Yesterday's Weapons Forums

Petey Pit Viper was laying in the trail trying to warm up this morning. Fairly good size.

Also out there, I found a new patch of wild roses. Picked a few for wifey. They're quite small and have a strong aroma.

Peace & domestic tranquility is a good thing! SW


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Those wild roses have quite a range~ from Texas to the northern tree line limit.
Same open petal plants here as far North as Lynn Lake, which is the end of paved roads for Manitoba, pretty well. Wild blue berries and saskatoons won't be far off time wise.

How did you dispatch that snake? Only snakes here are harmless garter snakes. They have a habit of sunning themselves in the middle of the interlake highways, and I dislike running them over...

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

I bounced my hiking staff off Petey's head a few times. Really no need to squander ammo on a snake. I kill all rattlesnakes I see but leave other snakes alone.

I always watch for garter snakes in the back yard when mowing - they don't hurt anything.

In the sandhills, roses bushes are a good place to look for grouse - they graze on "rose hips". SW

learned something new - my goal every day - did not know grouse liked rose hips , thank you ,

dont see vipers here often , i like snakes doing their thing eating rodents , i dont like them invading my space , when hiking im invading their space so give a wide birth if possible , will take action when required by imminent danger but generally think they have their place eating rodents and insects , much like bats and dragonflies , i let them alone as long as they leave my house alone , i would like a nice rattler head band for my cowboy hat - maybe one day ...

my wild rose bushes are just budding , i did a number on them last fall - they were getting out of hand - cutback severely , but it looks like im going to get a major blossom year from them , they look exactly like yours when they bloom , ill add +1 to their range ,

The Sharptails and Ruffies here gorge on Labrador tea berries, until the first snow cover.

I've taken quite a few sharptails with crops filled with aspen leaves, after snow flies.

The rose hip thing I've noticed after snow again, likely because they don't have to brush snow to get at them.

I look for wild choke cherry stands along the Whitemouth R. Both grouse and white tailed deer will gorge on these until the plants are completely stripped of berries. I'm pretty sure these plants re-locate utilizing the deer's digestive systems for mobility. Wild cranberries are another BIG sharptail attractant~ but these plants appear to be on a 7 year or so cycle... there will be 3 or 4 good years of these berries, and then it will taper off with a 2 or 3 year later later re-bound.

Regards,

Doc Sharptail

Thought little mutt found another rattler this morning, but it was just a gopher. It's a good gopher now!


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I meant to take it from her so she wouldn't try to eat it, but oddly, she buried it in the parking lot.


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Pushed dirt over it with her nose, jumped in the truck & happy as a clam all the way home. SW

They dig with their paws and cover with their noses. Got a little one that tries to cover her food and treats all the time.

Rad