Snakes and ticks?

Posted: 7/20/2021 7:25:42 AM EDT

So we are heading to Missouri to check out our property, it is SW of Versailles and NW of Gravois Mills, elevation is about 935ft.

It appears to be pretty heavily forested, I will probably have to clear trees to actually drive on to the property.

Number one concern is snakes, it looks like copperheads and timber rattlers are the most likely in this part of the state.

Number two is ticks, I am treating a set of clothes with Permethrin to include boot and socks for the ticks, and will wipe down exposed skin with deet wipes.

Any sage advice from the MOHTF?

Posted: 7/20/2021 8:00:03 AM EDT

[#1]

I would be more worried about the ticks. I have had lots of run ins with snakes including western diamond back rattlers from when I lived in Oklahoma and have never even come close to being bitten. However, I have had ehrlichiosis and tons of other itchy tick bites.

Also, I don't know if they have chiggers in Colorado, but they will be all over down here.

Posted: 7/20/2021 8:16:56 AM EDT

[#2]

Quote History

Quoted:
I would be more worried about the ticks. I have had lots of run ins with snakes including western diamond back rattlers from when I lived in Oklahoma and have never even come close to being bitten. However, I have had ehrlichiosis and tons of other itchy tick bites.

Also, I don't know if they have chiggers in Colorado, but they will be all over down here.

View Quote

Oh snap, man I hate chiggers, dealt with them when I lived in OK and TX.

I was a kid back then, the same precautions for ticks should work right?

Posted: 7/20/2021 8:40:07 AM EDT

[#3]

Quote History

Quoted:

Oh snap, man I hate chiggers, dealt with them when I lived in OK and TX.

I was a kid back then, the same precautions for ticks should work right?

View Quote

Yep it should.

Posted: 7/20/2021 10:08:32 AM EDT

[#4]

I can confirm both ticks and chiggers while looking at properties in MO

I took to wearing knee height rubber Lacrosse boots and bug spray all over. I used to just spray from the waist down but I was finding ticks all over me. I like 3M Ultrathon.

I saw no snakes of any variety.

A Seresto collar works well on the pooch.

Posted: 7/20/2021 2:18:24 PM EDT

[#5]

It's going to be hot cutting brush for the next couple of months. Watch out for poison oak there will probably be a lot of it around there. There is a good farm and home store just east of Versailles on Hwy52. +1 on spraying for ticks, they have been bad this year... I'm about 45-50 miles northwest of you.

Posted: 7/20/2021 5:52:19 PM EDT

[#6]

Ticks and chiggers-yes.

Snakes? Maybe. Copperheads more likely. Rattlers? Highly, highly, unlikely. I’ve encountered less than 5 copperheads in my life and all were very docile.

Drink lots of water my man. Gon be hot.

Posted: 7/20/2021 8:28:07 PM EDT

[#7]

We are just going to see the property we bought.

Yes, it’s gonna be hot and it is not a dry heat lol.

Picked up the bug spray, will be treating the clothes tomorrow.

Hope to arrive at the property in the AM on Friday, do a quick survey, take pics, get an idea of what I will need to do to clear a driveway and place to park our camper. (That will be another time, not this trip)

Check out cell and cell data connectivity/speed

Maybe meet the neighbors and see if we can get a sense of how deep the wells in the area run.

Go to Versailles and see if we can get a street address for the property.

Posted: 7/20/2021 10:53:39 PM EDT

[#8]

Versailles is slightly northwest of Gravois Mills.

Pretty nice country. Ticks and chiggers, maybe mosquitos which seem bad this year.

.

Posted: 7/21/2021 7:55:09 AM EDT

[#9]

OP, I hunted that area for several years. I never saw a copperhead while scouting or hunting, but they are around. Timber rattlers would be extremely uncommon. Ticks on the other hand are thicker than bugs on a bumper. Permethrin was the best remedy that I ever found, it would kill 99% of them, but a few would still get through from time to time. On one of my scouting trips years ago I forgot my spray and instead of driving to the farm and home store in Versailles (which as one of the previous posters mentioned, is great), I said F it and went ahead without spraying. By the end of the day I counted 100 tick bites... not fun.

In the end, dealing with the ticks was worth it, me, my family and my friends killed a metric F ton of deer on that lease.

Oh, one other tip, bring a roll of duct tape. The Permethrin will kill the ticks and they will sort of stick to your treated clothes. Wrap 12" of duct tape around your hand (sticky side out) and pat your clothes down before you leave and you can remove the majority of the dead and dying ticks. Easy peasy.

Posted: 7/21/2021 8:00:19 AM EDT

[#10]

Quote History

Quoted:
OP, I hunted that area for several years. I never saw a copperhead while scouting or hunting, but they are around. Timber rattlers would be extremely uncommon. Ticks on the other hand are thicker than bugs on a bumper. Permethrin was the best remedy that I ever found, it would kill 99% of them, but a few would still get through from time to time. On one of my scouting trips years ago I forgot my spray and instead of driving to the farm and home store in Versailles (which as one of the previous posters mentioned, is great), I said F it and went ahead without spraying. By the end of the day I counted 100 tick bites... not fun.

In the end, dealing with the ticks was worth it, me, my family and my friends killed a metric F ton of deer on that lease.

Oh, one other tip, bring a roll of duct tape. The Permethrin will kill the ticks and they will sort of stick to your treated clothes. Wrap 12" of duct tape around your hand (sticky side out) and pat your clothes down before you leave and you can remove the majority of the dead and dying ticks. Easy peasy.

View Quote

Also speaking of duct tape, I have seen people tape their pants cuffs to their boots-so that any ticks that do get on you will have to travel all the way up your pants.

Posted: 7/21/2021 8:38:41 AM EDT

[#11]

OP, there's a brewery in Versailles that uses local honey for making mead and several Amish stores east of town and north of hwy 52.

Posted: 7/21/2021 8:54:40 PM EDT

[#12]

Isn't CMMG in that general area? Might be worth a stop.

Posted: 7/21/2021 9:05:20 PM EDT

[#13]

Quote History

Quoted:
Isn't CMMG in that general area? Might be worth a stop.

View Quote

The retail store is in Booneville.

Prices are high if they're anything like they were when the store was in Columbia.
.

Posted: 7/21/2021 9:49:26 PM EDT

[#14]

I had chiggers everywhere, lots of uncut fields. I moved a dozen miles and haven't had any problems with them. Current place backs up to mature forest with no fields. Your mileage may vary.

Posted: 7/21/2021 10:12:29 PM EDT

[#15]

Don't put any Deet or sprays w/Deet onto your skin. Your skin will absorb and it can make one quite ill.

Put insect sprays onto your outer clothes/socks and shoes to help repel. I use "REPEL" insect repellant w/25% Deet when I go hunting or tree felling for firewood.

For skin repellant of insects, use soap that has Citronella in it. It works. My wife makes soaps and made some up a couple years ago, using citronella essential oil in it and all the people that use it say great things to us about it at the Farmer's Market we sell at, by buying out all she makes over the summer time.

Posted: 7/21/2021 10:27:33 PM EDT

[#16]

All good advice guys, I did not even think about poison oak.

I used to be around it a lot in Oregon, never was bothered by it, but that was almost 40 years ago lol

Posted: 7/22/2021 7:40:29 AM EDT

[#17]

When are you going OP? It's gonna be fairly warm the next few days, but not completely unbearable.

Posted: 7/22/2021 2:41:27 PM EDT

[#18]

Quote History

Quoted:
When are you going OP? It's gonna be fairly warm the next few days, but not completely unbearable.

View Quote

We are leaving for MO in about an hour, will be visiting the property and the surrounding area tomorrow, visiting the wifes family in Olathe KS Sat and back to home on Sunday.

Posted: 7/23/2021 4:48:07 AM EDT

[#19]

Welcome new neighbor!

A few creepy crawlies is a small price to pay for the relative freedom you'll find in our state, especially the rural areas.

A flock of guineas can be a noisy bunch, but they're hell on ticks and other bugs.

Posted: 7/23/2021 11:35:09 AM EDT

[#20]

Quote History

Quoted:
All good advice guys, I did not even think about poison oak.

I used to be around it a lot in Oregon, never was bothered by it, but that was almost 40 years ago lol

View Quote

The five leaf plant that grows here that is labeled "poison oak", ain't. However, we have more than enough genuine poison ivy to make up for it.
.

Posted: 7/23/2021 1:29:37 PM EDT

[#21]

Well definitely hill country, but we are happy with our purchase.

Will need to see about getting survey stakes placed, and then work on finding a friend with a dozer lol.

LOTS of oak, enough to feed a smoker for several lifetimes