Worst thing you've ever grabbed while searching?

March 12, 2013

While out looking for a cache I reached up in a log and grabbed something that moved, yeah it was a possum and he didn't play dead at all. What's the worst thing you've grabbed?

March 12, 2013

I once grabbed a lizard that was sunning itself on top of the cache, when I reached for it!

I was relieved it wasn't a snake!

1.1k · March 12, 2013

While out looking for a cache I reached up in a log and grabbed something that moved, yeah it was a possum and he didn't play dead at all. What's the worst thing you've grabbed?

WOW, Opossums are nasty. Did you get bit? I grabbed a field mouse from a hollow spot in a tree. Funny thing is I saw it and thought it was the cache. Things just look different at night and my flashlight must have froze him.

March 12, 2013

Dog poo, at the base of a post. Opps - thank heaven for wet wipes.

6.5k · March 12, 2013

A copperhead's fangs. Or more accurately it grabbed me.

March 12, 2013

(Note to self, carry wet wipes)I was wearing gloves and happily grabbed him by the non biting end but man was he upset. I turned loose faster than the speed of light, screamed likea little girl.

March 12, 2013

A copperhead's fangs. Or more accurately it grabbed me.

Oh crap. Bet you carry a stick now.

2.6k · March 12, 2013

Wasp nest.....how I managed not to get stung is beyond me 😳

18.9k · March 12, 2013

I grabbed a Prairie Rattlesnake once early in my caching career - luckily it was like 38F degrees out so it was just trying to warm itself under a sagebrush near ground zero and was slow to move. I wasn't. I learned to use my staff to probe such areas.

5k · March 12, 2013

While out looking for a cache I reached up in a log and grabbed something that moved, yeah it was a possum and he didn't play dead at all. What's the worst thing you've grabbed?

You didn't realize that it was a live possum when you poked it with your stick first?

I don't put my hands anywhere that I can't see without poking around first, and I don't assume that anything that could be alive, isn't. If a "fake" rattlesnake bites me five miles from the trail head with no cell coverage, I could die or lose a limb.

Edited March 12, 2013 by Don_J

9.3k · March 12, 2013

In order of negative effects on the body?

1 ) Wasp nest. Multiple stings.

2 ) High voltage power connection. Knocked me about 5 feet.

3 ) Pygmy rattlesnake. No bite, just earned some gray hairs.

4 ) Dog poo. No wet wipes available.

8.6k · March 12, 2013

The Gummee half (more than) once thought that a prickly pear might have been a cache. Not living in a cactus producing climate, a few trips west have resulted in her "remembering" (albeit a bit late) a couple of times.

Nothing really any worse than that.

We have more trouble placing caches, early in the spring. Many times, the bears aren't out and about yet! Luckily, we ARE used to bears and where they hide/sleep/hibernate.

EDIT to add: Just remembered STEPPING on a hiding fawn soon after we started caching. It bleated loudly and blasted away. That just about made stuff run down my leg -- but, mama was watching -- and she blew past me about 60 miles per hour too! That DID make stuff run down my leg!

Edited March 12, 2013 by Gitchee-Gummee

March 12, 2013

Yeah, it is a Captain Hindsight type of thread

3.8k · March 12, 2013

Dog poo. The cache is(was? still is?) supposedly a fake piece of dog poo, at the entrance to an off leash area. I stopped looking for it after that...and that's why I make sure there are always sanitizer and alcohol pads in my first aid kit.

March 12, 2013

My worst grab was plain dirt (no wipes available) until I went for a cache that was disguised as a piece of gum on a gum wall....

March 12, 2013

frozen dog poop that I thought was a rock. luckily I had some hand sanitizer in the car.

March 12, 2013

I had grabbed some poison oak stems without leaves and then went to the bathroom behind a tree right after. Lets just say you can break out with just touching the stems . I have a bad reaction to PO. I carry alcohol wipes with me when I hike in these areas.

2k · March 12, 2013

was searching in a tree crotch, like 4 1/2 feet off the ground and inside, dog poo. Its not so much the dog poo itself, but who would think to watch out for it there?

7.9k · March 12, 2013

Not sure if I actually *GRABBED* it or not, but I got a scorpion sting while reaching under a ground-level lampskirt.

I was sure where the cache was, and wasn't looking at my hands because I was watching the other park users.

Stung like hell for a minute or two, and the finger 'felt funny' for a couple of hours after.

I guess I was lucky it was a scorpion and not a Black Widow.

3.7k · March 13, 2013

Dog poop.

March 13, 2013

was searching in a tree crotch, like 4 1/2 feet off the ground and inside, dog poo. Its not so much the dog poo itself, but who would think to watch out for it there?

What you probably found was Raccoon poo! They will usually defecate before climbing to their tree nest.

Edited March 13, 2013 by CachingHuntress

2.5k · March 13, 2013

Hornet's nest here.

Somehow, I avoided being stung. :unsure:

3.3k · March 13, 2013

I grabbed a Prairie Rattlesnake once early in my caching career - luckily it was like 38F degrees out so it was just trying to warm itself under a sagebrush near ground zero and was slow to move. I wasn't. I learned to use my staff to probe such areas.

"Staff" as in stick, or "staff" as in the posse of assistants you bring on your geocaching expeditions? :grin:

Edited March 13, 2013 by wmpastor

March 13, 2013

Surprised no one has said poison ivy yet...there was a cache a bit west that required side stepping along a very narrow rock ledge 20 feet above a creek, and there were HUGE poison ivy vines growing along the cliff. Impossible to avoid. Can't say it was the worst thing, though, since (so far) I'm not allergic. I did find a raccoon sleeping right next to an ammo can under a burned out trunk--practically curled up around it. It was the middle of winter, and the thing just stared at me for a minute before scampering off. Sooo...Guess I'll have to go with "wasp nest" for the worst.

March 13, 2013

A dead raccoon

Raccoon poop

Mama Possum with babies

March 13, 2013

I poked a black widow once while looking for a bison that was stuck in a hole. No bite, luckily. Beyond that, just poison oak I think... I've already had it twice this winter. <_< I'm good about watching for it, but it blends in so much more without the leaves...

1.9k · March 13, 2013

Stinging nettle... Unpleasant, but not as awful as some of the stuff others have described. :blink:

March 13, 2013

Caching in No. Dallas, Tx. I stuck my hand in a hole in a tree to retrieve a cache. I saw the ants, but they were little ones, not fire ants, and I didn't figure they could hurt. When I withdrew my hand it was covered with ants. Ok for a second or two, then they started to bite in chorus. Hand swelled and itched for days.

18.9k · March 13, 2013

I grabbed a Prairie Rattlesnake once early in my caching career - luckily it was like 38F degrees out so it was just trying to warm itself under a sagebrush near ground zero and was slow to move. I wasn't. I learned to use my staff to probe such areas.

"Staff" as in stick, or "staff" as in the posse of assistants you bring on your geocaching expeditions?

<_<

:lol:

March 13, 2013

A syringe.....

March 13, 2013

A syringe.....

yuk! did it prick you? hope is so you got some blood work done.

March 13, 2013

A cactus on the 3rd or 4th stage of a 7 stage multi. Fortunately tweezers are a staple in the cache bag.

Cheers,

PandA Inc

March 13, 2013

A syringe.....

yuk! did it prick you? hope is so you got some blood work done.

No luckily it didnt and im also glad that ive had my hep vaccines.

March 13, 2013

Just this past Sunday I had some snow fall into my shoe whilst I crossed a small sno bank to get at a cache....it was COLD!

I think I've learned more with this thread than all the other combined.

Carry a pokie stick.

Carry wet-wipes.

Carry Black Widow anti-venom.

Carry scorpion anti-venom.

Carry rattlesnake ant-venom.

Carry honey. (To draw ants away from the cache)

Carry tweezers.

Carry a blindfold. (To keep the possum asleep)

Carry a smoke bomb.

Carry sugar cubes. (To draw coons away from the cache)

Carry calomine lotion.

Get my hep vaccine.

Get my tetnus vaccine.

NEW!!! Courtesy The Incredibles!

Carry extra batteries for my GPS.

Carry extra batteries for my I-Phone.

Carry salt. (For the cougar).

Get a bigger backpack.

Thanks everyone!!!

:blink:

Edited March 13, 2013 by CamoriCouple

March 13, 2013

I was near a multi-use trail by a river. Lifting rocks under a bridge looking for a cache. Lifted a rock and found the underside to be covered with poo. The animal leaving this poo used TP. Thank goodness I had gloves on. Gloves went in nearest trash can. The rock was the one the cache was under. Sent CO an email that this one probably needed to be archived. He thought so too.

1.2k · March 13, 2013

Mexican free-tailed bat

1.2k · March 13, 2013

During a CITO I found a shopping bag with eggs. I wasn't careful enough and crushed one and it splattered everywhere. Rotten egg does not taste or smell pleasent.

13.8k · March 13, 2013

In Cito, what I thought was a hot water botle turned out to be a filled colostomy bag. I know the difference now...

Caching, I'm pretty careful, using my stick or shining a light in first.

1.2k · March 13, 2013

I saw the ants, but they were little ones, not fire ants, and I didn't figure they could hurt. When I withdrew my hand it was covered with ants. Ok for a second or two, then they started to bite in chorus.

I've noticed that about some ants. There's probably some kind of pheromone that they use to say, "On my mark...get ready...BITE!"

March 13, 2013

Just this past Sunday I had some snow fall into my shoe whilst I crossed a small sno bank to get at a cache....it was COLD!

I think I've learned more with this thread than all the other combined.

Carry a pokie stick.

Carry wet-wipes.

Carry Black Widow anti-venom.

Carry scorpion anti-venom.

Carry rattlesnake ant-venom.

Carry honey. (To draw ants away from the cache)

Carry tweezers.

Carry a blindfold. (To keep the possum asleep)

Carry a smoke bomb.

Carry sugar cubes. (To draw coons away from the cache)

Carry calomine lotion.

Get my hep vaccine.

Get my tenus vaccine.

Get a bigger backpack.

Thanks everyone!!!

lol!!!!

March 13, 2013

A crispy dead toooo long rat. It was gross!

3.7k · March 13, 2013

Just this past Sunday I had some snow fall into my shoe whilst I crossed a small sno bank to get at a cache....it was COLD!

I think I've learned more with this thread than all the other combined.

Carry a pokie stick.

Carry wet-wipes.

Carry Black Widow anti-venom.

Carry scorpion anti-venom.

Carry rattlesnake ant-venom.

Carry honey. (To draw ants away from the cache)

Carry tweezers.

Carry a blindfold. (To keep the possum asleep)

Carry a smoke bomb.

Carry sugar cubes. (To draw coons away from the cache)

Carry calomine lotion.

Get my hep vaccine.

Get my tenus vaccine.

Get a bigger backpack.

Thanks everyone!!!

Plus extra batteries. If your GPS dies and you get lost, you may get eaten by a cougar.

March 13, 2013

Wasp nest.....how I managed not to get stung is beyond me 😳

Yeah, I've done that on a few guardrail caches.

March 13, 2013

wasps, bees, bugs, spiders but the first thing that sprang to mind was a vibrator. It wasn't new.

1.9k · March 13, 2013

CITO -- a nice full diaper, several days old.

March 13, 2013

For me it was a toad I pulled out of a small hole in a tree thinking it was the cache. I am not sure which of us was more surprised.

March 13, 2013

I once decided to CITO a brown balloon that was dangling from the top of a barb wire fence. Except it was a long piece of freshly killed squirrel guts! Ugh!

5.7k · March 14, 2013

Dog poo, at the base of a post. Opps - thank heaven for wet wipes.

Same here. The listing was called "That looks real" and is near a dog park. I think it was karma because of my fake turd cache called walking the dog. :laughing:

March 14, 2013

A rat skull.

And while reaching for a decoy on a cache I still haven't found, I stepped on a coral snake. Good times.

March 14, 2013

While out looking for a cache I reached up in a log and grabbed something that moved, yeah it was a possum and he didn't play dead at all. What's the worst thing you've grabbed?

Worse thing we have walked into was two huge bears worse thing I've grabbed was something that made my hand smell had no idea what it was but the type of smell that makes your puking senses tingle

Worst thing you've ever grabbed while searching?

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