The slow morning turned to afternoon as I flipped a dark spinner bait into the shimmering distance on Lake Meredith in the Texas Panhandle.
Like so many previous retrieves from the bank, I brought my lure back without even a nibble from a hungry largemouth or smallmouth bass and stepped along the low-slung brush in search of another likely hiding spot for a lunker.
Only this time, I plopped a tennis shoe right next to one of the largest snakes I’ve ever laid eyes upon — and it was none too happy to be disturbed. As I recoiled in disbelief, the hefty serpent that seemed to be as long as I was tall began hissing hoarsely. It flared its head out, something I’d only seen cobras do on TV, and slowly rose a foot off the ground.
I knew I hadn’t been bitten, but I nonetheless shivered as the snake cautiously withdrew its puffed-up bravado and leisurely slinked away, but not before I could snap a few shots with a pocket camera.
After a couple of minutes, I gathered my thoughts and went back to fishing, making sure any place I stepped had nothing but clover-high vegetation at best after that.
When I got home, I realized the culprit was an eastern hognose snake — a non-venomous variety that has more bark than bite. It is a snake that makes itself look much more scary than it really appears, and like possums, will even play dead to escape being eaten.
Texas spring hunting means you’re not alone
It doesn’t matter whether you’re hunting turkeys or strolling through the woods to admire spring flowers, you’re in critter country. And this year’s relatively mild winter with adequate moisture in the form of rainfall the past few months in most Texas counties means there is a bumper crop of little monsters that can pack a big bite — even if you don’t initially feel it.
Ticks and chiggers certainly can be itchy and irritating, but they also can carry diseases. Most bug-borne diseases start with flu-like symptoms, including chills, fever, headache and body ache. But instead of passing like the flu, symptoms can get much worse. Lyme disease is the most frequently diagnosed tick-borne problem in the United States and may produce skin lesions or rashes. Untreated Lyme disease can produce severe damage to the joints, heart and nervous system.
Rocky Mountain spotted fever and human ehrlichiosis, also spread by infected ticks, can create a measles-like rash and can be fatal if not treated quickly. What’s also scary for beef carnivores out there is alpha-gal syndrome, a type of food allergy to red meat that occurs as a result of being bitten by the Lone Star tick.
Our family has enjoyed recent outings to “the ranch,” my father-in-law’s place in Duval County, but every time in the past couple of months, we’ve come back carrying ticks even though we weren’t traipsing through the brush that gives the name to South Texas’ “brush country.” It’s really a sinking feeling when you scratch an itch a couple of days after being outside after combing over yourself for those little suckers and find one that’s had its fill of your lifeblood.
However, there are a number of things you can do to protect yourself. Wear insect-repellent containing DEET to keep bugs away in general, and wear long-sleeved shirts and pants with the cuffs tucked into your boots, if possible. Also, wear light-colored clothes — which can make it easier to spot a greedy passenger — and treat clothing with repellent containing permethrin, which can be found easily online or at your local farm and ranch location or larger sporting goods retailer.
It’s always advised to use your common sense and don’t wade through tall grass, where ticks will almost always be waiting in a position known as “questing.” While questing, ticks hold onto leaves and grass by their third and fourth pair of legs. They hold the first pair of legs outstretched, waiting to climb on to a host, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention. When a host brushes the spot where a tick is waiting, it quickly climbs aboard. Some ticks will attach quickly and others will wander, looking for places like the ear, or other areas where the skin is thinner, the CDC advises.
While ticks get much of the attention for being the worst tiny critter that can cause the largest health damage, there are plenty of other small ones to know about.
Did you know the plague — which comes in multiple forms (bubonic, pneumonic, septicemic) — has been around in Texas and other western states for decades? Yessir, plague is actually quite common in rodent populations of West Texas and can be transmitted to people by fleas or by direct contact with infected animals such as prairie dogs, squirrels, cats, rats and mice. Without immediate medical attention, plague can be deadly, as most folks likely know from history class lessons on the “black death” from the Middle Ages.
Many Panhandle and Rolling Plains outfitters offer prairie dog shoots, with hunters taking long-range shots at the critters, which are downright destructive to the native landscape, building extensive networks of tunnels and burrows that can hinder farm and ranch efforts. Obviously, it is advised to never handle any of the felled critters.
Another disease transmitted by fleas is murine typhus. The disease is spread by a type of bacteria carried by a couple of different types of fleas that like to use animals such as opossums and rats as hosts. Most of the murine typhus cases in Texas occur in South Texas — from Nueces County southward to the Rio Grande Valley — but a few cases are reported in other parts of the state each year, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. In the United States, Texas reports the highest numbers of flea-borne typhus cases annually, according to DSHS.
Mosquitoes also can be hazardous. Encephalitis is an infection of the central nervous system caused by one of several mosquito-borne viruses and producing intense headache, high fever, nausea, muscle tenderness, partial or nearly complete unconsciousness and even coma. Mosquitoes also can carry the West Nile and Zika viruses, which can be especially deadly to the elderly and babies, respectively.
After you’ve spent time outdoors, be aware that if you start feeling like you’re coming down with the flu, see a doctor. Those symptoms may indicate something more serious.
Turkey hunting in Texas centers on biology, seasons in a season
Texas spring hunting and snakes
Besides bugs, there are bigger biting critters out there. Raccoons or skunks may carry rabies, but you can’t tell by looking at it whether an overly aggressive varmint is carrying rabies. However, raccoons and skunks often are carriers, so keep your distance from any that don’t run away. If a varmint happens to bite or scratch you, get medical help as soon as possible.
While the previous snake encounter I discussed was with a non-venomous species, there are ones out there that can do you severe harm.
A friend was dove hunting one fall afternoon when he reached down to pick up a drink and came back with a 4-foot prairie rattler dangling from his hand wringing its fangs into his tissue. When he tried to fling the snake off, it shot around and dug into his forearm, getting even more venom into his system. After a couple of days at the hospital that included getting violently ill, my friend was released.
I’m sure he’ll never put his hands anywhere without checking at least a few times.
Snake-proof footwear is handy for not only avoiding a serpent problem but also warding off cactus, which is another souvenir that could cause problems should it burrow in deep and cause an infection.
If a snake bites you, remain calm and get to an emergency room immediately. If possible, call ahead so the ER can get antivenom lined up. Even in prime rattler country, some hospitals don’t keep it on hand.
There are plenty of things that can bite back in the spring woods, but that’s no reason not to enjoy the spectacular sights and sounds this time of year.
Just watch where you step!
Texas spring turkey hunting seasons
The spring Rio Grande turkey framework in “northern” counties runs from March 30 to May 12, 2024, while the season in southern counties is from March 16 to April 28, 2024. The north zone youth-only season is March 23-24 and May 18-19, 2024. The youth-only dates in the south zone are March 9-10 and May 4-5, 2024.
There also is a one-turkey bag limit season than runs April 1-30, 2024, in the following counties: Bastrop, Caldwell, Colorado, Fayette, Jackson, Lavaca, Lee, Matagorda, Milam and Wharton. Birds killed in those counties must be reported to TPWD under mandatory requirements.
The Eastern turkey season in East Texas will run April 22 to May 14, 2024. Hunters are required to report harvest of eastern turkeys electronically to TPWD within 24 hours of harvest. Reports in mandatory counties can be made through the TPWD My Texas Hunt Harvest App or online from the TPWD website.
In addition to a Texas hunting license, an upland game bird endorsement is required to hunt turkeys.
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