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Safty Advise


jaredl

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Hey I live in ontario and have been going alot latley more out of the city to find caches. I was wondering what kind of stuff i should be looking out for? I'm pretty much a city boy, I have some bear spray, cause i've seen a few around, but its more for dogs and cyottes.

 

I have seen alot o fsnakes latley, even a few in parks around the city. nothing to big,, just like guys. But today i saw a pretty nice size one and it took a nice jump at me. I know that you should carry a stick when you wak in the tall grass, to scare them away.. but i left mine in my car

 

Are there poisonious snakes in ontario? I think hearing once that there was one type that was? and do the other kinds still bite? I have alos been hearing alot about ticks? I have never seen one but her if you get bit you can get really sick?

 

Can anyone give me some info or adive what to do if i see snakes or ticks?

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Can anyone give me some info or adive what to do if i see snakes?

 

Stop, walk slowly away and leave it be you should not have any trouble if you leave it alone, most snake bites are from people stepping on them or sticking their hand in a hole. (or from messing with them, 99% of the time if you leave them alone they will glady leave you alone)

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Here is my list of Geocaching dangers:

 

- poison ivy

- poison ivy

- poison ivy

- skunks

- small critters in holes when you are fishing around for containers ;)

- deer ticks

 

I've seen plenty of snakes and some will strike at you to be sure, including garter snakes. These aren't poisonous, but the big ones will draw blood if they get their teeth into you and it hurts like hell. Think nasy paper cut here. Milk snakes move very quickly but seem to be kind of timid from my experience.

 

I ain't never seen a bear but I'm told they are only a worry if there are cubs nearby and mama bear perceives you as a threat. That is to say, you place yourself betwixt cubs and mama. I don't think mama will give chase for very far. Coyotes, foxes, deer and wild turkeys have always turned and run when I've come across them. You are much more likely to see wild animals if you are solo mountainbiking like I do most of the time.

 

I'm one of those people who reacts to poison ivy. If you've never had it, you don't don't know the true meaning of itch, puss, goo and gross. See http://poisonivy.aesir.com/ for info.

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Unless you're going a LONG way out in the woods, the most dangerous animal you'll ever run across walks on two legs, and you're probably already familiar with them. Larger animals might be dangerous, but they're also rare, and usually afraid of humans. If you've got someone else along, just talking is probably more than enough to get them to hide as you approach. The smaller critters like chipmunks and squirrels are "harmless" but can easily give you a nasty bite if they're cornered. It helps to pick up a stick and poke it into all those little holes before you put your hand there. If I'm lucky enough to run across any animal life on my travels, what I normally do is stand still and pull out the camera. Most of the time though they're long gone by the time I'm ready to take a picture ;)

You do need to have someone else along if you're way out of the city. Cellphones often don't work, and if you run into trouble, there's at least someone else along to go for help. Dropping a small first-aid kit into your supplies is probably a good idea too.

 

Other hazards that have been mentioned:

Poison Ivy. Learn to recognise it, and the kinds of places it grows. It's not hard to avoid.

Insects. Deer ticks can carry Lyme disease, Mosquitoes can carry West Nile. Bring a supply of DEET based insect repellent, and use it liberally.

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thanks everyone. what do deer ticks look like and where would i find them? also if one gets stuck to me whats the best way to get it off?

deerticks are brown (i think, notpositive) and can be found burried into your skin. the ways of getting them out is by lighting a match and blowing it out then pressing the burnt hot end onto the tick, or put salt of them(not sure if it works). and if you ever come across a bear round house kick it in the teeth, or lay stomache down on the ground and dont move untill ity is gone. or you can wave your arms and try and be bigger than it and it will run.

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A lot has been written in other forums on how to get rid of a tick as some areas appear to be rampant with them. First off, you can see them as they aren't microscopic. Apparently the don'ts include the match trick, suffocating the tick with vaseline and also gouging it out. Apparently these methods will ensure the tick regurgitates its (possibly lyme disease infected) saliva into you. The 2 generally accepted ways of removing them include a tick removal tool, available at a pet store, and the straw and thread trick which basically achieves the same results. I've seen ticks but none have got their teeth into me. :rolleyes: One of the benefits of cycle caching is you're moving too fast for mosquitoes and deerflies to get you. :P

 

C-A

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One of the benefits of cycle caching is you're moving too fast for mosquitoes and deerflies to get you. :rolleyes:

 

C-A

 

Well, actually that wasn't our experience in Cookstown last July.... we found that the delta flyers kept up with us when we were cycling, and disappeared in favour of skeeters once we stopped. I think they were co-ordinating their efforts to drive us mad....

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I ain't never seen a bear but I'm told they are only a worry if there are cubs nearby and mama bear perceives you as a threat. That is to say, you place yourself betwixt cubs and mama. I don't think mama will give chase for very far.

 

WRONG!! Don't ever think you can out run a bear.

They can run way faster than you can. make lots of noise and back away slowly.. DO NOT RUN!

 

Read more here. Bears

 

Edit : speelin!

Edited by murfster
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Poison Ivy suggestions... from a guy that is rather sensitive to it (or stupid)

 

Some of these may seem obvious, but should be said...

 

- NEVER Urinate in the woods! If you have been in contact with PI, you will be transferring it to a location that promotes the spreading of it. It seems that PI does rather well for itself in warm locations that are prone to sweating. Like the inside of the legs. You get the idea I'm sure. If you gotta 'pee' then make sure you completely wash you hands extremely well.

 

- Always remove your shoes first, and before you do ANYTHING else, wash your hands vigorously. Then and only then remove your pants and socks and shirt. Make every effort to only touch your clothes, not your skin. For example, pull your shirt off from the bottom and over your head, not from the collar. This prevents you from touching your neck.

 

- As SOON as you get home, SHOWER! And don't rush... you've been exposed to more than you would on a normal day, so it will take more work to get clean (so to speak)

 

- PI oil remains on your SHOES... for MONTHS!!! Even over the winter. Shoe Laces absorb it. So when you get ready to go out, the last thing you do is put on your shoes and then WASH your hands.

 

The tricky part about Poison Ivy is that you can't see the oil.... so what I do is I pretend that I've been working in a horse stable all day cleaning out the stalls. From there it is quick to imagine what I'm covered in, and what I need to do to remove it. And of course, the importance of not re-contaminating myself after I get clean.

 

I'm sorry if this was kinda gross to some, but I'd rather be exposed to icky ideas than icky plants.

 

Oh... if you do get PI... wear a T-shirt and jockey shorts to bed, long john's if you can handle it... in your sleep this will help soak up the oils and anything else since you will likely scratch while you are zonked!

 

:( The Blue Quasar

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WRONG!! Don't ever think you can out run a bear.

They can run way faster than you can. make lots of noise and back away slowly.. DO NOT RUN!

Yikes! These guys can run 30mph! Yes, that's a little faster than what I can muster up even with the fear of imminent death. :angry: I knew grizzlies could really move but didn't know black bears could.

 

Well, actually that wasn't our experience in Cookstown last July.... we found that the delta flyers kept up with us when we were cycling,

Those levers on the handlbars let you select higher gears which will improve speed. :angry:;):D

 

- Poison Ivy oil remains on your SHOES..

At last years GAGHFAP my daugher, Squeakieboots, stepped in poison ivy. I immediately pointed it out to her and we stayed away. A little while later she wanted to ride on Dad's shoulders. No problem, until about a week later. :laughing: Where her right shoe was rubbing on my forearm it showed up in spades. This surprised me because I was under the impression that by late summer poison ivy loses most of its strength. I can confirm that its still plenty strong enough to wreak havoc! :laughing:

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bears can out climb and out run any human. So if you think you can out run a bear then you are in for a suprize. Most of the time bears will avoid humans at all costs, unless there is a food source or they have young cubs, or you piss them off some way..

 

I have also heard bear spray is not as effective (some bears like spicy food :angry::laughing::laughing: ). Most of the time if you can stay downwind and are marking noise or tring to make your self look bigger, or just talking.

 

I have also read that if you encounter a black bear you can kinda stand your ground with it but for grizzlies your best bet is to play dead and lay face down with your hands covering the back of your neck and your legs spread to prevent the bear from turning you over.

 

I met a bear researcher on the Pukasaw coastal trail a few years ago and got some good tips from him. He told a story about one nucence bear who they were tring to airlift out of the park. He basically said they had a chopper waiting and they tried everything possible to attract the bear but it would not come to them. They were cooking bacon out in the open left garbage around and left raw meat out. bacically nothing worked.

 

 

Also you don't have to be able to out run a bear, you just have to bee able to out run your buddy ;):D:angry::angry::angry::angry:

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The chances of running into a poisonous snake in Ontario are pretty small - there is only one, the Massasauga rattlesnake. It's rare, endangered and can only be found around Georgian Bay, Windsor and Port Colborne. You can see a map of its distribution in Ontario here

 

Allright here. I can see the big red splotch on the map all around Georgian Bay. But what's up with the tiny little red dots around Windsor and Port Colbourne??? Did someone take a couple home for pets, and release in the wild? :unsure: I'm glad I didn't see this post before finding a couple of caches in Mud Lake in Port Colbourne last weekend :rolleyes:

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The chances of running into a poisonous snake in Ontario are pretty small - there is only one, the Massasauga rattlesnake. It's rare, endangered and can only be found around Georgian Bay, Windsor and Port Colborne. You can see a map of its distribution in Ontario here

 

Forget it. Never mind. Found it. Google is my friend. Appears to be restricted to the Wainfleet Bog outside of Port Colborne. EMR in Ontario There just happens to be 3 caches in there, a Tag team Niagara Series.

 

Did you know about this, BQ? :rolleyes:

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Black bears will usually leave you alone but there have been incidents of agressive blackbears. Bear spray works on some but you have to wait till they are really close (less than 5 meters) for it to be effective. Do not run as like most predators it could trigger them to pay attention to you.

 

Bear bells work on most black bears but will only tell a grizzly where lunch is and where it is heading. Here in BC you can always tell the grizzly droppings its the stuff that smells like pepper and has bear bells in it.

 

Most provincial goverment web sites have information on them on how to deal with bears. Just as dangerous at times however are Moose.

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Poison Ivy suggestions... from a guy that is rather sensitive to it (or stupid)

 

One thing to note is that about 1 person in 3 is NOT sensitive to poison ivy. So if you're out in the woods with a person who is part of the magic third (for example, me), don't assume that they'll be watching for it :huh: In general, don't assume that anyone you're with could identify it anyway - learn what it looks like and watch for it yourself.

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/log.aspx?II...d5e&LID=4650758

 

Although I try to look out for it when I'm with other people, it's hard to focus my attention on it because, out of habit, it's not something I worry about.

 

Other things to worry about in Ontario woods:

 

- Moose (depending on season and location) can be unpleasant

- There have been rumours of eastern cougar sightings in Eastern Ontario. Although they've not been confirmed, it would probably be prudent to pay attention in the deep woods

- Idjits with firearms and bows in the fall who aren't always as careful as they should be (Shoot it Gomer, it sounds like a deer!)

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My understanding of the wild cats in Ontario are that they are very shy, as are most animals in the wild. even bears in most of Ontario are hard to spot unless you are going to feeding stations to see them (I have lived in north eastern ontario for 18 years and have seen very few bears in my travels.) best protection is common sense (use a bell - animals, snakes and other critters will hear you coming and know to vamoose, that is if they have read the same books I have!)

 

most of all enjoy the view when you do meet them.

 

bwmick

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Black bears will usually leave you alone but there have been incidents of agressive blackbears. Bear spray works on some but you have to wait till they are really close (less than 5 meters) for it to be effective. Do not run as like most predators it could trigger them to pay attention to you.

 

Bear bells work on most black bears but will only tell a grizzly where lunch is and where it is heading. Here in BC you can always tell the grizzly droppings its the stuff that smells like pepper and has bear bells in it.

 

Most provincial goverment web sites have information on them on how to deal with bears. Just as dangerous at times however are Moose.

Or, you can find out if this New Jersey cat own will rent his cat to you for protection:

 

treedbear.jpg

 

:blink:

 

Scott

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