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Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on May 19, 2024, 09:24 PM:
Living in a rural area I'm used to finding live rattlesnakes, a dead rattlesnake once and shed skins now & then.
Was a bit surprised today when I found a mummified Sonoran Coral snake about 12" long out on my archery range. Had to get the Snake Guide out for a positive id. Good looking critter. I'd like to find a live one.
Have found a couple of scorpions so far this year. It's amazing how well they glow under a black-light.
Living in Paradise ain't for sissies !!!!!
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 20, 2024, 03:33 PM:
I generally find two scorpions. One is sorta brownish and from 2-5 inches in diameter. The second one is white and maybe 1 1/2"?
One night, I was in the back of my camper with the tailgate down. I had been trying to get some sleep, boots off and no socks, just fairy floppers and I stepped off to take a leak. I had a flashlight and should have turned it on earlier! Anyway, I had stepped into a colony of red ants, but right in the middle of them was as big of a scorpion as I've ever seen! Must have been close to 6"? I don't know, who was attacking who or who was winning, but I kinda relearned that lesson of not being barefoot in the fucking desert, especially in the dark!
I don't know if you know how to catch them, it's pretty easy, if you know what to look for. One thing I learned a long time ago, one scorpion per glass jar. If you put two together, one will eat the other and if you leave them alone overnight, there won't be anything left of the loser! Maybe a few crumbs, but that's it.
I got a good one for you. One night I damned near stepped on a "Beaded Centipede" They are about 12 inches long and the body is just like a beaded necklace; the segments are about the size of a jellybean. And they (I think) have a set of pincers on both ends. A wicked looking creature! I did not feel like picking him up or messing with it at all!
You know, One time I stopped the truck and watched a good size Western Diamondback crossing the gravel road. I opened to door and that fucker tried to climb into the cab! Freaked me out no end! I kicked at him and he went under the truck. So I grabbed my 45 and got out, but I hopped a long ways out to the side because I couldn't tell how far he went under the truck. I went to the back and looked around and the fucker was coming my way with his head raised, like before, when I thought he was trying to get in the cab. His head was raised maybe 10-12 inches off the ground. I went to the side but he kept going along the shoulder, this was a good size graded road with a shoulder.
Anyway, when he got about 6 feet past the truck he curled up facing me and I was standing in the middle of the road. This was just about the most aggressive rattler I had ever been around. I sorta gave hima Weaver stance and touched off 3 rounds. And, Not because I was being super precise but I hit himat least twice. Not so much my marksmanship but he was striking at the friggin' bullet! One of my shots caught him a couple times in the middle and it flung him backwards. I don't know if iut was the first or the third but it was a lucky shot and killed him. He didn't even do a lot of squirming around, he just piled up deader than Fried Chicken! I was probably 8-10 feet from him when I shot. Big snake, very close to 5 foot; but I didn't stretch him out. But I did take 14 rattles.
But, I've never seen a rattlesnake strike at the bullet before. I'm assuming it's his pit viper heat seeker sensors striking at a hot bullet, but he caught one right in the mouth. Kinda awesome!
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on May 20, 2024, 06:31 PM:
I was bit by skorp or a snake at last camp out, had to go into the ER when I got home. still have the scar.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 20, 2024, 06:45 PM:
WHAT?
You don't know what bit you? I doubt a snake, you'd know if a snake bit you. Personally, I've never seen a coral snake. We have a California Mountail King snake here, which is just about the prettiest snake there is, and it's harmless. Kills rattlesnakes!
But there's lots of critters that could make you sick including wasps and centipedes, the most common is brown and about the size of a thin blunt cigar. They also have Black Widows and Brown Widows. And I think they have the Brown Recluse?
That's all I got. But Bull cattle are never free ramge. A whole herd? Seems doubtful?
Good hunting. El Bee
edit: but Tim. One rule down there, regarding scorpions, always turn your boots upsidedown and shake them in the morning before putting them on.
[ May 20, 2024, 06:48 PM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on May 21, 2024, 03:10 AM:
Tim;
Sounds like you met one of our spider varieties. Our Bark Scorpion stings tend to be really painful much like wasps on steroids. Spider bites, on the other hand tend to necrotize the flesh and would likely leave a scar. Quite possible to be bitten by a spider and not know it until the symptoms show up.
'Tis a stark and unforgiving land of great beauty.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 21, 2024, 07:59 AM:
There is a spider I have noticed in the Arizona desert, only when sitting around a fire. They are sneaky, stay in the shadows, and they are big suckers! Dark brown or blackish and approaching about two inches diameter. Big and intimidating enough to make you think twice before spreading your sleeping bag on the ground. If that fits the description of what ko ko is calling a Bark spider, that might fit. But I don't know what is meant by "bark"? Do you mean it barks like a dog or it's appearance resembles the bark of a tree? Whatever, it could intimidate me pretty good because I just don't like any spider much less one this size. They creep me out!
The thing about this spider I'm talking about, it's nocturnal and it stays in the shadows where you ca't get a good look at it.
One night, this was somewhere in southern Arizona and it was the middle of the night and we were off the road somewhere and I was just standing around when something started biting my leg, inside my pants, and it hurt like hell! It started above my ankle and was climbing my leg and biting me in an upward direction.
I started slapping at it and could tell that whatever it was, it was hard and pretty big. and slapping at it wasn't working. I had a little Maglite and dropped my pants and it turned out to be the biggest freaking ANT I had ever seen! It was black and between three quarters to an inch long. It left red bite marks all over my leg from the ankle to the knee. I swiped at it and sent it off into the weeds so I didn't kill it or get a real good look at it. In thinking about it I wondered if it could have been like a "queen Bee" type of critter because you never see a whole colony of one inch ants, or I'm not aware of any that size or much less what I did to piss her off? That's my story, etc. The bite marks went away, never suffered any after effects, but if I ever see her again, I'll be taking no prisoners!
Good hunting. El Bee
[ May 21, 2024, 08:11 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on May 21, 2024, 09:43 AM:
I think that the spider you describe is what we call a Wolf Spider. Easily mistaken for a small Tarantula. Their eyes are highly reflective to a light. Almost diamond like. Not sure if they can be a problem or not but I wouldn't want one crawling on my arm.
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
Our Bark Scorpion is a nasty little s.o.b. Three inches long would be huge but as I understand it, they cause more problems than all of the other North American scorpion species combined.
Not sure if they're called bark scorpions because they sorta have a bark pattern on a tan background or because they like brushpiles. Seldom seen in the daylight & hard to believe under U/V light.
We have another critter called a Velvet Ant that's not really an ant but a flightless wasp. Possibly that's what crawled up your leg ???
There's stuff lurking out there that can hurt the unwary.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on May 21, 2024, 02:05 PM:
t happen on last day at camp out when i was just getting ready to leave I walked over to a few guys by the cook trailer. Then all of a sudden something bit my left calf. yeah it stung, i reached down rubbed my leg and pulled up my pants leg and what not, couldn't find anything. Yeah it stung and irritated me all way airport. I stopped and got some Neosporin and put on it and took couple of aspirins.
It irritated all the way home and felt hot and skin started to change color. In ER they ran some skin tests and what have you and couldn't figure out what it was. It ran its course and now I have a dark brown patch of skin about 6" in length and 3-4" wide.
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on May 21, 2024, 02:18 PM:
quote:
But Bull cattle are never free ramge. A whole herd? Seems doubtful?
Up here they are free range Leonard. They call it the Bull pasture where they kept till time to breed their cows or load up and send to another rancher that don't keep bulls for breeding. Will see as many as 20-25 bulls but depends on where you go and what the demand is for a bull. Thing about up here is the bull's horns are cut off except for the exotic cattle. Friend of the family-owned what's called Scottish highlander cattle and he kept just one bull which had some real nice pointy horns. When not breeding it is kept separate from the cows and when it was getting close to time to put bulls in with the cows the bull turned on him for the first time and had him pinned down against the wall in barn. His wife rushed out to his screaming and then had to call the neighbors to come help get the bull off of him. Few broken ribs and short time later bull ended up in the freezer. Highlander cows and bulls are what I call short legged and don't seem like much trouble but if you leave the horns on those faukers know how to use them. The scent of the cows in heat was probably what set him off. Same shit when you walk into a bar and few gals are in heat, all sorts of trouble. LOL
P.S. go watch some vid.s on rodeo bulls you will see a dozen or so in same pasture as that's all the guys raises.
[ May 21, 2024, 02:21 PM: Message edited by: TA17Rem ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 22, 2024, 07:40 PM:
Yeah, ok. I call it free range, public land, Nat. Forest, BLM, AZ state land, etc. etc. I have yet to see any bulls running loose. If they are in a fenced private pasture and you crossed a fence, then that's different and I'm not seeing herds of Bulls.
Where I have seen free ranging Bulls is on a certain southern Indian reservation and they are solitary, no friends at all.
There was one time, on the Papago, not more than ten miles from the border when we happened on a Bull that was in a pitiful state. His entire head was encased in cholla "balls" segments of that spiky cholla that's called something like Buckhorn? In other words the type that has very stout spines, not "needle" type that they might call Teddybear cholla.
Anyway, this bull was in very bad shape, I don't think it would be possible for him to eat anything and I really felt sorry for the poor critter. And, he was free range, no fences, just open desert. He had the fruit clusters, like grapes, so maybe he was trying to feed on it?
We did come up on a Border Patrol, a female officer, alone, early afternoon and we mentioned seeing this sorry looking Bull. She was very interested in knowing exactly where we saw him and I assumed she was thinking of notifying some tribal rescue unit, and maybe there is such a thing, don't know? But I always hoped that somebody could help the guy. You never know, but he might have submitted to help? But like with a dog versus porcupine, they usually have to sedate the dog and this looked like they would need a vet to sedate that Bull. I hope he survived! literally, an entire head of cholla cactus! Had to feel sorry for him.
Good hunting. El Bee
edit: This reminds me of a time I shot a coyote and he didn't bang/flop! He continued on some distance, but it was a good hit and he piled up into a cholla, same type, the Buckhorn. When I walked out there, he still wasn't dead, but he was covered in cholla. I had to drag him back and luckily there was a leg I could grab without stabbing myself.
By the way, some Arizona local told me once that when dirt biking, he always carries a FORK! comes in handy for prying cholla imbedded in your skin. The problem is, there is no safe place to grab, to remove a cholla but you can slip the fork next to the skin and pry it out!
[ May 23, 2024, 07:04 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
Posted by TA17Rem (Member # 794) on May 23, 2024, 04:03 PM:
I think Vic told me to carry a comb for getting rid of the burs.
Back to Bulls, not everyone raises them as they don't bring a lot of money and eat a lot and just good for breeding, many small-time ranchers just rent one or two from the guy that has herd of them as that's how he makes his money or pays for keep.
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on May 23, 2024, 05:03 PM:
The best cholla comb that I know of is one of those 'Afro Combs' that they used to wear in their hair.
Yeah, 'jumping cholla' ........... nasty critters.
One will get on the side of your boot un-noticed and then a few steps later a step forward will drive it into your calf on the other leg. By then you're a short distance from the plant; Ergo ...... it jumped to you.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on May 24, 2024, 11:12 AM:
I'll tell you about one that I have a hard time forgetting, or forgiving!
We were down along the border and there are lots of cholla trees, scattered, but good size 6-8 foot tall and at least 6' in diameter. These are the ones with the hard spike needles which I am calling Buckhorn.
My son is driving, as many younger people do, like a fucking idiot. We are breezing along on a fair road, but a 2 track, and it's right on the border fence. But between the fence and the road, there is a row of vegetation and occasionally you might see a large cholla.
But I wasn't paying any attention and NEITHER WAS HE! So, there I was with my arm and elbow resting on the door frame, which is rather common. Suddenly, he didn't jog or negotiate around a big fucking cholla!
It brushed against the front fender and all the way up to the door and slammed into me, and as I had reacted, I raised my arm to get out of the way and it slammed into my underarm and armpit and the side of my chest!
He stopped with a: What's the matter look? and I'm bitching and cussing and trying to dislodge all these fucking spines and cholla apples hanging on my body. Eventually, I got them all un-embedded and we resumed.
Then, a short distance down the road, I inadvertently, casually and absentmindedly, I put my hand down along the side of the seat, why I couldn't tell you? But, guess what? There was a lot of broken off pieces of cholla that had dropped down between the seat and the door! Don't ask me why I didn't notice it before but there I was with more fucking cholla all along my arm and when I pulled it up, I had dragged some of them up & they dropped off and landed in MY LAP, AND CLOSE TO SENSITIVE PARTS!
So, now, in spite of other concerns, we had to stop and do a rather thorough job of vehicle housekeeping! And, I was madder yet! Might have taken me a few minutes to calm down, but then after all the drama, we were back to normal and more, but different adventure. But don't think for a few minutes that I regretted I didn't drowned him when he was little. But, that's him, no fucking caution when driving off road, and it's not him exclusively, I see many of the younger generation that don't respect their only means of transportation, when out in the boondocks.
That's my story, sorry for the rant. But, that event has been a sore spot for 20-30 years!
Good hunting. El Bee
edit: I do like that Afro comb idea! But a fork has a duel purpose. Which reminds me of another one.
[ May 24, 2024, 11:22 AM: Message edited by: Leonard ]
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