DANGERS IN CAVES

[SCIINDUS]

HELLO ALL, I NEED SOME ADVICE. I HAVE FOUND A CAVE WHICH I HAVE BEEN ABOUT 10 FT AND IT HAS ANOTHER CAVE OFF TO THE RIGHT. THE CAVE IS ABOUT 8FT TALL.SOME WRITING ON THE WALLS, DIDNT STAY LONG FULL OF RATTLESNAKES. ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO GET RID OF THE SNAKE SO I CAN SEARCH IT.
THANKS

[clayprinter]

What is the average tempature in the cave?

[jeff of pa]

I don't know if it will work,

I may be WAY off on this.

However, I personally, Would Throw a Few Road Flares? in.
Preferably Behind them.

& hope it would Burn enough of the Oxygen Out that they would Either Sufficate or Leave the Cave for air.

But, That's Just because I like to (PLAY)?experiment

Of course the trick would be to keep them out long enough for air to re-enter & you to Explore & Come back out

[PBK]

You might want to check out a product called Snake-a-Way:

http://www.critterridders.com/snake_info.htm

This company stocks it, along with some other snake gear:

http://www.gemplers.com/a/shop/list....1229&SKW=snake

[cpt_peewee]

I don't know about the ecology of using them in caves, but we always throw a few mothballs around the yard to keep snakes away. At about a dollar a box for the cheapos, it's pretty economical to do.

HH
CPW

[MiddenMonster]

HELLO ALL, I NEED SOME ADVICE. I HAVE FOUND A CAVE WHICH I HAVE BEEN ABOUT 10 FT AND IT HAS ANOTHER CAVE OFF TO THE RIGHT. THE CAVE IS ABOUT 8FT TALL.SOME WRITING ON THE WALLS, DIDNT STAY LONG FULL OF RATTLESNAKES. ANY ADVICE ON HOW TO GET RID OF THE SNAKE SO I CAN SEARCH IT.

Snake loop. Catch `em. Bag `em. Eat `em. How many snakes are there? Most predators live near the food, so you probably won't find them too far past the cave opening unless there are mice, rats or other food sources that live deeper in the cave. And those food sources won't live where they can't find food. If you find them deep in the cave there is probably another entrance or entrances connecting with the cave opening you see. It's bats I'd be worried about. Bat guano is very toxic, and they are known to carry rabies. But getting bit by a rabid bat is still better than getting bit by a vampire bat and becoming one of the undead, forced to wander the earth for eternity, feeding on your friends and terrorizing small villages. Not to mention that you have to build your own coffin to sleep in. And it seems like every yahoo around these days has a wooden stake.

[Nana40]

DON'T FORGET TO WEAR YOUR SNAKE CHAPS!

Nana

[Digger Joe]

Snake loop is a fact, my dad and I used to catch them all the time that way. Is really easy.

Cut a light 5/8 thin pipe (aluminum even) 7 or 8 feet long and then buy a fine cable wire (found in stock houses at airports for small airplanes etc.) at 18' to start. ~ Loop it and put both ends through and back up the tube...

Then clamp on something large and strong on the end at the two cables after trimming your cable to have a two and three inch loop on the one end, and a four/five inch excess 'handle' puller on the other end, and presto, Greatest fastest easiest snake catcher you'll ever have. (We used it for rattlesnakes all the time. ~ (Play with them at the end of the pipe until you get their head inside, gently pull the cable, move them towards you, stand on their neck, and gently shoot them through the top of the head with a small 22... easest thing you could imagine.. wear your proper pants and chaps, its super easy in the above..

[gflores71]

The snakes are the least of your problem, if you are going to be digging a cache inside a cave you have to worry about ventilation. Remember big caches that are old and specially the ones that contain silver will release toxic gases.

good luck

Gilbert

[Noble Metal]

Just to say 'Yes' to what Gilbert is saying; In the Philippines, almost 100% of all the people in cache hunting know about the gases...

[angel_09]

Just want to give a little idea about this cave:
You can use a toy car(1/4 scale of original size) remote controlled, fix a wireless camera and light (baterry operated) on it, and the reciever of the camera is attached to the laptop computer. With that, you can have a good view inside the cave.
You can count how many snakes inside, how big are they, and how many gold bars they are guarding, without jeopardizing the lives of your team members. This is the way how I do it...

Angel

[LONE GUNMAN]

dynamite them......j/k......go in in the early winter, late winter....this time of yr the should be hybernating....easy pickins.....but watch out for the vampires , undead, warewolves, ghost, goblins, gnomes, elves, chickens, monkeys, mice, rhinos, hippos, and most of all claim jumpers......and good luck.
lgp

[Gypsy Heart]

If its winter and cold...chances are they are hibernating....go in and take what you want...haha
I do know this trick works for me ....snakes wont cross a burned ashes ....take a load in with you and scatter them all over the place...thick .....take a load of buckshot in case the trick doesnt happen to work for you ...
I spend alot of time in really remote areas and always dump a ring of ashes around my campsite...well then of course I chant and do the sage cleansing thing....and sing "Jesus Loves Me " really loud........and have yet to be bitten by a snake . Haha

[cptbil]

Depending on the situation:
The best situation is to wait for spring and allow them to leave!
Caution!
After a long period of hibernation, they are usually pretty hungery & Mean!
You'll play :P "He_ _ ! :P Trying to drive a bunch of snakes out of their hibernation cave
and into the freezing cold!
I have actually picked up rattlesnakes that were hibernating in a Spanish Cave!
( Dec., '95, "Point of Rocks", Grama Peak, "Journada Del Muerto"(sp. ?), New Mexico")
How do I know that it was a Spanish Cave
By the "Cross" that IS! carved above the entrance!
Just don't hold them TOO LONG!
They tend to warm up pretty fast!
:P I KNOW!

[Las Vegas Bob]

Send in a Mongoose

[EDDE]

pumice ash or horse hair the tail or withers hair is irratating to snakes the cowboys back in the day when they slept at night would coil the ropes made of horse hair around were they slept to keep the snakes from snuggling up to them and keepin themselves warm.pumice ash in oregun in the high desert areas there are NO snakes because it is so irratating to their belly..............

[daydreamer]

Tag and bag those suckers, they are found treasure, some places buy em at $3.oo lb
Try mothballs - cheap, also go in when its cold and wear heavy lower body protection.

[cptbil]

Hey! Day Dreamer:
Are you still living in Chico ?
I have some sites up your way and could use a "point man" ?
Do you get out much..
Have a 4x4 ?
If Interested....?
Drop me line/PM !

[tammahawk]

Hello All , snakes huh, well start with protection like snake proof chaps, then get a 22 rimfire, and buy some rat shot works like a charm on snakes, we had some snakes around here one time that were eating a lot of small trout, we used rat shot on them, it foldes them right up 1 or 2 shots usually all ya need, rat shot is like a tiny shotgun shell for 22 caliber rifles or firearms, be careful when you remove the snakes you even get scratched by the fangs you will get real sick, as far as the cave it self I would get a mining badge they are expensive but will tell you if the air is bad, Im lucky my one partner works in a mine so he has a bad air badge already, oh and another thing, if you have multiple tunnels see if one of them runs NW usually the middle one, thats the one you want,tammahawk

[Old Prospector]

Yah, winter is a hard time to try to get snakes to go out doors. The moth balls idea is a good one, but will take some time
to work and the balls should be beyond the snakes. Another idea; try smoke bombs, the fireworks kind that come in colors,
in bags. They make a lot of smoke and the smoke is irritating to the eyes of the snakes. The smoke will also give you an
idea of which way the air in the cave is moving. Usually the smoke goes away quickly, so use a bunch of smoke bombs. They
can be shot into the cave with a sling shot to get them way back there, beyond the snakes.
And don't handle the snakes; they will always be snakes.
Old Prospector