Thoughts from a Hospital Bed

for you oldtimers, I suggest tunneling under the fence. It worked on Hogan's Heros.

Been there, done that

Far safer than going over.

In the not so distant past I found myself with a wadded up 24x36 plat and a pin finder in someone's backyard. I had door-knocked, there was no answer. The gate was unlocked, I let myself in, latching the gate behind me. Having been chewed up by every conceivable breed of dog I have absolutely no fear of anything on four legs, unless it might be ursine.

As I proceeded to snoop intently near the corner of the fenced lot my skin crawled and my blood turned cold as I realized something was sniffing the back side of my Levis. I wheeled around and startled one of the prettiest Rottweilers I have ever seen. She jumped back and immediately took a vicious defensive stand..slobber and all.

Between snapping growls she was scoping where to bite and I couldn't afford to turn around. Tooth to flesh contact was only seconds away.

I use to be able to put one hand on the top of a 4' chain link fence and throw myself over fairly quickly. I tried it. It worked. Everything made it over the fence except for my trailing left foot. My gazelle-like leap suddenly stopped and I slammed shoulder first into the ground, with my left foot snagged in the top of the fence. (See previous post about animals hanging in fences). I was able to right myself. The Rott didn't taste blood.

The elderly couple sitting on the porch of the lot where I had just arrived were trying real hard not to laugh. I think I was a good sport about it.:pinch:

Thanks Paden....

I just learnt me a new word. 😉

"Ursine means having similarities to bears. Telling a woman that she has "ursine qualities" will not get you a second date. In fact, saying that a woman resembles a bear will probably get you slapped."

https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/ursine

Have a great week! B-)

> Why did I follow the example of that guy in Texas and try to climb over that eight-foot fence?
>
> Sure wish I hadn't landed on that high dollar GPS gear when I fell trying to get over that eight-foot fence.
>
> Who knew there were javelina inside that fence?
>
> [ ... ]

What's with all this fear of wildlife? Field work does require a certain level of physical condition. You have to be able to tolerate heat and direct sun. You can't be too bothered by thorny shrubs and cacti. You have to keep an eye out for snakes and know where not to reach with your hand. You have to be aware of lightning. And you have to be able to climb a fence unless you're really, really good with stilts. Stilts, by the way, are not recommended when there is a chance of lightning.

Sure, climbing fences probably seems like the triathalon to some folks who are several buffets over the limit, but it's really just more of a hassle than anything.

> > Why did I follow the example of that guy in Texas and try to climb over that eight-foot fence?
> >
> > Sure wish I hadn't landed on that high dollar GPS gear when I fell trying to get over that eight-foot fence.
> >
> > Who knew there were javelina inside that fence?
> >
> > [ ... ]
>
> What's with all this fear of wildlife? Field work does require a certain level of physical condition. You have to be able to tolerate heat and direct sun. You can't be too bothered by thorny shrubs and cacti. You have to keep an eye out for snakes and know where not to reach with your hand. You have to be aware of lightning. And you have to be able to climb a fence unless you're really, really good with stilts. Stilts, by the way, are not recommended when there is a chance of lightning.
>
> Sure, climbing fences probably seems like the triathalon to some folks who are several buffets over the limit, but it's really just more of a hassle than anything.

I've climbed several game fences, and they all suck; however, I've been on a few ranches in South Texas as well, and most ride that fence (or have someone ride that fence) daily to find holes, predator digs, et cetera. What I remember more than anything, is the absolute disdain they have for "undocumented workers" climbing the fences. It's really easy to spot, once you know what you're looking for, and does, over time, tear up 8' field fence.

"I use to be able to put one hand on the top of a 4' chain link fence and throw myself over fairly quickly. I tried it. It worked. Everything made it over the fence except for my trailing left foot. My gazelle-like leap suddenly stopped and I slammed shoulder first into the ground, with my left foot snagged in the top of the fence"

It was 1991. November possibly. Had identical results except that it was my right foot atop the fence. No dog involved. Just being silly and not wanting to walk an extra 200 feet to get around the fence.

220lbs of me definitely makes some of the holes a little oblong. The wire those eight footers are composed of isn't as heavey as some of the older stock fence woven wire.

Last night at dusk I was wildly choping line with my corn knife trying to finish up a little job alone. No longer convinced of my invinciblity, but nevertheless soldiering on I began to wonder if anyone knew a surveyor who had completely severed a digit with their trusty brush cutting weapon?

Worse yet fell on to some freshly cut punji sticks while clearing line?

As time marches on I try to be safer, but without a doubt I tire easier and my judgment becomes a little clouded after a long day and physical exertion.

Didn't worry about crossing a fence loaded down with electornics twenty years ago four foot high or eight foot. Now I think about fumbling the ball walking thru bean stubble.

Steve

> 220lbs of me definitely makes some of the holes a little oblong. The wire that those eight footers are composed of isn't as heavey as some of the older stock fence wover wire.
>
> Last night at dusk I was wildly choping line with my corn knife trying to finish up a little job alone. No longer convinced of my invinciblity, but nevertheless soldiering on I began to wonder if anyone knew a surveyor who had completely severed a digit with their trusty brush cutting weapon?
>
> Worse yet fell on to some freshly cut punji sticks while blazing line?
>
> As time marches on I try to be safer, but without a doubt I tire easier and my judgment becomes a little clouded after a long day and physical exertion.
>
> Didn't worry about crossing a fence loaded down with electornics twenty years ago four foot high or eight foot. Now I think about fumbling the ball walking thru bean stubble.
>
>
> Steve

While I may be only 36, 24 years ago, this past June, I split the toe out of a brand new pair of Red Wings my dad had bought me. He made me wear them till my feet out grew them. In about 2000, I thought a ditch-bank blade was all the rage, and it worked well in cutover, but, I put it up when I saw my shin bone for the SECOND time.

As of yet, I've never fallen and punctured myself on stobs, but have come close plenty. I've been half-way over a barb wife fence when it broke, not good. I have MANY two and three inch scars from my machete, but interestingly enough, it only happened when it was dull. As long as I kept it sharp, no issues so I keep it sharp regularly.

In 1982, when I was the ripe old age of 5, my dad ran his entire hand the length of his machete when falling down a creek bank and needed untold stitches and is lucky to have his thumb to this day.

So, we have a rule. Tough or not, if you're slinging a blade, regardless of time, then you have to have someone with you. Accidents happen fast and some so bad, that you need help from others.

> ...I've been half-way over a barb wife fence when it broke, not good....

I feel your pain, man. I find the barbed wife fences are the hardest to cross unscathed. They just seem to hook you and never let go.....;-)

> > ...I've been half-way over a barb wife fence when it broke, not good....
>
> I feel your pain, man. I find the barbed wife fences are the hardest to cross unscathed. They just seem to hook you and never let go.....;-)

I was 18 at the time, and since then, have decided that it's best to cross between the wires unless I KNOW that the wire is gonna hold.

> > > ...I've been half-way over a barb wife fence when it broke, not good....
> >
> > I feel your pain, man. I find the barbed wife fences are the hardest to cross unscathed. They just seem to hook you and never let go.....;-)
>
> I was 18 at the time, and since then, have decided that it's best to cross between the wires unless I KNOW that the wire is gonna hold.

The barbed "wife" fence.....you know what she is going to hold. 😉

Once I was in a pasture on an adjoiner's property looking for a corner. I looked up and turned around to find two brahma bulls, each about the size of my truck staring at me from four or five yards away. As the biggest one lowered his head and started pawing the ground I was trying to figure out what to do. He made a move toward me and I just yelled at him and stomped the ground. They both stopped for long enough to allow me to jump the fence, which was only about 4 feet tall, but a pretty good obstacle for a fat boy. Ever since then I check pretty well before I cross any fences to see what's on the other side.

> In the not so distant past I found myself with a wadded up 24x36 plat and a pin finder in someone's backyard. I had door-knocked, there was no answer. The gate was unlocked, I let myself in, latching the gate behind me. Having been chewed up by every conceivable breed of dog I have absolutely no fear of anything on four legs, unless it might be ursine.
>
> As I proceeded to snoop intently near the corner of the fenced lot my skin crawled and my blood turned cold as I realized something was sniffing the back side of my Levis. I wheeled around and startled one of the prettiest Rottweilers I have ever seen. She jumped back and immediately took a vicious defensive stand..slobber and all.
>
> Between snapping growls she was scoping where to bite and I couldn't afford to turn around. Tooth to flesh contact was only seconds away.
>
> I use to be able to put one hand on the top of a 4' chain link fence and throw myself over fairly quickly. I tried it. It worked. Everything made it over the fence except for my trailing left foot. My gazelle-like leap suddenly stopped and I slammed shoulder first into the ground, with my left foot snagged in the top of the fence. (See previous post about animals hanging in fences). I was able to right myself. The Rott didn't taste blood.
>
> The elderly couple sitting on the porch of the lot where I had just arrived were trying real hard not to laugh. I think I was a good sport about it.:pinch:

I would bet that something of the porcine genus would also make your skin crawl.
😛

"Huh. I never had an allergic reaction to yellowjacket stings before. Good thing I had a helper with me that day I went into anaphylactic shock." :excruciating:
(True story)

Back in the early 2000's, maybe 2003 or so, we were doing a lot of Cell Tower locations in rural Texas, and I mean rural. Sometimes the 'Land Man' would have already visited the sites with the land owner and a handheld GPS, and picked up a Lat/Long for the proposed tower, and had already submitted a 2C letter to the FAA with those Lat/Longs. Therefore, we would need to run a (minimum 2 hour) static session at each site to determine the real location of said Lat/Long before staking the site on a future visit. I was asked if I could do these static sessions solo. I replied that I could, but I, as a supervisor, would not send a lone man out to do them, and then proceeded to recited most of the reasons stated above about the safety of having a second person in case of emergency. The next day left the office with an EIT, freshly graduated from Texas A&M, as my rodman/helper. The first site we visited was one approximately 3 miles down and access easement from the nearest county road, with one closed gate approximately half way down the easement. To make a long story shorter, the last time we went through the gate it was late in the day with a thunder storm brewing. As he was closing the gate, it was a double with two 10" steel pipe gate posts, lightning struck the fence (who knows how far away, but not that far) with him being a conductor between the two gates! It knocked him about 6 feet though the air, although no lasting effects (he is an Aggie after all). The next day we were about 200 miles away, again letting the GPS cook while standing inside the proposed site, when all of the sudden he started to do a little dance while stabbing the ground with the lath that he had in his hand. I looked down to see the last 1 foot of a rattler (I think I saw about 4 or 5 buttons) disappear into a hole about 2 feet behind where he had been standing. Both of these sites were in desperate need of the proposed towers, as the cell phone coverage was minimal at best, and a lone person could have been in big trouble if their luck had not been as good as that Aggie's was. (That is, if you call getting struck by lightning and standing on a rattler as being good luck) Moral of the story, if you are headed way out into the boonies, especially where phone coverage is spotty, it is best if you have someone with you. Otherwise you might want to consider some kind of an emergency GPS (like a spot http://www.findmespot.com/en/) so at least they can find you or whats left of you.

Fear of Wildlife

There is a difference between the fear of an animal and a healthy respect of their immediate environment. While I don't fear much that I have ran into over the years; things like water moccasins, copperheads, diamond backs and badgers with kits in tow top the list of animals I try to avoid.

BTW, my old pickup, "Whitey", sported a bashed in door because I didn't realize the buffalo calf that I was light-heartedly chasing had a 1200 pound chaperone...lesson learned.

Case in point:

Jeremiah meets Bear Claw

Jeremiah meets "Bear Claw" Chris Lapp. About 2:00 minutes into this clip Johnson replies to Bear Claw's question about skinning grizzly bear, "I can skin most anything."

At 2:25 Bear Claw asks again, "Are you sure you can skin a grizz?"

At 3:15 Bear Claw explains to Jeremiah, "Skin that Pilgrim and I'll get ye another!"

Wonderful "Frontier Humor".

My co-worker has 10-foot fence around his exotic critters. Elk, deer, eland, yak, nilgai, oryx, camels, zebras to name a few. The camels are somewhat domesticated. The yak are sort of halfway domesticated. The others are not. A zebra would rather kill you than share space with you, especially if you are perceived to be threatening to his mate(s). Heck, I've done battle with a full grown llama male who felt he had to prove it was "his" turf, not mine. Laugh, if you want, but when he stands upright to be nearly nine-feet tall and drives his full weight through his chest into your upper body you will suddenly have some empathy for what happens in an NFL game, without pads. It ain't pretty.

I've worked with every size of cattle from newborn to over 2500 lbs. Those little critters are as likely to do you in as the big ones. Those little hooves moving at 90 mph are as sharp as a knife as they slice through your Levi's. A little 300 pound calf has a lightning fast kick that comes about belt buckle high. At least, you had better hope he hits the belt buckle and nothing else. Big Daddy can take out the side of a barn and you had better not be between him and the barn wall at the time.

While in my 30s, I had to escape over a gate in a hurry courtesy of a 1500 lb. bull who decided he didn't really care to go where I wanted him to go in the corral system. He never touched me. But, my boot got caught in the gate webwork as I tried to get over it in a hurry Twisted my knee. Did not walk right for more than three months after that.

I've had enough experience with animals to respect what they can do and what they can make me do that results in me being impacted negatively. Experience is a great teacher. DON'T DO STUPID THINGS or you'll end up with a list of sad stories to match mine.

Fear of Wildlife

> BTW, my old pickup, "Whitey", sported a bashed in door because I didn't realize the buffalo calf that I was light-heartedly chasing had a 1200 pound chaperone...lesson learned.

Yeah, but that's just common sense not to mess with young animals with protective parents. That applies to cattle, javelinas, feral hogs, and mountain lions. Do not play with mountain lion cubs! You can thank me later.