You spider and snake haters just would no do in the tropics. After a while you get used to them and just keep one eye peeled for the bad actors.

For most folks black bears are a lot closer than they think. They aclimate to people pretty good and do like trash cans and garbage. Back when I lived west of here about 20 miles, in Navarre, I got a call one day from the neighbor, said look out front. I looked out the front window and there walking down the road in the subdivision was a sow and two cubs, just out for a morning stroll. I also think it is man developing into bear country that is the main problem.

Licking a cane toad huh..... well that is pretty much in line for a Darwin award.
Ed

When I lived up your way Vince I'd leave a light on and do the rounds of the house a few times a night, put the toads in a ice cream container and freeze them.
That container was dropped by a few different people looking for a treat.

But the thing that made me jump the most was walking into a Golden Orb web while doing the rounds. To feel the lump of a spider on the side of your face as you walk into her web is a real bowel mover.
They are quite a large spider whose web strand per diameter is apparently stronger than steel.

I'd occasionally see a Koala Bear though.

you are so very right Swampfox

where i live is very much Bear Country and its because of the developing.
i was up on the mountains above my house and saw lots of bear scat and tracks.

tikkat3 wrote:

When I lived up your way Vince I'd leave a light on and do the rounds of the house a few times a night, put the toads in a ice cream container and freeze them. That container was dropped by a few different people looking for a treat. But the thing that made me jump the most was walking into a Golden Orb web while doing the rounds. To feel the lump of a spider on the side of your face as you walk into her web is a real bowel mover. They are quite a large spider whose web strand per diameter is apparently stronger than steel. I'd occasionally see a Koala Bear though.

Gidday mate, yep...freezing cane toads is the politically correct, humane way to kill them. Myself, I prefer a 3 iron.

Cheers, Vince

The Golden Ord Weaver is a beautiful spider, but you are right...walking into one at night does make your #@&% pucker real tight.

Eeeeyuck!!! They had some real colorful ones in Hawaii when I was stationed there. I used to go "booney stompin'" in the jungle...

Thanks for the photos Vince.
I gave up on the clubs when one jumped on the down swing and I put my back out on the follow through.
I was using a 4x2 club.

those are beautiful photos Vince

personally i like spiders and snakes.
of course tracker is like you Mr Bush hates them is putting it mildly

The animals were driven into these parts of the woods from the fires as well
last i heard over 670,932 acres were burned near here.
they were finally out last week and we see blue skys and no ashes on the my big red dodge.

but there are more deer than seen the past few years here.
my dogs played tag with two this morning in the front yard

All I can say is that " the world would be a better place without SPIDERS and SNAKES".

Aww, c'mon guys, where would we be wilthout all of the nasty beasties in the world? Snakes, spideys, scorpions, leeches, BEARS, big cats...anything that is happy to have a chomp on ya. They all have a place and job to do. Even the humble fly is a menace in some respects, but a saviour in others...all them yucky maggots cleaning up road kill etc and getting fat so we can use them for fishing bait.



Cheers, Vince

I can handle the bears, big cats etc cause I can see them easier. It's the creepy crawly hidden creatures I dislike.

I've been known to up stumps and break camp at the sight of a leech.
Just don't like the sight of all that blood, and not even knowing I was losing it.

tikkat3 wrote:

I've been known to up stumps and break camp at the sight of a leech. Just don't like the sight of all that blood, and not even knowing I was losing it.

Mate, don't go into the Rain Forest North of Cairns.....there are leeches everywhere. I spent 6 weeks in the mountains South West of Cooktown some years back and couldn't believe the creepy crawlies there. One of the guys woke up with a leech in the corner of his eye, had a bloodshot eye for weeks. I felt a lump on the inside of my lip....yep another leech, and a couple of the guys found them in their "nether" regions. A bit of salt, or a cigarette and they drop off, then all you have to do is stop the bleeding...easier said than done though.

You learn to live with them though. Careful application of a good insect repellent usually works.

Cheers, Vince

I camp in the bear woods often and alone, no matter how heavy is my pack, I always find room to take my "Bear kit".

It consists of a perimeter alarm (with a trip cord and screaming siren) and an additional driveway alert gizmo (An infrared motion sensor that sound an alarm).
That is the "early warning part", for defense I have a Colt Anaconda 44. Magnum and a Borealis 1050 lumens flashlight.
The light will blind the bear (it is 1050 lumens) giving me enough time to shoot with precision.



Not to go groping around in the dark for my gun and light, I have a one AA LED light (about 5 lumens) going on the whole night hanging from the ceiling of my tent.

I have had some experiences with bears around my tent in the past, so I consider my precautions not too extreme.
All the best

Watchmaker

Wow!!! pretty serious there about keeping bears away Watchmaker? I would imagine that the siren would probably scare the bear away so that you probably wont ever need the revolver. A lot of tourists here in Alaska, especially the river floaters, put up an electric fence around their tents at night. Personally I just sleep with my .44 in the sleeping bag with me. I usually make camp in a hurry and dont like the idea of rigging up a bunch of extras. I have been awakened in the wee hours of morning by a bear outside the tent, quite thrilling!

watchmaker wrote:

I camp in the bear woods often and alone, no matter how heavy is my pack, I always find room to take my "Bear kit". I have had some experiences with bears around my tent in the past, so I consider my precautions not too extreme. All the best Watchmaker

Hey watchmaker, you won't get any arguments from me on that one. Any critter that is capable of, and wants to, make a meal of me gets my respect, and ANY precaution you take is good value.

"precautions not too extreme"......methinks not mate....in fact I would have more than one "bear kit" in my pack.

Cheers, Vince