M-44 for yotes, you guys familiar with this?

[dodge man]

I guess my problem with the device is its a lot like a land mine. It doesn't discriminate.

 

[k0ua]

I guess my problem with the device is its a lot like a land mine. It doesn't discriminate.

My thoughts exactly. It seems like a very dangerous thing to have around.

 

[FatTire]

Another M-44 incident:
Cyanide bomb kills two Casper dogs - News Columns | WyoFile

 

[Oldpath05]

Brother - you guys, Sigarms & smstonypoint - got that right. For 20+ years I worked for the government and I'm fully aware of their somewhat questionable tactics. Out here my prime directive is to maintain a profile that will easily slip under the belly of a snake.

"The Prime Directive (officially Starfleet Order 1) is a prohibition on interference with the other cultures and civilizations representatives of Starfleet encounter in their exploration of the universe" Should be ok, just watch for a snake carrying apples, that one is clever.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I thought cyanide was pretty much eliminated except for industrial processes. It is no longer available in the retail market. I remember as a kid dad bought cyanide eggs at the feed store to kill gophers. Drop a pellet down their hole pour in some muriatic (hydrochloric) acid and quickly fill up the hole with dirt. The gas then distributed through their labyrinth. Very effective and pretty persistent. This was Arizona so there was no soaking away. Dad impressed on us kids the danger of the stuff and would not let us near it, only watch him. We believed him and left it alone. The neighbors lost a cat that dug up a gopher and ate it.

I am old enough that during my early Navy career we were still indoctrinated on chemical warfare. The antidote for hydrogen cyanide war gas was Amyl Nitrate capsules, break them and inhale from them. Story was if we did not get our capsules out and inhaled within 1 minute we were doomed to a nasty death. Cyanide prevents the blood from releasing oxygen to organs causing rapid shut down of the system. This stuff is nothing to mess with. Cyanide was considered very persistent (up to 2 years) so areas where it was used had to be evacuated post haste. Washing with water did not get rid of it.

I read an article somewhere Congress is trying to outlaw use of cyanide for any thing except industrial processes that have no other options. A lot of folks in NV, UT, CA, and ID know first hand about this stuff as it was and still is used in the gold and silver mining and processing. A lot of mill tailings are still highly toxic today. That dark blue water in the ditches around the refineries Utah is loaded with cyanide. The blue is the give away. Prussian blue (pigment/dye) is a form of cyanide, grandpa used it in mixing paint colors.

Cyanide 101, Ron

PS, my grand kids still love grandpas stories from the old ages and call me the walking encyclopedia. Dinner time is always popular at grandpa's house.

 

[Brimfield]

I know a guy that accidentally killed his dog. He had mouse baits in a bar form in the back of a cabinet and the dog got into it and ate the bar. He had to watch the dog die a horrible death. Can't say he will ever get over that. Just saying be careful what you put out.

 

[dodge man]

Well this got some more publicity today. It made FOX news, the parents of the kid that got hurt and his dog died are trying to get them banned.

 

[oosik]

Interesting follow-up. The neighbor to the south( big rancher )and I were repairing some fence on our common fence line yesterday. When I asked him about M-44, many years ago he allowed the government to place some of the devices on his property. Required posting warning signs and it didn't work so well. He said - it was his understanding that these devices were no longer used in WA state ???. Reason being - they are non-selective and pose a danger to other animals and humans.

 

[MossRoad]

That's one of the bad things about many traps and poisons... they don't discriminate and often harm non-targeted species.

 

[Sigarms]

He said - it was his understanding that these devices were no longer used in WA state ???. Reason being - they are non-selective and pose a danger to other animals and humans.

I could be wrong, but aren't we talking about a Federal agency using these devices? My line of thinking is when it comes to the Feds vs the state, the state is going to lose, and if the feds (assuming the USDA is a federal agency) are using them in some states, I don't see why they wouldn't use them anywhere they deem fit.