Deep South Texas Hunt | Page 2 | SouthernPaddler.com

Deep South Texas Hunt

tx river rat

Well-Known Member
Feb 23, 2007
3,043
2
Waco Tx
David
You do have some bad snakes in that part of the world. But mate I dont think you would walk around this part of south Texas in shorts,there is so many plants that have thorns that stick and come loose in your skin you would look like a pin cushion, now the thorns will just scratch and stick you.
In south Texas most of the snake bites are from the knee down and to the hands and arms reaching where you dont belong.
Plus with snakes striking at heat the other layer of clothes helps mask that. This year the grass was high and green and you couldnt see the ground,thats the time I wear my chaps,when it is dry and arid and I can see I dont wear them as much.
Ron
 

dawallace45

Well-Known Member
Ron

I have to admit that the idea of light weight , cool snake and thorn proof chaps does interest me , unfortunately we have had many illegal entries from the USA over the years , one of the worst for me is the rag weed [ Parthenium ] as it effects me badly with the asthma but we now also have Mesquite , Cholla cactus , we also have a great variety of cactus including great stands of Prickly Pear , Harrisia cactus and Sword Pear we also have Chinese Apple , Mimosa , Parkinsonia , Prickly Acacia , we also have Mossman River grass , Galvanized Burr , Goats head burr [ this is a good one as the thorns are long enough to go through the sole of your shoe and are configured like a natural caltrop ] , we also have burrum bush , there are a lot of others but there are the ones I most encounter where I hunt

So yeah the idea of cool light weight chaps do interest me , unfortunately the ones the mate bought back were heavy and extremely hot and yes when I went out hunting in a pair of shorts I did get cut up but at least I was cooler ,

That particular place really was a crappy place to hunt but there were lots of pigs and goats and more than a few snakes living in the trash around the prickly pear , needless to say we didn't camp amongst it

One place I stopped over night years ago was just open plains , no shade , middle of a bad drought and no grass as far as the eye could see , ground was just a mass of cracks , I saw a few snakes in the headlight as I pulled up but wasn't worried as it was too late at night and I was too tired to bother putting up a camp , so I just slept in the car , got out next morning to take a pee and disturbed a snake laying in the crack in the ground so I went about 20 ft further over to finish my pee , there were bloody snakes every bloody where just laying up in the cracks , I thought to my self bugger that and carefully got back to the car and left as quickly as possible , did I mention I don't like snakes

David
 

tx river rat

Well-Known Member
Feb 23, 2007
3,043
2
Waco Tx
David
Are Levies popular over there.
I am always amazed at folks in Australia and Africa,they have a bad bunch of snakes and yall run around in shorts. LOL
Sounds like you are getting a lot of the spiny stuff we have,south Texas is miles and hundreds of miles of the stuff, it is bad enough that you better not kill a critter and try to drag him bye the legs they will be full of thorns and the when you skin one the lower legs are covered with black specs in the meat(thorns broken off in them) they have a saying about that part of Texas it strikes sticks are sting and that just about applies to everything down there.
One problem we have with the rattlers they are the fastest striking snake in the world,so moving out of the way isnt an option .
Ron
 

dawallace45

Well-Known Member
Ron

Okay I give up , whats a Levie ,

The reason many people get around in the scrub wearing shorts are because of the thorns and burrs , if your wearing shorts you tend to side step the burrs and thorns to some degree and when they do get you they do scratch and more times than not draw blood , many time I've come back from hunting while wearing shorts and my legs are just red with blood but if your wearing Jeans the burrs tend to get stuck into the fabric and break off and then rub and tear at you with every step , you come back from hunting and your legs aren't just bloody they are mince meat as well , then you have to spend a few hours of a night pulling burrs and thorns out of your jeans , one place I hunted was so bad I had to throw away 3 pair of jeans , 4 pair of socks and several pairs of jocks , just couldn't get the burrs out of them , we just don't have any thing like the chaps here , can you tell me the brand and where you can get them ?

When I used to hunt on a motor bike and when I was helping the mate who owned the property muster I'd wear leather gators that come up just below the knee but even with them the burrs and thorns would break off and find their way into places you just didn't want them to be ,

I've had blood poisoning several times from the burrs breaking off under the skin and going septic

We've always had the spiny stuff , most of the worst of them are home grown but now we got all your pests as well

David