Been bitten?

[spillercanyon]

We all talk about, and spend a lot of time watching out for, those things that can bite us. I thought I would start this thread to talk about being bit and what some of your stories are on being bit. Here is my story:

I live in Tuolumne County and one night, while watching TV on the bed with my wife and son, my son lets out a yelp and rolls over. I instantly rolled towards him to see what was up and got stung three times on the back by a scorpion (my wife took it pretty well that a scorpion was in our bed). Both my son and I likened the stings to a bee sting and I was quite pleased as to not have to fear scorpions as much as I once thought I should. The swelling went away after an hour or so. That worked out well for my son but several days later I had a pain inside, not like a muscle pull but a kind of burning in my organs. After a few days of this pain I went to the doctors to find out what was going on. The doctor did a number of tests on me and proclaimed I had Pancreatitis from drinking too much. I do love beer but I knew it wasn’t from drinking because I don’t drink that much. After a few more tests and basically being told I was lying about the amount of beer I drank, he sent me home. I then went to get a second opinion from a specialist on Pancreatitis. Well after poking and prodding me, reviewing the other doctor’s test, he also proclaimed I had Pancreatitis from drinking too much, “Unless, of course, you’ve been bitten by a scorpion recently (with laugh)”. Ha, that is exactly what happened. It took a week or two for the symptoms to clear but they went away with no further problems. I was told if I get stung by a scorpion again, I should get a shot of anti-venom. Well, put scorpions back on the list of things I need to fear.

 

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[DizzyDigger]

Although I've spent the last 26 years living in the far Pacific NW, the first part was spent
chasing predators all over So. Cal. deserts and Nevada, so I pretty much cut my teeth
running around the deserts.

The advice I give people that are Greenhorns with little to no experience in a desert
environment is that:

"EVERYTHING out here can stick, bite, scratch or sting you, and a few of them are
deadly. Be sure and enjoy the desert, and, while walking around and enjoying the beauty,
be sure to keep your head out of your arse, and pay close attention to your surroundings
and every step you take. No doubt someone would always have to ask: "What if
I see a rattler?"

"What IF?? You get my attention immediately, and back away at least 8' from the snake and
let me deal with it. My #1 rule is..DON'T GET BIT!!!....'cause my truck is slow, and it's
a long, long ways to the hospital... not to mention how pissed I'll be at ya for molesting my
hunting trip!!!!"

Worst "mishap" I ever had out in the desert? hate to say it, but "back in the day" a bunch
of friends and I were camping on the Colorado River near Cottonwood Cove, and needless
to say we were pounding down beer like it was water (and Tequila, and Moonshine, and Daniels,
and, etc.)

I had to go drain the "wet tank", and as I started to walk away from the campsite one
of my buddies hollered at me...and as I turned to acknowledge his comment with a "Whhhaaadyousay",
my body continued going straight ahead. Well, at that point, knowing it was "crash-n-burn" or sit
my buns down immediately before things went from "bad" to Very Bad" I apparently just sat down
.....without looking at what was under me. (told later that my technique was quite graceful)

It just happened to be a very healthy young Barrel Cactus that had a minimum of 65 million
needles on it ....before my booty landed on them. Was also later told that, within nanoseconds
of those knives being "introduced" to my derriere that, instead of going down, or
in some horizontal direction...I went.... vertical, accompanied by a battle cry that
would of scared the carp out of Freddy Kruger...

It was said that when I....descended (for lack of a better word), that I hit the ground on
my stomach, then crawled over to my sleeping bag and went to sleep..in the hot Sun.
Found out too late this was not a wise thing to do...

Ever woken up after a few hours in a warm sleeping bag out in 90F. heat? Did you also have
a massive hangover from all the only God knows what kind of alcohol you had consumed in
the previous 12 hours? So, as you are laying there on your stomach it you suddenly realize
that your backside has somehow been penetrated with a couple hundred thousand
little needles (all with barbs!), and that your cheeks are swollen to the point where you've got
some serious booty tagging along behind?

2 min. later, my "formerly baby smooth cheeks" were on fire, and my mouth felt like the
Great Bird of Paradise had come along and taken a dump in it. Could life suck any more than
that?

So, even with a bunch of one pound lead balls bouncing around inside my skull, and a mouth drier than
a popcorn fart, I had to accept that the only possible way these scimitars were coming out was by
me laying arse-up while my buddy used a set of pliers to yank, rip out and not-so-gently remove
the dozens of 2' harpoons I was impaled with at that particular moment in time..

SOB went and called over a crowd, told the story of how I wound up in that somewhat compromised
position (first time that I'd heard what I did!), and proceeded to make each extraction of those
8' spears as public and painful as possible..

Moral of it all: NEVER, EVER mix Tequila, first run moonshine and Jack Daniels (in the same glass,
of course!).

Oh...and btw...watch out for Barrel Cactus..(or any other cactus)...cause those critters will bite ya.
And, if you do sit on one, from that point on it would be best for you to have a LOT of good Karma
saved up...you're gonna need every bit of it in order to avoid what I went through. Friends with
a sense of humor doesn't hurt, either..lol

Looking back on it all...I wouldn't have missed it for the world..

Funny thing...that same friend and I are still good friends, and in a couple of weeks I'm planning
to "escape" for about 10 days and take my first real vacation in nearly 12 years. First couple
days (after I get down to the Victorville area) Ken and I are going to be breaking in his new
drywasher. Been 30+ years since that happened...maybe this time it'll be his turn.

 

[spillercanyon]

Hey Dizzy, had a friend do the same thing under the same circumstances (except no moonshine) and with his foot not his arse. He accidentally kicked a cactus one night in the desert stumbling around. The thorns went through his leather boot like they were made of paper and they too had barbs. We had to pull all of them out with pliers before he could take his boot off. He didn't find it nearly as funny as the rest of us.

 

[pmgsourdough]

A friend of mine was bitten by a prairie rattler last year and spent 3 days in the hospital. The bill totalled more than 30,000 usd.

My dog Ash was bitten by a small rattlesnake 2 years ago and spent 24 hours at the vet. He had some swelling around the bite on his right shoulder. He recovered very quick from the bite, but probably do yo the fact that we keep him vaccinated for rattlesnake. I havent done much research, but why can a dog be vaccinated and not humans?

 

[kazcoro]

A friend of mine was bitten by a prairie rattler last year and spent 3 days in the hospital. The bill totalled more than 30,000 usd.

My dog Ash was bitten by a small rattlesnake 2 years ago and spent 24 hours at the vet. He had some swelling around the bite on his right shoulder. He recovered very quick from the bite, but probably do yo the fact that we keep him vaccinated for rattlesnake. I havent done much research, but why can a dog be vaccinated and not humans?

I bet the bill was a long ways cheaper from the vet, too.....

 

[Rutnbuck]

Back in the 70's I was attacked by a Honey Bee. Spent 3 days in the Hospital. Near died I did. If it bites stings bucks kicks scratches crawls or makes growling noise I don't much have a use for it. And I will kill it

 

[Astrobouncer]

My neighbor was walking to get his mail one morning not paying attention where he was going and a copper head bite him. 2 weeks in the hospital and a 120k medical bill. Lucky for him he had insurance and survived!

 

[gold tramp]

18 years ago i was bit by the gold bug, dont know if it was good thing or bad thing! Sure has put some hurtin in my old body.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Dizz's Tip #2

If you are planning on camping out in the desert, make sure you have a good tent,
and a bug screen on the front that zips up COMPLETELY...no gaps, no openings.

No matter how nice it is out that evening, DO NOT just roll out your sleeping
bag under the nearest shrub. If ya do, you're likely to wind up with one (or more)
uninvited guests in the bag with you when you wake up. Snakes of all kinds seek
out warmth, and when that desert air cools off at night they look for warm rocks
and open areas that hold the daytime heat a bit longer. Once the temp drops
they are going to head for the first warm place they can find, and snakes don't
see too good, and they'll crawl right in your bag and curl up down by your feet.

I would rather wake up with the hangover and cactus spines in my hiney (referenced
in my earlier post) than be waking up knowing I was sharing an enclosed sleeping bag
with some big 'Ol Rattlebear!

A short (but true) story: While predator hunting one weekend my 2 partners and
I decided to take a snooze during the mid-day, and the 2 of them promptly crashed
out in the back of the Blazer I had at the time. Me? I just laid my sleeping bag out under
a nice shady shrub and promptly dozed off.

No snakes, but when I woke up and sat up, I noticed a tarantula crawling over the
lower end of the bag, which made me a bit uncomfortable but not overly concerned
as tarantulas generally are pretty mellow unless you step on one or piss one off
by messing with it. He continued right on his way on the other side of me, so
it seems he was going somewhere and I was simply in the way. When I stood up
there was a bit of a shiver that ran down my back, as apparently we had parked
dead in the middle path of some kind of tarantula migration...there were literally
hundreds of the things, all heading in the same direction..

Sleep above ground if at all possible, no matter if it's a bed made up in the back of a
pickup or in a hammock (which is my preferred method of sleeping out under the
stars).

 

[kuger]

I ve been bit by so many things it would be easier to list what I havent been bit by!!I had it coming most the time........worst so far,even above the rabies treatment from the coyote,has been the tick(I never seen)that gave me this damn Lymes disease!!
Spiller....I have been nailed several times by these dang scorpions,not a biggy.....the wife got bit Friday...called me at work all in a fit,because she is allergic to bees..fortunatly nothin came of it!Glad your OK.....these docs anymore....dont even get me started!!

 

[Rawhide]

My neighbor was walking to get his mail one morning not paying attention where he was going and a copper head bite him. 2 weeks in the hospital and a 120k medical bill. Lucky for him he had insurance and survived!

I think you have to let someone pee on the bitten area for this one? Too confirm what has already been said about setting/falling on a cactus. Yes I did it, not once, but twice, same cactus, same check. Yes those things have to be pulled out. only my wife knows about this so keep it a secret. As for bitten while sleeping. Well left the tent unzipped. Don't know what got me, but it hurt for weeks. Im by no means a accident magnet, but could share stories like this all day long. Love the desert. We have these bees here, and they are big. They weren't stinging me, just bouncing off me. I couldn't run as I was on a steep incline, the dogs were going nuts stirring the bees up more. I was told later the temp was probably what saved me. As for rattlesnakes, was digging a hole, and had one not a foot from my head decide he had enough. The Green Mojave does not run, and actually was still curious enough to follow me back to the truck. Tarantula, well have a old fishing partner that thought it would be funny to prod one with his fishing rod. They can be fast and laughed so hard I couldn't stand watching that thing chase him. Some how we missed coyotes and mountain lions here, Ill let someone else share for awhile.This post was meant for gold bug bites lol. Sorry wrong post.

 

[TerryC]

Hey Dizzy, had a friend do the same thing under the same circumstances (except no moonshine) and with his foot not his arse. He accidentally kicked a cactus one night in the desert stumbling around. The thorns went through his leather boot like they were made of paper and they too had barbs. We had to pull all of them out with pliers before he could take his boot off. He didn't find it nearly as funny as the rest of us.

Here is another related fact. Prickly pear cactus needles will puncture the standard steel belted radial. TTC

 

[gold tramp]

We get hit hard by the killer bees here in the Dale district, and have to wear bee hoods at times or mine at night, then ya have to worry about snakes.
had a couple close calls last year with snakes and the bees run us out of the eastern edge of the district they got me so bad i wont even go back to that area.

havnt had a bee attack yet this year but i fear one is coming soon we are working about a 1/2 mile from the truck, they usally get frisky when it gets hot, and its warming fast this year.

 

[DizzyDigger]

Too confirm what has already been said about setting/falling on a cactus. Yes I did it,
not once, but twice, same cactus, same check. Yes those things have to be pulled out. only my wife knows about
this so keep it a secret.

Same one...TWICE??

And you were sober? ? ?

 

[spillercanyon]

A few years ago we were walking up the Stanislaus River there at Camp Nine. I believe it was January and were looking for a lower elevation hike. We hiked about .5 mile upstream from where you cross the foot bridge at the generator there on the river. After the first .5 mile we stopped and I found at least 75 ticks on my pant legs. We cleaned ourselves up, hiked out, cleaned ourselves up again and I've never been back. I'm sure it's not that way all the time there but that was over the top for me. Kuger, Sorry to hear about the Lyme disease, I've had a number of tick bites but been lucky so far. Also, found a great tool for taking out ticks at CVS Pharmacy where they have their camping stuff. It was cheap and is the best thing I've seen for taking ticks off myself and my dog. Pinch the head with the tool and twist counter clockwise. Not sure why counter clockwise but it even has an arrow on it to remind you to go counter clockwise.

 

[kuger]

A few years ago we were walking up the Stanislaus River there at Camp Nine. I believe it was January and were looking for a lower elevation hike. We hiked about .5 mile upstream from where you cross the foot bridge at the generator there on the river. After the first .5 mile we stopped and I found at least 75 ticks on my pant legs. We cleaned ourselves up, hiked out, cleaned ourselves up again and I've never been back. I'm sure it's not that way all the time there but that was over the top for me. Kuger, Sorry to hear about the Lyme disease, I've had a number of tick bites but been lucky so far. Also, found a great tool for taking out ticks at CVS Pharmacy where they have their camping stuff. It was cheap and is the best thing I've seen for taking ticks off myself and my dog. Pinch the head with the tool and twist counter clockwise. Not sure why counter clockwise but it even has an arrow on it to remind you to go counter clockwise.

The ones you see arent the carriers unfortunately Spiller...its the Seed ticks,little tiny rascals

 

[spillercanyon]

The ones you see arent the carriers unfortunately Spiller...its the Seed ticks,little tiny rascals

Cool!!! I learned something new today. Thanks Kuger!!!

 

[TheNewCatfish]

About 10 years ago i was walking from Houston to Sweetwater Texas (Why is another story), and i couldn't get a ride so i laid down on the ground to sleep. When i awoke at dawn there was a rather large rattle snake coiled up and sitting between my knees. Since it was 40 degrees in October, i assume he was tryin to stay warm. Looking at the snakes head was sort'a like lookin down the barrel of a gun in a store robbery. All i could see was his EYES. And they were sayin, "DON'T EVEN TWITCH". After about three of the longest minutes of my life.. i slowly edged backwards on my elbows till i was clear. The snake uncoiled and rose to an incredible height and took off after me in a Cobra pose. A very intimidating effect. So i sprang to my feet and ran for my life. Every day after an experience like that is just GRAVY.