Fieldcraft creatures encountered on a stalk

[gathert]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

We got the one we found laying long ways over a thick stick with its feet hanging down and looking down and left sun bathing like it was sitting around in a tree. The fox looks really good with its front feet perched up on a log like its trying to look around.

 

[Ubida]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

Hey y'all, new here. read this whole post and thought I'd throw my own encounters in.
When I was younger, growing up on a farm in the Ozarks, I used to run into lots of rattlers, cottonmouth's, and King snakes (which are your friend, since they mainly eat deadly snakes). We also had lots of recluses and black widows.
Gladly, I have never been bit by any of them, but I did get bit by a bat once.

Ft Stewart, during some brigade training Ops in the field, my squad were pulling a 360, in the prone. Out of nowhere, a hog comes out of the brush, 3 feet from my face. It just walked through our AO, and kept going.

Another time, We were doing a land nav course, most of which is in the swamps. Ran into a couple alligators, about 4 feet long.
After that, I had my KA-Bar at the ready.

Currently, I'm in Texas Nat Guard, and preparring for Sniper School at Camp Robinson, Ar. Anyone gone through there, and may tell me what to expect to run into there? Also, a little off topic, but, what is the vegetation mainly like there, in the training areas? This way I know how to set-up my ghillie suit.

 

[Shamus]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

We were gearing up at our patrol base during some training here on bragg, and as I went to put my ACH on I noticed a big black dot in my helmet, so I gave it a good shake and it skittered under my helmet pads. So I shined a light on it to find the biggest black widow I have ever seen in my life had made a web in my helmet while I was sleeping.

 

[Peloton]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

Several years ago I was deer hunting. I didn't see anything worth shooting all morning and several hours later I made a second pass down the same ridge. As I followed my tracks in the snow I see Cougar tracks intersect my original tracks and then follow them all the way to within 30yds of where the truck was. Not really an "encounter" but it got my attention.

 

[Ubida]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Shamus</div><div class="ubbcode-body">We were gearing up at our patrol base during some training here on bragg, and as I went to put my ACH on I noticed a big black dot in my helmet, so I gave it a good shake and it skittered under my helmet pads. So I shined a light on it to find the biggest black widow I have ever seen in my life had made a web in my helmet while I was sleeping. </div></div>
Had the same happen to me in Basic, but it wasn't a black widow. Just some random black spider. I didn't know about it though until I felt it crawling around on my head. Coulda gone bad, thank god it didn't.

 

[Wild West]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

The black widow spider produces a protein venom that affects the victim's nervous system. This neurotoxic protein is one of the most potent venoms secreted by an animal. Some people are slightly affected by the venom, but others may have a severe response. The first symptom is acute pain at the site of the bite, although there may only be a minimal local reaction. Symptoms usually start within 20 minutes to one hour after the bite.

Local pain may be followed by localized or generalized severe muscle cramps, abdominal pain, weakness, and tremor. Large muscle groups (such as shoulder or back) are often affected, resulting in considerable pain. In severe cases, nausea, vomiting, fainting, dizziness, chest pain, and respiratory difficulties may follow. A little off topic but good info.

 

[WVgunsmith]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

A friend of mine that was with the Marine 3rd Div in Nam. Told me about bird eatting spiders around Da Nang. He said the damn things would chase ya if you got close to them.

Scott

 

[Beepy]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

About ten years ago..

I live in NE Washington State, I was out in a cow elk area and had shot my cow. I was all alone, I worked weekends and was the only one who could head out in the middle of the week. Really was just planning on scouting, but meat in the freezer....

Anyways it was snowed in, and I had to wear snowshoes in certain places, and I was about 4 miles from the truck. Man was I sucking wind!

I was on my third load out, sat down to take a breather and must have dozed off a little, don't know what woke me but it was just before twilight and I caught a flicker of movement on my back trail, I kind of rasied my head up and I saw a cougar sniffing my tracks about 20 feet away. I stood up, she kind of crouched down a little. When people say that things slow down, they are not lying!, I swear it was problably 2 seconds, but it was 2 mins in my mind.

In a flash she was gone. I had my 45-70 out and after a few minutes went up my trail to where she took off, I could see that she had been following my trail from prints in the snow as far back as I could see (which was only about 200 yards).

I made the last mile to the truck in record time, decided to leave the last front quarter and hide back at the shoot site and skedaddle! For some reason just didn't want to make another trip in the dark...

(not to mention I was WIPED!!)

 

[Quietcro]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

Just read all 6 pages straight. Awesome.

Grew up in Texas. Stung by wasps, honey bees, mosquitos, horse flys(about 20 actually at Turner Falls. Bastards), fire ants, and a humming bird.

Kansas: Three weeks ago, found 12 ticks camping in my butt crack.
Two days before that, heard a rattle off to my left and saw my LT frozen with a 4 foot Rattler directly infront of his face. Dropped my ruck on it so he could get away. "It was staring into my soul" he said.

A hog made me run a personal record 40m and high jump into a tree

 

[Quietcro]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

Has anyone tried one of those glade clip-on things for the field?

 

[adkmtnman]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Tucson?</div><div class="ubbcode-body">

Found on any given day behind my house </div></div>

If you want to see a 300# dewd jump 6 feet straight up and scream like a bitch... Insert this in front of me... ugghhhh

 

[metal2meat]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

About ten years ago guiding a NM antelope hunt a hunter and I were low crawling to an overlook to get look at a nice buck that was bedded below. I was crawling with my pack on top of my arms so I could get it set for the hunter for a rest, he was crawling next to me "GI style". All of sudden, not ten yards from where we needed to be he plops the rifle on the ground and jumps up waving his arms in the air! Then he takes of running the direction we just came from! I'm hissing at him to "get down and shut up" (like Lt. Dan from Forrest Gump, haha). I look forward and see the buck is now haulin @$$ away from us, so I yell at him "what the hell?". He comes back a little and points to a rattlesnake that is laying under barrel of his rifle where he left it. The snake never rattled (that or I didn't hear it). He had the heebie-jeebies the rest of hunt!

 

[gathert]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

Here is the bird eating spider, but not eating a bird. Same end result.

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[kjh762]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

Early 1990's african vacation. We seen 3ft long porcupines going into tunnels inside compound. Quills 12+ inches long. Also had a well fed wild dog that didn't like the natives. Sun scorpions and snakes buried in the sand.

 

[gathert]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

Are you tempting him?

 

[Furtaker_.223]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Forty-One</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I don't have time to tell the entire story now.

</div></div>

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Exo]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: gathert</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Here is the bird eating spider, but not eating a bird. Same end result.

<object width="425" height="350"> <param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/lWS04I80L3Q"></param> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param> <embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lWS04I80L3Q" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"> </embed></object> </div></div>

woah...just out of curiosity, what would one of those do to say...a persons arm???

 

[namgrunt]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

1967 Quan TRi VN on guard on the line in a bunker looked over and the greenest snake I ever saw Bamboo Viper and they always come in pairs.

On patrol biggest snake after killing it someone stood up on top of M113 holding it up by the head and the tail was still on the ground.

Buddy got med evaced cause of a centipeed ,orange in color and about 8 inches long stung/bit him on the hand and he eventually lost the hand.

To this day I ALWAYS hit the heal of my shoes or boots on the ground before putting them on.

ARMY Infantry 1967/1969

 

[Daps!]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

I made the mistake of reading this whole thread before bed. Thanks

 

[Ishikawa]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

We used to hunt some land in SW Arkansas...right off the Saline river. Every now and then, we would see an albino (read: White) Turkey hen. She was awesome to see...in the middle of the dark and vast bottom lands...seemed almost ghostly!

 

[a1000Qs]

Re: creatures encountered on a stalk

Most snipers are people who grew up around the outdoors and who have hunted their whole life so they know what creepy crawlers are out there and where they like to live.

You should also be very much aware of your surroundings and fresh evidence on the ground (tracks, feces) that you are not alone.

When scouting your hide, you should also be aware that ticks, spiders, centipedes and that lot like to live in rotted out trees and in piles of leaves, pine needles, etc. Scorpions prefer rocks and woodpiles. Snakes hide under rocks ledges, small caves and various size holes.

Bottom line is providing yourself with enough knowledge of your area of operation so that something other than the enemy doesn’t take you out.

Adding bug spray to your kit is helpful particularly the unscented kind. I also treat the uniforms that I use for ghillie suites with military issue Insect/Arthropod Repellent Treatment (Army navy Stores, ebay, etc.) that lasts a fairly long time.

Learn as much first aid as you can and refresh your knowledge often, especially when venturing into areas your not familiar with.

But sometimes when it’s “game on” you just have to do the best you can and make the crawl regardless while reciting the Sniper’s Prayer.

Here’s a good read about insects:

"Armed Forces Pest Management Board Technical Guide No. 36, Personal Protective Measures Against Insects and Other Arthropods of Military Significance"

Dose it stop TICKS

 

[BLEE]

Dose it stop TICKS

Do you know that post was from 2008?

 

[Rookie]

Can't believe noone mentioned chiggers!

 

[Eggman]

10 years ago, last time I drew a moose tag, northwest wyoming hunting with a longbow and cedar shaft arrows.

so, there I was, putting the moves on a decent bull I had been watching for a few hours. I was working my way into the tall willows along the creek he was feeding in there are few pathways since the willows are pretty dense and overgrown. they more overgrown the closer you get to the water source.

anywhoo, I was down low on my knees within 50 or so yards of where I thought the moose was when, as I was working my way forward on my knees, a momma black bear with 2 cubs cross the T in the path among the willows I was using. I literally have never had such a massive adrenalin dump into my system as I did that day. On my knees working through dense foliage and seeing this bear less than 10 feet away. thank god she never noticed me and moved on, but that ended my stalk on that moose for the day.