriously, we think lightning, car crashes, stupid hunters shooting other hunters, etc. a million things to do us in, but bugs kill us more than anything else put together.

A farmer in Texas was killed by bees other day when he was plowing his field. Damn, guy was just minding his own business.

Any of us could find a hive. We all get stung by mosquitoes. We all get ticks.

We just gotta play heads up, take what precautionary measures we can and hope for the best.

It may be a bad thing to say Steve, if you’re sick,I hope you have the flu and and not a bad mocus tick borne disease.

[David Fudala]

#23270

I’ve been stung by so many bees, hornets, yellow jackets, etc. in my life that I hardly pay attention to them even when I do rustle up a nest but HOLY COW Don, those honey bees stood the hair up on my neck! Scott, that’s a great call on the downed powerlines! I do alot of hunting cross country down line easements and it’s quite easy to forget the danger above! I concur with the ticks and Steve, glad to hear that all came out ok with the house! Years ago when I was a volunteer firefighter, we were called out after a storm to a structure fire caused exactly by that situation. The lightning hit a large White Pine, travelled down and grounded out on the gas line running past the tree. It blew a hole in the line and ignited it like a flame thrower, which may have been ok except it was throwing right at the side of the house! Just like you, we shut the gas off and things came under control rather quickly. Again, happy to hear you’re all safe! I guess the only thing I can think of is, don’t wander into a blackberry patch in the dark!?!?

[jmsmithy]

#23350

I like to hunt from the ground (though I’ll go up in trees if conditions/spot dictates). Anyway I’m in pinch point between some big rock walls , field to one side, woods in front. Field is corn with lots of deer/bear various other critter depredation so kernels, 1/2 eaten cobs etc strewn all over the area where corn field meets wood line and my rock wall “pinchpoint”. Siting quietly one afternoon I was roused (awakened!? 😆 ) by crunch crunch crunch. As I’m listening I’m thinking, hmmmm that’s not deer footsteps. Straining to look out my openings I can’t see what it is but now plainly hear it. I stand up in blind slowly to peer over a high brush point and count ’em…one two three of the cutest young of the year Blackie Cubs rolling and crunching in the corn…after a minute goes by the smile leaves my face as I think to myself they wayyyy too little to be alone. Of course at that point one of the little guys notices me and decides of course he needs to go see what that big thing in the brushed out “cave” is. As all three are now brushing against my blind, one steps on a log I placed in front to peer in the window. I now think to myself mommy cannot be far. At that moment less than 10″ from me I hear a very definitive scratch/scrape on the fabric “door” behind me. Peering out the front again I count 1, 2, 3 Cubs and immediately think uh oh….that’s when the low guttural growls and woofing start. I know I can’t open the zipper as she’s standing right there scratching so I climb under the front of the blind trying to peer around all the while talking to my new best girlfriend. The little ones are now up a tree to my right and then momma decides to stand up and look down at me from the back side of the blind. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry as I debated the stopping power of my 55# Widow PCH on a charging pissed off momma bear at about 3.5′. I stood up and slowly backed out talking to her. And was more than a bit dismayed as she just started walking toward me, growling with the occasional jaw pop. She never came at me but kept pace with me for about 80-100 yards as I gingerly talked lovingly to her and kept backing out. When she thought the threat was removed she walked back to her babies, sat down at the base of the tree they were in and continued watching me all the way to my truck….:shock:

[William Warren]

#30911

Wow, ground wasps, killer bees, Lighting and gas lines? Sounds like scary stuff. I’m really glad you all are Ok. Last week I took my dog out before turning in and he found a copperhead. He moved away shaking his head so I thought it popped him. I really hate to kill snakes but hurt my dog and its curtains for you. Later we did not find evidence of a bite. Copperheads will often give warning taps before sinking the fangs in non prey. You really have to keep your eyes peeled here at my house after dark.

R2 I visited San Antonio last year and I saw some pretty bad looking ants. They had the ground cleared about 10′ in diameter around their hole. My son said he has seen the bites from these ants and they look pretty nasty.

[Don Thomas]

#35557

The list keeps growing. Lori and I just got back from doing some work on our new house in Arizona. First night, she finds a scorpion in the shower. Next day, I find a black widow on the porch. I’m going back to Alaska. At least the bears are easy to see. Don

[James Harvey]

#35721

I don’t have anything serious to add, although last year one of my soldiers was bitten by a snake, on his hand, while he was holding his pride and joy to ‘water the horses’. That’s my new working definition of a ‘close call’ 😉

We have a variety of ticks here, I’ve bedded down in long grass in the dark, only to find my torch and turn it on to see ticks crawling through the grass like ants towards me. But the worst tick bite I’ve seen was when one of my dogs was dragging his legs around behind him like he’d been spine shot, thanks to a paralysis tick living up to it’s name.

My favourite bitey animal story though is from a Christmas maybe 10 years ago. It was Christmas eve and I stumbled, drunk into my bedroom. I’ve always been a fairly neat person and was immediately befuddled as I distinctly remember not leaving a belt lying in the middle of my room. Sure enough, even in my stupor I figured out pretty quick that the belt had a distinct slither to it. I have a distinct memory of looking at it with bleary, drunken eyes and deciding I had no idea what kind of snake it was. I was too drunk to even figure out if it was a python or something more concerning.

Honestly, at that point I would have just circumvented it and gone to bed confident that he was looking for rats, not bed buddies. Except the same little terrier that would later fall victim to a paralysis tick was roaming the house and would doubtless try and make friends with my new reptilian compadre. So I reached into my cupboard and grabbed what seemed like a practical solution. My newly purchased samurai sword. That was a nice moment to discover that the sword was about exactly as sharp as a spoon. So there I was, 6′ of drunken moron with an angry snake pinned under an enormous Japanese butter knife wondering what the hell to do next.

I didn’t want to let the snake go as he was definitely wearing his cranky pants by this stage. So with one hand stretched out using the big knife to keep mr snake at bay my other hand was stretched out in the other direction fumbling through a draw for a little folding knife I knew (hoped) was there. Sure enough the knife appeared, unfolded and dispatched el snako (that’s Mexican for snake).

Christmas day saw me wake up and discover my enemy was a juvenile carpet snake. About as dangerous as a safety pin. What a tough guy I am 😉

[Stephen Graf]

#36017

Despite how the snake probably feels about your story, I thought it was a hoot!

You fellow’s have the market cornered on venomous snakes, so I can see the merit in a little extra caution.

Sounds like the situation unfolded like a scene out of Kill Bill….

[Col Mike]

#36744

[quote=ausjim]I don’t have anything serious to add, although last year one of my soldiers was bitten by a snake, on his hand, while he was holding his pride and joy to ‘water the horses’. That’s my new working definition of a ‘close call’ 😉

We have a variety of ticks here, I’ve bedded down in long grass in the dark, only to find my torch and turn it on to see ticks crawling through the grass like ants towards me. But the worst tick bite I’ve seen was when one of my dogs was dragging his legs around behind him like he’d been spine shot, thanks to a paralysis tick living up to it’s name.

My favourite bitey animal story though is from a Christmas maybe 10 years ago. It was Christmas eve and I stumbled, drunk into my bedroom. I’ve always been a fairly neat person and was immediately befuddled as I distinctly remember not leaving a belt lying in the middle of my room. Sure enough, even in my stupor I figured out pretty quick that the belt had a distinct slither to it. I have a distinct memory of looking at it with bleary, drunken eyes and deciding I had no idea what kind of snake it was. I was too drunk to even figure out if it was a python or something more concerning.

Honestly, at that point I would have just circumvented it and gone to bed confident that he was looking for rats, not bed buddies. Except the same little terrier that would later fall victim to a paralysis tick was roaming the house and would doubtless try and make friends with my new reptilian compadre. So I reached into my cupboard and grabbed what seemed like a practical solution. My newly purchased samurai sword. That was a nice moment to discover that the sword was about exactly as sharp as a spoon. So there I was, 6′ of drunken moron with an angry snake pinned under an enormous Japanese butter knife wondering what the hell to do next.

I didn’t want to let the snake go as he was definitely wearing his cranky pants by this stage. So with one hand stretched out using the big knife to keep mr snake at bay my other hand was stretched out in the other direction fumbling through a draw for a little folding knife I knew (hoped) was there. Sure enough the knife appeared, unfolded and dispatched el snako (that’s Mexican for snake).

Christmas day saw me wake up and discover my enemy was a juvenile carpet snake. About as dangerous as a safety pin. What a tough guy I am :wink:[/quote

Jim, we missed your insightful post while you were in the field, welcome back–I just have to remember to never read yours with beverage in hand, darn computer doesn’t like to be sprayed with the local brew.:lol:

[grumpy]

#40032

Scouting this morning at the crack of dawn. Tried to beat the heat and bugs. Didn’t work. Expecting a 90/90 day here. Bumper crop of mosquitos, and heavy dew. Thus it was hard breathing (asthma), and the fields were soaked with dew. Walking across a hay field was like walking in a foot of water, and walking in the woods I was dam near carried off by the mosquitos. Don’t like bug spray, so I wear a bug net over my head, gloves, and long sleeves, they still get in tho, and they are constantly there. Lots of tracks. Tiny little fawn tracks the size of my thumb, and big splayed tracks from the parents. The big buck I saw while scouting last year was there (I know his track).:D

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