Did You know - outdoor edition

[WV Sawmiller]

   We can bow hunt from the first day of bow season which usually starts in late September until the last day of December which ends our season. You can use a crossbow all that time too. The only exception is the week of muzzleloader season when you cannot use a compound or recurve bow - you can still use a crossbow or a ML. You cannot have a gun and bow in the woods at the same time even during rifle season. If there is gun season going on we do have to wear orange which I feel is reasonable. I just don't understand the prohibition about carrying a bow and gun during gun season or why we can't use a compound or recurve bow in ML season - then again., they never asked my opinion. 

    Small game season starts a week before bow season and lasts another month after all our deer season goes out. We cannot take a .22 rifle or shotgun with small shot during bow season to shoot any small game we see if we take our bow for deer. (Not that I would as I would not want to scare off any deer in the area. Also I rarely shoot my squirrels as they often warn me when there is a deer coming.)

[rjwoelk]

We had 3 mares that were related, mother daughter and a half sister to the daughter. They foaled at the same time and the foals nurses the first mom they came too.  So at weaning time I just kept removing one mother couple of day the next mother and then the last one. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   Our old cat Ugly (The one that was nursing the rabbit) and her daughter both had kittens the same day. They were both in the whelping box in labor and both were massaging (What we always called "Making up dough") each other's bellies during labor. There were 6-8 kittens and I never knew which one was the actual mom and they both raised all of them till the kittens were weaned.

[KEC]

OK so I goofed and mistakenly said that NY declared the snapping turtle the state amphibian instead of reptile. I stand corrected on that singular point. Old greenhorn said it right that there are some good people at our DEC. And there are some others.....

[Walnut Beast]

  We can bow hunt from the first day of bow season which usually starts in late September until the last day of December which ends our season. You can use a crossbow all that time too. The only exception is the week of muzzleloader season when you cannot use a compound or recurve bow - you can still use a crossbow or a ML. You cannot have a gun and bow in the woods at the same time even during rifle season. If there is gun season going on we do have to wear orange which I feel is reasonable. I just don't understand the prohibition about carrying a bow and gun during gun season or why we can't use a compound or recurve bow in ML season - then again., they never asked my opinion.

   Small game season starts a week before bow season and lasts another month after all our deer season goes out. We cannot take a .22 rifle or shotgun with small shot during bow season to shoot any small game we see if we take our bow for deer. (Not that I would as I would not want to scare off any deer in the area. Also I rarely shoot my squirrels as they often warn me when there is a deer coming.)

I agree they need to get that changed. On late season antler less here  they finally changed so you could use a bow or crossbow in addition to rifle just a few years ago. 

[WV Sawmiller]

  

 I've been polishing up my journal (925 pages at present) and going through my photos and trying to select sample pictures that match the text and came across these red bananas I bought in Guinea at an open air market called "The Old Man's Market". Figured I'd post it here to go along with this mornings post.

KEC,

    Not trying to bust your chop there buddy. ;) I just figured with some of the legislation some of the folks in the NY legislature are famous for it sounded like something they would have done. If I hurt your feeling I apologize profusely and will fix you a big ol' bowl of  hot grits and butter the next time you are in the area.

[Old Greenhorn]

OK so I goofed and mistakenly said that NY declared the snapping turtle the state amphibian instead of reptile. I stand corrected on that singular point. Old greenhorn said it right that there are some good people at our DEC. And there are some others.....

I wouldn't even call that a 'goof', more like a typo or poorly thought word choice. I make those too many times a day. ;D Although I think the apology with grits is well meant, it wouldn't strike me as any kind of 'reward'. Not a grits guy (OK, lets all get ready for the hail storm of protests and offers of re-education :D).
 After my post last night I did some searching and thinking about that event I mentioned. It was in 2003 and I could only find one single reference of all the public testimony I offered at more appearances than I can remember at town and county boards including the county legislature. 16 municipalities drafted stances against the DEC proposal and many more organizations. That was an article in a 4x4 forum which was a full clip of an article in the local small city paper in which I was quoted when I addressed my own town board asking for a resolution, which they passed. (I wrote it for them, just like the many others I had written, including the legislature's.) I learned that if you hand folks things in writing, as long as it saves them time that will take it verbatim, provided it passes muster. So when I presented at a hearing I had printed copies of my remarks which included my contact information to provide to the press and they printed them in full because I made it easy. When I went to towns and the county I had pre-written suggested statements of objection. Most used them with very little editing.
 But I post here just to clarify my statements about the folks at the NYS DEC. I found there were 3 layers of folks there. There were the working stiffs like most of us, biologists, foresters, maintenance folks, clerks, mechanics, office folks, etc. They are just doing their jobs like any good folks. Then there are the natural resources professionals with degrees in their specialties, they do research, make recommendations for rules and laws, forestry plans of state lands and other things that feed the policy making (or so they hope). These are good folks too, in the main, BUT some of them want to get to the next level and they do things they would never do unless they were trying to make points or keep their job. Because above these guys are the managers bureaucrats and political appointees. This is where it all goes wrong because they really don't give a hang about the environment, the land, or the people, it's all about how they can get to the next step up the political ladder. Many of them have no usable skills having to do with the environment or wildlife. These folks manipulate all the smart people underneath them and look only for what will get them ahead. 
 When those 2 nice fellas came to ask me politely to 'shut up' they were very honest. They knew their stuff and they laid it on the table (literally) they told me I was right, they had no data to back up the changes, that the counter proposal I had was not only a good one, it is what they have wanted to do for years, but the managers won't give them the funding to do it. They were very curious how I knew so much about managing a 250 square mile plot of wilderness because my proposals and suggestions were all 'cutting edge' (their term). They pleaded with me to let it drop because they were stuck between what was right and a demanding boss that wanted to get 'the plan' pushed through in time for some political deadline the Governor dreamed up (and he was a crook and a real piece of work, but that's another story). I felt bad for them. They were honest smart guys. But right is right and I stayed the course. The big date came and went and they didn't get their plan through, 'too much public opposition'. They waited 5 years and then slipped it through when nobody was looking.
 Never turn your back on these guys and always stick with what is right.
 Now the whole story is history and you can scarcely find any evidence of it anywhere, like it never happened. ;D

[KEC]

WV Sawmiller, Not to worry, we're good. Old Greenhorn, I'd love to hear 'The Rest of The Story". I'd like to talk to the right people at DEC about an issue that concerns me, but I'm pretty sure it would resemble running into a brick wall at 100 mph. 

[WV Sawmiller]

   Did you know that if you move a box shell turtle (terrapin?) from his small home range he becomes lost and will spend the rest of his like lost and trying to find his way home? I did not know that as a kid or when my children were growing up and every time we would see one we would pick it up and take it home for a pet. My kids even had some in Albany Ga and they would take them down to the neighbor lady who had strawberries in her flower bed. The box shell turtles would run around and eat all the pill bugs/rolly polies. When they could not find any more they would start to eat the strawberries then we would pack them up and take them home. I remember we had road work on the county road in front of our house one day and we were stopped about 2 miles from home by a steep bank. Suddenly pebbles began rolling down beside us like a min-rock slide ended by a BST who evidently lost his grip. I am sure he had tumbled at least 50' before landing upside down on the road. Becky said "Oh, poor turtle" and jumped out and righted him. He seemed to be doing fine, just shook up.

Don?t Move a Box Turtle Somewhere ?Better? ? For Fox Sake Wildlife Rescue

  If you see a BST even if you think he is in a risky location please resist the temptation to relocate him as you will be dooming him forever.

[WV Sawmiller]

  A little off the normal course here and if you have a spouse who is into quilting you might pass this info along to them.

  Did you know quilts were used as a warning system by people helping escaping slaves on the underground railroad? Over on WV state road 122 and US Highway 219, a major route through VA and WV, it is a common sight to see brightly painted quilts on people's barns. The first time I passed through and saw them I thought the residents had a quilt shop and were selling quilts and such. After more research I found that area was part of the old underground railroad used by escaping slaves on their way north to freedom. The people who were helping would hang out a particular style/pattern of quilt which meant things like: "Safe place to stop, Danger present - steer clear, Come after dark, etc" Anyone outside the loop seeing a quilt hanging out drying or airing out would not have thought anything about such a sight as quilts were used in every home and there were no dryers so the quilts were hung outside to air out and to dry. (I don't know how often a mistake was made when someone not in the loop hung out their quilts and escaping slaves saw and misread them.)

    Many of the people in our area paint a quilt pattern on their barn and never realize the original purpose it represents. I sawed for a customer 25 miles from here last October and his wife and a barn quilt on the end of their barn. My wife came along with me and told her about the history of them. The lady and her husband had moved here from near Atlanta GA and had no idea and thought it was just a decoration common to this region.

https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/underground-railroad-quilt-codes

[KEC]

There is an old barn just outside of Syracuse, NY that its owner told me was used as a hideout stopover for the underground railroad.

[Will.K]

Quilt squares on barns have exploded in popularity in the last 20 years for reasons having nothing to do with the underground railroad. The red editorial WV links, by the way, appears to be attempting to discredit the notion that quilts were used as a slave-era code. Whether they were or not, I have seen no evidence that barn squares have any connection with such an idea. Most of the Virginia examples are following the trend of southern Ohio examples, where this recent fad seems to have picked up steam, and where there was no inkling of underground railroad codes involved. I doubt many of the barn square owners in Virginia, West Virginia, or anywhere else, associate them with the Railroad.

[WV Sawmiller]

   As I mentioned above my customer had one on their barn and did not know about their use in the Underground Railroad. While I am getting old I am not that old so I can't personally verify this was the case. I suspect many of the people who may have been involved kept quiet long after the war and emancipation of the slaves because there would still have been a lot of ill will by some folks. It makes sense whether it is true or exaggerated and is thought provoking.

    We have a good friend in Greenville SC who has a quilt top she got from her great or great-great grandmother. The slaves had actually done the sewing to put the pieces together. Sherman's troops came through and his "Foragers" stole/confiscated all the quilts in the house for his troops to use. Since this one was not finished they left it and it had passed down to her. She is 89 right now. She asked my wife to finish quilting it for her but when Becky looked at it and heard the tale behind it she said she would not touch it as it needed an expert who specialized in restoration and such. Hopefully she will find someone who can do it and put it in a museum or such such some time.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Did you know racoons are famous for washing their food? What they are actually doing is wetting their food, apparently to make it easier to swallow. If they are near water they will pick up pieces of food and swish it around good then eat it. If no water is nearby they will eat normally.

    My uncle was a big time coon hunter and my cousin had a pet coon in a cage they had caught somewhere. I remember watching him feeding grapes to it. The coon would pick up each grape and swish it in his water dish several times then pop it in his mouth, chew, swallow and repeat. My cousin dropped a sugar cube in the cage. The coon grabbed it and promptly swished it in his water dish where it immediately dissolved. The coon frantically felt all around the water dish for the missing cube with no luck and finally gave up and walked to the back of his cage. My cousin dropped another sugar cube in and the coon grabbed it and ran over to his water dish started to wash it then paused in mid air and popped it in his mouth. I'll give him credit for being a quick learner.

[Tacotodd]

I been told about that sugar cube habit before by a co-worker. I have not heard anything about this before or since, until now. Thx WV. If I ever see her again then I'll let her know!

[KEC]

We had some pet raccoons on the farm when I was a kid. They could cause more trouble than you can imagine. They'd chew open bags of cattle feed, then one would take its' paws and push feed to a hole in the floor and the feed trickled down and landed on the back of a cow in her stantion. The raccoon found it fascinating, not so the cow who was swishing her tail to get it off.

[WV Sawmiller]

   My son had a couple. Last one he had he caught 3 in the road in a local park coming back from fishing one night. Gave 2 away and kept one. DNR gave him a permit for it. One of our daughter's best friends was in the vet program up at WVU and they neutered and vaccinated him. Wife made him a halter out of 2 dog collars - small one around the neck, bigger one around the waist, joined by a strip of leather with D ring for a leash. He was litter box trained but would not cover like a cat. he had lots of personality and would play tag and run from you then chase you and hassle like a happy dog. He'd fish in the minnow bucket for a snack and they'd toss him a small crappie and he'd run under the bow and eat and snarl and bite the heck out of you if you tried to take it away. He was always vicious about his foot and you did not mess with him a about that! He was so fat and slick it was hard to pick him up if he did not have his halter on. BTW - he was a real chick magnet. My son would take him for a walk and every teenage girl who saw him wanted to come play with him. I am thinking about catching one for myself - with my luck I'd empty out the local nursing homes. :

My old mentor used to tell the tale about a guy who had one and they left him in the house alone one day. He said it got up in the kitchen cabinet and pushed out every dish up there. he broke every glass, plate, saucer and bowl except for one heavy china bowl that would not break and he took a crap in it.

My grandfather said when he was a kid down in central Fla they had 2 bear cubs and left them alone in the sleeping cabin one day. They came back and found the cubs had both climbed up the chimney, over the dog trot to the dining cabin, slid down the fireplace there, knocked over a bucket of hog lard and rolled in it and generally made a huge mess there then climbed back up the chimney and returned to the sleeping quarters and rolled in Great Grandma's quilts. When G-Grandma returned in real short order they had a new home address with a circus!

[Walnut Beast]

Wow that's some funny stuff 👍

[WV Sawmiller]

   Did you know that many, if not most snakes, even non-poisonous ones, will vibrate the tip of their tail when alarmed? If it happens to be resting on a dry leaf it sounds just like a rattlesnake and will have the chill bumps racing themselves up and down your spine.

   I assume if this is an instinctive reaction but even a harmless rat snake or such will have your heart racing if the circumstances are right.

[KEC]

When I did wildlife control work I got a call for a raccoon in an attic. At first they thought that a burglar was up there. I believe that the coon climbed a small tree growing up to the edge of the roof, then went up the roof to the chimney, down the inside of the chimney, out through the flue pipe to a T joint, out the open side of the T to the basement. Then it went up the inside of an end wall between the studs (balloon frame house) to the attic. Then, frustrated at not being able to get out, it proceeded to destroy everything stored in that attic. There are few animals as destructive as one that has gotten in somewhere and can't get out.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Oh yeah - see what a bobcat can do to a ragtop jeep when he gets trapped in there!

[WV Sawmiller]

   Did you know the eastern part of the USA as far up as southern Ontario is home to one of the most feared and deadly species of snakes known to man? It is known as the Spreading Adder or Blowing Viper? When threatened this thoroughly vicious reptile will spread its neck wide to show you just how mean, vicious and deadly he is and he will strike at anyone in range. If he fails in his attempt to envenomate or chase away any threat he will actually bite himself and his venom is so toxic he will almost immediately roll over and die usually with his mouth open.

   The only thing is - this snake is totally harmless and his antics are all a bluff! This is the hog nosed snake. When threatened he rears up and maybe a foot of his neck (on a large snake say 30" or so) spreads out 2-3 times the normal width as a warning and he will make mock strikes if you get too close. If this fails he will pretend to bite himself and flip over on his back with his mouth open as if dead and play possum. If you turn him back upright he will flip right back over and remain belly-up.

    Hog nosed snakes have some popularity as pets but if you adopt one he will quickly abandon the bluffing and playing possum act.

    If you encounter one, once you get your heart restarted, please don't hurt him as this is a useful and totally harmless snake.

[Texas Ranger]

They may have poison glands deeper in their throat, actually to help digestion.  I have never seen one over a foot or so, they tend to be lunch for a lot of critters, other snakes particularly.

[WV Sawmiller]

    Most I have seen are small also. I think they may have some mildly toxic venom, or it could just be their bad breath, but it is not enough to make them a threat to people. They certainly don't have any prominent fangs. They are not really an adder or a viper. Those are just a couple of mis-labeled common names people hang on them. Thanks for the photo - they look wicked for such a harmless snake.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Did you know cow manure is a common building material in many parts of Africa?

    In Kenya, when a Maasai woman marries the tribe makes a break in the Kraal (Corral)/perimeter fence and they place the corner posts for her house. She and the other women collect brush and weave it into a wall frame and every morning they collect all the fresh cow manure they can find and plaster it on to the frame. Remember the tribe brings the cattle in every night to protect them from lions, leopards and hyenas. Each family builds a calf pen from about 1/3 of the house to keep the calves safe and to separate them from the cows so they can milk the cows the first thing every morning. Anyway, this way the fresh cow manure is applied in stages so it dries and is ready to support the weight of the next level. When the cow manure dries it has no odor so when visiting a Maasai house you will find it cool and pleasant inside. 

    BTW - each engaged/married woman has her own house and her own gate in the perimeter wall so by quickly counting the houses built or under construction you can get a count of them. BTW2 - if a woman of exceptional status dies the village will bury her inside her home and burn it on top of her instead of taking her body several hundred yards away and leaving it for the lions and hyenas to eat which is the normal Maasai burial practice.

   The Himba tribes on the other side of Africa in Namibia and tribes in parts of Ethiopia north of the Maasai mix fresh cow manure with sand and make a plaster to put on the sides of their homes and for flooring. When dry it is very difficult to distinguish it from poured in place, finished concrete. 

    We visited a village in Ethiopia many years ago and every child we saw had a board, pot, or tray with a clump of fresh cow manure and were all headed to the school building. When we got to the school we found one wall had cracked or been damaged and was being replastered. All the fresh manure was dumped into a pile and water was added and one little barefooted boy was happily stomping away and mushing it up between his toes. When it reached the right consistency it was applied to the wall and finished with whatever tools they had available in the village.