Encountering dangerous animals while exploring.

[paul06660]

With the recent rise in snake, black bear, and wildcat populations in the Ozarks, I feel as though we should discuss safety while exploring/hiking, especially in remote areas. Specifically, feel free to discuss any of your experiences, including the general location, time of day, weather, etc. Last year, I encountered several rattlesnakes while exploring remote Newton county, Arkansas, leaving me to question what one should do if bitten while alone and several miles from my vehicle.

[BagHead727]

My biggest fear is always wild dogs.

[SubLunar]

Bear mace. Good for use on animals and people too.

[s.sisco]

Well if you're are bitten by a rattlesnake hopefully you have someone with you to get you help. I heard sucking the wound doesn't really help at all and may make it worse. My dad said his friend was bitten by a pigmy rattlesnake and he just stayed calm and let the venom work its way through. He said it was one of the best trips of his life. He never went to the hospital.

Wild dogs or any aggressive dog for that matter usually standing your ground and returning the aggression usually works for me..

[RedRook]

With dogs I do a short charge toward them, and they run away and start keeping their distance. I don't think I've ever encountered a dog trained to guard something though. I'm sure there are dogs out there where this doesn't work.

Wild hogs are much trickier. If you make your location well known by being intentionally noisy, they seem to stay away. They don't seem to be against charging you when you stare them down. I think the trick with them is just letting them know where you are, so they can avoid you before they feel cornered.

A Mongoose is the most terrifying animal I've dealt with. It's funny, because they are these little cuddly looking weasel things with a pink nose. Those little bastards have no fear though. If they think you have food, they will run straight up to you, and they plan to bite or claw you to get the food away from you. I was just lucky to be wearing thick boots. I threw my food as far as I could and ran. I think we're lucky not to see these in the Ozarks, though they would get rid of all the snakes if they were here.

[RedRook]

I had a close call with a Doe on the east coast as well. I had been out for a week, so I was covered in dirt and camouflage. I was sleeping during the day, because the temperature was going above 100. I wake up when the sun moves, and I hear this munching sound right next to my face. The deer must have thought the ground came alive, because I jumped away, and the thing seemed like it wanted to smash my face in with its hooves before finally deciding to run off. I think most animals, even snakes, try to avoid you when they know where you are. It's when they're startled or cornered that you are really in danger of getting attacked.

[ropingk]

if it had been a big buck he would have came at you with his horns pointed DOWN deersd are a flight or fight animal they will run iof they can but if they are spooked the will fight

[Nicotti]

Black bears are way less dangerous than Grizzlies. In fact I encourage you go up to and pet any you see, especially if they are mums with cubs.

[RedRook]

Wow, Arkansas apparently gave the Ozarks the gift of Black Bears. I still have never seen a bear outside a zoo, not even in New Mexico where you tie your food up to avoid them.

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/blog/2012/0 ... -missouri/

There are a lot of really tame areas in the U.S. with almost nothing dangerous. I bet most of the rattlers people see here are just Black Rat Snakes faking a rattle, I encourage you to slap it on the head when you see one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hf-znKiVwyk

[gimpface]

Snake bites suck, but if you are a healthy adult it probably won't kill you... that's not to say you shouldn't go to the hospital, because you totally should if you get bitten. My protocol at work is to splint the affected extremity and treat for pain. Constricting bands are useless, and for the love of god, don't suck on anyone's wounds, period. Ironically, snake venom isn't poisonous if you ingest it, but trying to suck it out of a wound is a great way to get a blood borne pathogen. As for bears, wearing a bell or making a lot of noise when you walk through the woods should keep them away from you, black bears aren't all that aggressive if you don't mess with their cubs. I have them in my neck of the woods and have never had any issues, other than the occasional overturned trash can. Stay the fuck away from wild hogs. As for dogs, pepper spray is a good option.

[RedRook]

Yeah, the hogs are aggressive. I'm not sure if I was clear on that, and they are still aggressive when they're being shot at. I still have seen far more run away from me than toward me. You don't always see them until you're fairly close. They also have the surprising ability to dig up buried boxes with food in them.

I still hate those little Mongoose fuckers the most, I swear they hunt you. There's nothing more annoying than a tiny predator that doesn't know his place on the food chain living in an area it is illegal to harm them in.

[BROUSER]

I've lived in the Ozarks most of my life, and as a kid I spent a good amount of time actively looking for snakes by turning stuff over to see what was beneath. I don't think I've ever seen a rattlesnake here, nor a water moccasin. I had one encounter with a snake that might have been a rattlesnake, but it also may have been a bull snake. My identification skills at age eight were a little limited, as was the amount of time I spent inspecting the snake after it rattled at me. My dad says he killed a cottonmouth when he was younger and that's the only one he's seen. That being said, they are here. Don't want to get snakebit? Walk slow, be aware of where you are putting your feet. Here's a list of animals around the world most likely to kill you: 1) mosquitoes, 2) hippos, 3) deer, 4) bees, 5) dogs, 6) ants, 7) jellyfish, cows, 9) horses, 10) spiders, and 11) rattlesnakes.
Cows will kill you, man. Cows.

[paul06660]

I have seen rattlesnakes around the Buffalo River area, especially within the vicinity of Pruitt. Other than that, there was one large elk and a whole lotta copperheads in that area. A friend of mine who lives in Stone County, around Lape said he has seen some black bears lately. According to MDC, there are sightings going all the way up into Greene County.

http://www.fwrc.msstate.edu/carnivore/m ... l_info.asp

[SubLunar]

Generally what I do is wrastle them suckers into submission.

I will make my presence known by running towards them with my thumb extended, ready for penetration. It's too difficult to wrastle the critters and then try to jam it in later. "Jam first, wrastle later" as I always say.

Yes I'm quoting this post again.

This one went up to my shoulder, which made him probably about 5 feet long. The beast put up a fight and tried rattling his tail before climbing up a tree to try to escape. I suffered a bite, but that didn't keep me from shoving my thumb up his arse in the end. Gotta teach 'em who's boss.

I ran towards it with my thumb extended, ready for penetration.


This is the face of defeat.

I also demanded that he bite his own tail as payback for biting me. He did so without hesitation and I photographed the Ouroboros pose. Then shit got all cosmic and mystical. We spoke to each other telepathically.



the snake and I astral projected into the 32nd Chevron. You take the first right after the 5th Chevron and follow that all the way until the Eye of Horus, then make 4 left turns and employ the Spirits of Darkness by chanting "Lamiae Larvae Lemures Passim, Passim"! The Spirits of Darkness will blindfold you in their blue 1972 Dodge bus numbered "23" before transporting you to the 31st Chevron. They'll drop you off in the Desert, where you have to starve to death before the Lizard King revives you with the Grip of the Lion. At this point, you should awaken next to an ancient lake and the primordial snake will emerge at dusk. You just ride the snake 7 miles from the lake through the desert. Go East in the direction of the Fire on the Mountain and once you get to the Unfinished Pyramid, draw a doorway in the sand next to the Eucalyptus trees. When the moon is full, this doorway will glow green. This is the ethereal gate of the 32nd Chevron. Say "Open Sesame" and click your heels together 3 times. A midget will appear. Cut his head off and drink the blood. The blood will alter your physical body for 24 hours, giving you the ability to travel through the gate. If you stay over 24 hours, your body will dissolve forever. Bury his head on top of the nearest hill and plant an acacia tree over the grave. Cut his body into 7 pieces and scatter them at the various chakras of the earth.

To get back, do everything in reverse.

Here we have a hapless doe on a bushy San Francisco mountain path facing down my aboriginal mating call. As you can see, my thumb is firmly airborne, ready to dive deep into the bowels of the beast.

(I forgot I left my camera on a manual setting from previous shooting when I stumbled across the victim, which is why it's overexposed)



And here we see the victim, post-penetration, desperate to leave our romantic mountaintop getaway.

[SubLunar]

The beaver in its natural habitat, was almost penetrated but the slippery little devil escaped.