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Post by mygala on Feb 7, 2012 18:10:27 GMT -8
Many years ago, on my first trip to the Sonoran Desert just outside of Tucson AZ, I was excited to go blacklighting for scorpions.
That was the night I learned that rattlesnakes do NOT fluoresce. Luckily I escaped without injury (although I think I soiled my armor!)
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what
Junior Member
Posts: 22
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Post by what on Feb 7, 2012 19:36:25 GMT -8
A few of my experiences: - Many times I have been hiking on trails that are not maintained here in the CA foothills and had either entire sections of trail give way beneath me or nearly so. One case where it did give way resulted in my having to bushwhack 1mi through thick underbrush to reach a road as a climb up the 75' hill I had just slid down was impossible. - A few standoffs with large mammals... one mountain lion, two bobcats, more deer and coyotes than I can remember. - Cactus... Have you ever tripped and landed in a cactus? You will remember it the first time you do, as well as the next few hours spent removing spines that you missed before! - Severe dehydration. When I was a bit younger and more foolish I collapsed on a trail here in Southern CA after forgetting to refill my water bottles, a couple mountain bikers really saved my butt that day. None of those were fun, but the absolute worst thing I have had happen was a tick bite to the head of my manhood. OUCH Tick bites normally dont bother me, I even have had one or two on other parts in that vicinity previously...no big deal... After that bite though I could not walk for two days because of pain/swelling and hypersensitivity. Remember your bug repellant on your shoes/pants!
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Post by rayrard on Feb 7, 2012 20:09:00 GMT -8
I have yet to face off with the bear or other dangerous mammal, but I did find a E. Diamondback Rattlesnake in a patch of asters I was collecting around. I've also stood in more fire ant nests than I can remember. The damn things tend to synch their stings at the same time, and they usually hit when the thing you are stalking is the rarest
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Post by wingedwishes on Feb 8, 2012 7:09:34 GMT -8
I have been pretty safe with few incidents. I can remember being shot at by a rancher in Texas while changing a flat tire. He told me to leave his property and when I told him it was a county road he pulled a gun and said "I own this county - git!" I had been having a pretty good day until then.
I was once very frightened when I learned that I accidentally crossed into Mexico while looking for snakes on the roads. I never saw a sign or another soul indicating I had crossed the border. An old unmonitored dirt road to Mexico is out there somewhere. The US border guard refused to believe me when I told him.
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Post by exoticimports on Feb 8, 2012 10:09:01 GMT -8
I was once very frightened when I learned that I accidentally crossed into Mexico while looking for snakes on the roads. I never saw a sign or another soul indicating I had crossed the border. An old unmonitored dirt road to Mexico is out there somewhere. The US border guard refused to believe me when I told him. That's funny! I once was leaving Tijuana late at night, having parked in USA and walked into Mexico. I stopped at the gift shop, and upon leaving saw a couple Mexican guys cutting through a hedgerow, and it looked like a shortcut to Immigration, so I followed. There was a clear trail, so I followed it, stepping over some downed barbed wire, not paying much attention to anything except the trail and the ground. When we got past the brush, I realized...I was standing on the edge of the parking lot in which I'd parked, and I could see my rental car. Uh oh. I was in USA. I didn't know it at the time, but I should have dummied up and walked to my car. Might as well tell the rest of the story....I decided I'd better be "legal" so I backtracked (and thus, probably, entered Mexico illegally), took the long (proper) way to US Immigrations, waited in line in US Immigrations, and got to my car. It was now about an hour since I left the gift shop. Got in the car, dead tired, and really have to pee. But I'm only 20 minutes to the hotel, so no problem. And I promptly turned the wrong way on the highway and found myself at Mexican Immigrations! I explained I'd turned the wrong way, he said no problem, go about a mile, there's a turn around. So into Mexico- for the second time in an hour. Hit the turnaround and almost died. The US-bound traffic was backed up all the way. It took me over an hour to get to US Immigration drive through, my bladder was going to explode. The Immigrations officer asked how long I was in Mexico, I said two hours and fifteen minutes and quickly blurted out my blunders and current crisis, he laughed and let me drive through. I drove very fast, and am pleased to report that I made it to the hotel room facilities without further incident.
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ckswank
Full Member
Posts: 239
Country: USA
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Post by ckswank on Feb 8, 2012 12:28:46 GMT -8
I think my closest brush with death came when I was about 12 years old. A friend & I had rode our bicycles a couple of miles out of my home town in central Illinois & walked down some railroad tracks to collect. The sides were steep & the ditch on both sides were covered in blackberry bushes covered in thorns. Unknown to us, a fast moving freight train came up behind us & didn't blow his horn until he was about half a mile behind us. We took off running to an old wooden railroad bridge spanning a small creek. Instead of jumping off on the nearest side, I ran across the bridge with a 70 mph freight closing in behind me. Somehow I managed to get to the other side and jump, just as the engine started crossing the 30 ft. long bridge! One more second or if my foot would have missed the ties & got caught between them & I wouldn't be telling you this story. Scared the crap out of me!
Charlie
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Post by rayrard on Feb 8, 2012 12:42:42 GMT -8
I have been pretty safe with few incidents. I can remember being shot at by a rancher in Texas while changing a flat tire. He told me to leave his property and when I told him it was a county road he pulled a gun and said "I own this county - git!" I had been having a pretty good day until then. sometimes the humans are scarier than the animals! I've only come across a few "ornery" rednecks, but none of them had guns on them. They definately wanted me off the land though. In my defense I didn't see any "Private Property" signs around but I'm not going to argue with an unhappy landowner, especially since I am a "Yankee" in southern territory. I definately try and avoid any situations where I might run into backwoods folk.
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Post by joee30 on Feb 8, 2012 12:58:05 GMT -8
My most dangerous experience beside being in a hostile country with the military was 4 years ago when i went to El Salvador to visit relatives. They live in the boonies, so I got to scout out some nice claerings near this river. Found a great spot for Morpho peleides and polyphemus, and other nice bugs. as I collected to my hearts content, I thought I saw something leap from the ground near my feet. After close inspection of the area, I saw a nice and fat jumping pit viper curled and ready to strike. it was under a bromeliad, and he was pissed. I slowly backed out of the area. The same day, i knocked down a nest of Polybia wasps and got nailed pretty good and got some nettle like plant called "Pan Caliente". still got a lot of cool stuff though. too bad I couldn't collect in afghanistan. It would of been nice to be able to land a blackhawk near some good Parnassius habitat.
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Post by timoinsects on Feb 8, 2012 20:25:36 GMT -8
answer to nomihoudai, the batteries, in China,people collected insects by light trap do not use any batteries,but: 1.mainly rely on the electricity from the local people(villigers) home. maybe from a small hotel,the light trap were setted in or around the houses. convenient 2.a generator,seldomlly use as they are heavy,normally was for the people who drove a car to a wild place to collect.maybe road side in a good foresty place. to the places without convenient electricity resources. it's very cool because only few of you with a bonfire and the sky twinkling starts(sometimes)
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Post by timoinsects on Feb 8, 2012 21:29:22 GMT -8
some dangerous facts,which can be avoided.
voltage line, i also had several times before also, doubted/hesitated if it would be safe,however as the greedy mood towards insects over there,i went ahead,but from now on,i will just stay well away from it. the butterfly net(handle) may touch it,especially nowadys handle was made by aluminium(electricity-conducted)
carry a variety of antibiotics,etc. and water Disinfection tablets (sometimes have to take the water to drink from the natural) good idea.
wildpig, the injured wild pigs are often very aggresive,even exceeds other animals.be careful.
itching, itching is a must especially when in hot/moist regions with the poor life condition.if being bited by leeches & fleas/ticks,it may lasts one to several months even if returned home.bring a bottle of Body Spray or miehailin aerosol,before go to bed,spray some on the bed to kill the fleas.this way works well.
swim, better not swim in the wild. as you're not familiar with the water/stream condition there.
cliff, perhaps many of you ever collected in the cliffs,however it ever happened the problems,the vistors(not insects collectors) walked forward to the cliff edge to enjoy the vast landscape downside.maybe on a cliff road side.then the road edge/cliff landslide(collapse) with pulling the people off down. due to the rain or the unsteable condition of the cliff edge.it may collapse.
car accidents are unavoidable,only by lucky. there's a old chinese proverb ‘Long walk at night will touch the ghost’ if often collect in wild year and year,maybe one day..... XD. hope everyone of us is always safe anyway.
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Post by gradyleb on Feb 10, 2012 8:45:40 GMT -8
two years ago, while collecting locally(nearby ranch), a friend of mine had gotten bit by a rattlesnake(Crotalus atrox) and hospitalized for a couple of weeks. A few weeks later while collecting there was a serious commotion and it turned out that some guy had attempted to free climb a rock wall, fell, and broke his back. He had to be air lifted out. And while working at a summer camp, one of our Agkistrodon contortrix had escaped from its cage in the nature lodge over night and we had to recapture it before anybody got hurt.
Me personally, the worst I can think of would probably be one night I was in the woods with my buds, I wasn't collecting but we were playing around and i got up to start running and ran right into a barbed wire fence full speed, cut my arms and chest up pretty bad but it wasn't serious.
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Post by joee30 on Feb 10, 2012 11:03:38 GMT -8
I forgot about god ol' barbed wire. lol I thought that running into snakes was bad.
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Post by bathcat on May 19, 2012 10:43:09 GMT -8
Almost all of my unpleasant experiences have involved other people wondering what the hell I'm doing, including the fuzz.
I've had the normal run ins with ticks, rattlesnakes, etc. I'm going to start carrying a thing of pepper spray for cougars and bears, however.
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