homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) 5 hours ago, AUld fAUx@ said: Related. Yellow flies, deer flies and horseflies are all biting flies (not stingers). Souped up mosquitos. Actually mosquitos don't really "bite". But the biting flies can take a piece of meat out. I made the mistake of fishing barefoot out of a canoe once in Michigan and a deer fly bit me on my little toe. Later that day I felt like cutting my foot off it itched so much. I have spent a good bit of time in the north woods - Michigan, Minnesota, Isle Royal. While they don't have the snakes like the south and their "bug" season is short compared to ours, the ferocity of their biting flies and mosquitos when they are in season is unbelievable. Way worse than ours. You should plan your excursions around the peak black fly and mosquito seasons up there. And if you forget your deet, just shoot yourself. Edited May 8, 2018 by homersapien 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltyTiger 7,793 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 13 hours ago, homersapien said: Deer flies? I think they are the same. I had rather be stung by a red wasp. It hurts a bit then gone. Those ba$taed yellow flys leave me swelled and itching for days. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevon67 2,368 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 1 hour ago, alexava said: @kevon67this is after my son put six .22 rounds in him and severed his head with a machete. 3 head shots! Pretty good for a 12 year old knuckle head with a single action pistol. I had just walked right over this thing. No idea why it didn’t bite me. Thank god Alex saw it. It was coiled up with head up about 8” ready to launch. We were clearing out a trail into a spot we duck hunt. The only reason Alex went with me is I let him holster the .22. He wasn’t very long but at least as fat as my wrist. You are blessed my friend? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 1 hour ago, AUDub said: I have learned to despise NoSeeUms. I put traps out now to control them. Imagine noseeums as large as a housefly. It's bite would kill you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 Biting flies http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcbitingflies.htm 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUld fAUx@ 2,584 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 17 minutes ago, homersapien said: Actually mosquitos don't really "bite". But the biting flies can take a piece of meat out. I made the mistake of fishing barefoot out of a canoe once in Michigan and a deer fly bit me on my little toe. Later than day I felt like cutting my foot off it itched so much. I have spent a good bit of time in the north woods - Michigan, Minnesota, Isle Royal. While they don't have the snakes like the south and their "bug" season is short compared to ours, the ferocity of their biting flies and mosquitos when they are in season is unbelievable. Way worse than ours. You should plan your excursions around the black fly and mosquito seasons up there. And if you forget your deet, just shoot yourself. You're right. They stab, spit, and suck, but it's through mouth parts. Pine borers on a woodyard nip pretty good too. By the way, Peaches work out OK? Thanks for the thread. Sorry we let it drift in your absence: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUld fAUx@ 2,584 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 16 minutes ago, homersapien said: Biting flies http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcbitingflies.htm Many Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) Yeah, other than the swelling, it never really seemed to bother her, even though she was pretty small. We'd give her some benydril and she'd just lay around a little. Peaches was a rescue who's condition when we got her was the worst I've ever seen. She had recently had pups - probably still born - and her breasts were still swollen. But the rest of her was literally skin and bones - the most emaciated dog I've ever seen who was still able to stand. One of our neighbors brought her to us. I am sure if they had taken her to a shelter, she would have been immediately euthanized. We had to rehabilitate her before she could be treated for heartworms and other parasites. It was about an $800 "start up". Alas, Peaches is no longer with us. She is in dog heaven where there are either no Copperheads or all the Copperheads she could want, depending. Edited May 8, 2018 by homersapien 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltyTiger 7,793 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, alexava said: @kevon67this is after my son put six .22 rounds in him and severed his head with a machete. 3 head shots! Pretty good for a 12 year old knuckle head with a single action pistol. I had just walked right over this thing. No idea why it didn’t bite me. Thank god Alex saw it. It was coiled up with head up about 8” ready to launch. We were clearing out a trail into a spot we duck hunt. The only reason Alex went with me is I let him holster the .22. He wasn’t very long but at least as fat as my wrist. Are you sure you killed the thing Alex. BTW, have had snakeperts tell me that a Cottonmouth will not bite unless you actually step on it. Saw a guy proof on a show once by stepping all around them Edited May 8, 2018 by SaltyTiger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUld fAUx@ 2,584 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 3 minutes ago, homersapien said: Yeah, other than the swelling, it never really seemed to bother her, even though she was pretty small. We'd give here some benydril and she just lay around a little. Peaches was a rescue whos condition when we got her was the worst I've ever seen. She had recently had pups - probably still born - and her breasts were still swollen. But the rest of her was literally skin and bones, the most emaciated dog I've ever seen who was still able to stand. One of our neighbors brought her to us. I am sure if they had taken her to a shelter, she would have been immediately euthanized. We had to rehabilitate her before she could be treated for heartworms and other parasites. It was about an $800 "start up". Alas, Peaches is no longer with us. She is in dog heaven where there are either no Copperheads or all the Copperheads she could want, depending. Current dogs are both pound hounds. 1st encounter w./a moccasin resulted in a (thankfully) pretty dry (throat) bite. Few weeks ago, came home to see pack teamwork in action. Annie (the quick one) was digging a hole in front of the coiled snake (though way too close for me to let the strategy play out) while Rufus (big, strong, full-voiced) constantly barked from (again, too close) behind to keep it frozen in place. Think they were actually trying to bury the damn' thing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 8 hours ago, kevon67 said: I did see plenty of water snakes at grass farm usually hiding in the high grass near the pond balled up......narrow head if I remember but quite long....... When someone tells me they saw a water moccasin -especially a spotting in upper Alabama - I always assume it was probably a banded water snake. Most people aren't very good at snake identification. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) 13 minutes ago, AUld fAUx@ said: Current dogs are both pound hounds. 1st encounter w./a moccasin resulted in a (thankfully) pretty dry (throat) bite. Few weeks ago, came home to see pack teamwork in action. Annie (the quick one) was digging a hole in front of the coiled snake (though way too close for me to let the strategy play out) while Rufus (big, strong, full-voiced) constantly barked from (again, too close) behind to keep it frozen in place. Think they were actually trying to bury the damn' thing. We've owned hounds. They can be, uh, "interesting". I like those names. We currently have three dogs, two males and a female. Their names are "Hank", "Willie" and "Patsy". ("Patsy" replaced "Dolly" who died from cancer) Edited May 8, 2018 by homersapien 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AUld fAUx@ 2,584 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) 13 minutes ago, homersapien said: We've owned hounds. They can be, uh, "interesting". I like those names. We currently have three dogs, two males and a female. Their names are "Hank", "Willie" and "Patsy". ("Patsy" replaced "Dolly" who died from cancer) Had a "Dolly" once, a massively polydactyl cat. We named her for her, um, big hands. Edited May 8, 2018 by AUld fAUx@ spelling 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaltyTiger 7,793 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 47 minutes ago, homersapien said: Biting flies http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/pcbitingflies.htm Black ball yellow fly control. I put a couple out every May through summer at Mexico Beach. Takes care of them well. https://www.waltonoutdoors.com/yellow-flies-are-back/ yelllowfly.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevon67 2,368 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 19 minutes ago, homersapien said: When someone tells me they saw a water moccasin -especially a spotting in upper Alabama - I always assume it was probably a banded water snake. Most people aren't very good at snake identification. It's hard for me being color blind...........I always look for diamond shaped head......wont dare grab one by the tail to have a peek? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevon67 2,368 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 48 minutes ago, homersapien said: Yeah, other than the swelling, it never really seemed to bother her, even though she was pretty small. We'd give her some benydril and she'd just lay around a little. Peaches was a rescue who's condition when we got her was the worst I've ever seen. She had recently had pups - probably still born - and her breasts were still swollen. But the rest of her was literally skin and bones - the most emaciated dog I've ever seen who was still able to stand. One of our neighbors brought her to us. I am sure if they had taken her to a shelter, she would have been immediately euthanized. We had to rehabilitate her before she could be treated for heartworms and other parasites. It was about an $800 "start up". Alas, Peaches is no longer with us. She is in dog heaven where there are either no Copperheads or all the Copperheads she could want, depending. 1st class homer?..............always amazed at how folks can so easily abuse and mistreat dogs, cats, etc......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexava 6,973 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 50 minutes ago, SaltyTiger said: Are you sure you killed the thing Alex. BTW, have had snakeperts tell me that a Cottonmouth will not bite unless you actually step on it. Saw a guy proof on a show once by stepping all around them The trail I was on was so narrow I might have stepped on this guy. If not it had to have been inches. Alex was 10-12 feet behind me. I probably pissed him off and my son would have been bit if he didn’t see it. He had a chance to get away but just coiled up. It was cool that morning but near 70 when this encounter took place. I don’t think it was slowed by temperature. We made it home just in time fore the Texas AnM kickoff. So this was 10:30ish. We let it get colder before finishing this job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, AUld fAUx@ said: Had a "Dolly" once, a massively polydactyl cat. We named her for her, um, big hands. Our Dolly was a white female boxer who was already named Dolly when we got her from the shelter. We never knew how she got the name, other than she had huge erect ears and it seemed to fit her, so we didn't change it. Our "Patsy" was previously named "Lexie" by the shelter until we changed it to keep the country music theme going. We also refer to her as "Pitsy" since she's a pit bull. The white cat in my avitar picture was named "Hale" after the Hale Bopp comet. (His sister was named "Bopp".) Bopp died from natural causes but we are pretty sure that Coyotes got Hale. They were both rescued barn cats. Edited May 8, 2018 by homersapien 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 1 hour ago, kevon67 said: It's hard for me being color blind...........I always look for diamond shaped head......wont dare grab one by the tail to have a peek? That and the heavy body is a good tip-off. Pit vipers also have eliptical (slit like) pupils while other snakes have round pupils. (A useless criteria if they are live and free.) Also, banded water snakes have pretty prominent markings which can be somewhat muted if they are getting ready to shed their skin. As a boy growing up in Alabama though, we considered any snake in the water a "moccasin". 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, kevon67 said: 1st class homer?..............always amazed at how folks can so easily abuse and mistreat dogs, cats, etc......... It's a red flag for psychopathy. And it's amazing to me how animals can be so loving to whoever treats them well after such an experience. There's a good book about Michael Vick's dogs. All but one was rehabilitated. Edited May 8, 2018 by homersapien Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McLoofus 35,182 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 2 hours ago, homersapien said: Actually mosquitos don't really "bite". But the biting flies can take a piece of meat out. I made the mistake of fishing barefoot out of a canoe once in Michigan and a deer fly bit me on my little toe. Later that day I felt like cutting my foot off it itched so much. I have spent a good bit of time in the north woods - Michigan, Minnesota, Isle Royal. While they don't have the snakes like the south and their "bug" season is short compared to ours, the ferocity of their biting flies and mosquitos when they are in season is unbelievable. Way worse than ours. You should plan your excursions around the peak black fly and mosquito seasons up there. And if you forget your deet, just shoot yourself. Iceberg Lake, Glacier National Park, pretty much on the Canadian border. Worst mosquitoes I've ever encountered. You'd never know it from the pictures. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,367 Posted May 8, 2018 Author Share Posted May 8, 2018 It's like insects in the north have so little time, they have to make up for it in fierceness. At least that's my theory. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Refuge 6,662 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 I almost forgot. We get a lovely swarm of biting black flys/buffalo gnats every spring here as well. They are awful. They can actually kill deer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aujeff11 6,243 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 2 hours ago, kevon67 said: It's hard for me being color blind...........I always look for diamond shaped head......wont dare grab one by the tail to have a peek? I was at Benning in tbe prone position pulling security when my drill Sgt tells me as calm as can be that a snake was right beside me. I look around and sure enough I see a 3 foot black snack slither his way past me, probably two feet away from my person. I find out later that the drill sergeant was trying to keep me calm by calmly telling me about the snake but it didn’t work. I got out of position and was screaming like a little teenage girl. Giving that I was Op-for, I pretty much gave away my location to the enemy, ruined the training exercise, and everything. I hate snakes. I am very open with it and I try to push myself to get over them. Having a small paranoia of the the venomous snakes is healthy, but what I have is way past that and I believe it came from watching them stupid predator movies when I was too young. Some days, I watch mongooses out maneuver and outsmart the snakes on YouTube and it makes me feel better about snakes. Is also quality entertainment. The mongooses are like Floyd Mayweather- dancing and dancing, and when the snakes get tired, they make their own move. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShocksMyBrain 9,364 Posted May 8, 2018 Share Posted May 8, 2018 I’ve been seeing snakes every time I’ve been out fishing lately in public parks with woods nearby. I’m not well versed enough, nor do I want to get close enough to determine whether or not they’re harmless water snakes or moccasins. I was walking a concrete path with standing 2” water on my right side, and the pond on the other. I was only scanning the right side and noticed movement on my left peripheral. About a foot behind me, a 2 foot long water snake/moccasin went swimming by and then submerged. I don’t know if it was curled up on the concrete and I just walked right by or it saw me from the water. About 5 minutes later I was fishing on the bank and that same snake popped its head out of the water not a foot off the bank to check me out. I stepped back a couple feet and it just watched me, then went on its way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now