We are likely going to be moving to the Miss, Louisiana, Ark. area. Some questions... Our Sheppard has never encountered a poisonous snake. Is there any danger to him, or will he have the instinct to be more cautious....
I put my hunting boots in the garage for long periods. Is there a danger of critters crawling in there? Anything else we should know about? Thanks
That's a lot of area you are considering. What are you looking for? some of it is all swampy, a lot of it is heavy timber and rather flat, and a little bit of it is hilly to mountainous. In my area of East Texas, we are supposed to have rattle snakes, but I've never seen one. I see cotton mouths and copper heads every year. This year was a record for cotton mouths. I think we killed half a dozen and saw at least twice that many on our 60 acres. I killed two copper heads and saw one that got away. My dogs killed several rat snakes in the yard. They come around the house because we have feeders out, livestock and chickens, which all add up to lots of mice. We poison as many mice as we can and we have cats for as long as they can survive the coyotes. Some cats are better then others at killing mice, but nothing works better then constantly putting out poison. If you can keep the mice down, you will have fewer snakes. In my experience, a dog doesn't know the difference between a poisonous snake and a non poisonous one, so it's very likely that it will get bit eventually. We have clinics that are open 24/7 to deal with this. I've been twice for cats, but never one of my dogs. Once bit, they swell up quickly and wont walk on the leg that is bit. No experience with a face bit. The vets have all the stuff to treat a bite and if you get there quickly enough, it's not a big deal. For some reason, people that I know who have been bit seem to suffer more then pets.
I've never found anything in my outdoor boots and shoes. I always check them, but that's just me being scared of the unknown and an active imagination.
What you need to learn to fear and never underestimate are fire ants. NEVER walk in the grass barefoot. Never stand still without making sure what you are standing on. Keep plenty of anti itch cream on hand while you learn these lessons!!! I prefer Gold Bond Maximine Relief. Get some, you will need it.
The other thing to be VERY AFRAID of are red wasps. Also called mahogany wasps. They love the heat and living in the eaves of houses. They are very territorial and will attack for no reason, making too much noise or because they don't like you. Usually you will get one warning. It will buzz your ears. If you ever have a wasp of any kind buzz your ears, wave your arms frantically all over and run!!!!!! The next time you will get hit, and it's like somebody used a baseball bat on your head. Back of the head is the most common, but once I got it in my face, which was the worse one ever. Nothing will ease the pain, it will be a fay of misery unlike any other sting out there. All other wasps, hornets and bees are here and they will get you too if you anger them, but nothing like the red wasp. He is king!!!!
Learn what poison ivy looks like. It mostly likes shade. Three leaves grouped together. It can be red at times, but usually it's a nice shade of green. Even dead, it will get you, so always wash your hands with lots of soap if you pick up anything.
During the heat of summer, July to mid September, plan your day so you can avoid being outside in the afternoon. Heat stroke is real, and when it happens, most people don't realize it. All of a sudden, you forget things, don't know why are are doing something, or why nothing is making any sense to you. I've seen it happen too many times.
