I was just reading my latest issue of 4 Wheel Drive magazine and read the 4Word by Phil Howel. I am not sure if this has been posted or not already, but figured it was worth mentioning again if so. Becareful out there!
Quote:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Dennis Slaugh and his brother were riding all-terrain vehicles when they noticed what looked like a survey stake, marking federal land in Utah's rugged Cowboy Canyon.
Curious, Slaugh touched the stake, and it exploded, spewing a cloud of sodium cyanide in his face and chest. Slaugh, 65, said he suffers long-term health effects from the 2003 incident. He has difficulty breathing, vomits almost daily and can no longer work driving heavy equipment because he is too weak.
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Re: Predator poison - Please read
Why would anyone grab a "suvey stake"? Even if it were a legitimate survey stake, it would be vandalism to move or remove it. I guess I'm sorry for the guy, but a little courtesy and common sense goes a long way...
Here in AZ we have a lot of metal stakes driven into the ground that become obscured by bushes or whatnot near or in our old mining trails. We usually spray paint them a bright fluorescent orange so people don't accidentally run them over and puncture a tire. I'm glad none of them were this design.
Sean
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Do you need a ladder, so you can get the **** over it?
Yes, I've seen several in my wanderings. I really don't like that (predator) sort of thing. It's like bobbytraping.. Ron
Quote:
Sean K. previously said:
Here in AZ we have a lot of metal stakes driven into the ground that become obscured by bushes or whatnot near or in our old mining trails. We usually spray paint them a bright fluorescent orange so people don't accidentally run them over and puncture a tire. I'm glad none of them were this design.
Sean
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Rapper standing on the corner, wrappers flying in the wind... And in my quite reflection, I wonder why..
Regardless if anyone is going to touch or move it, there should have been a warning on it! I guess our government thinks animals can read english. I think our government dropped the ball on this one.
I agree.. A skull and crossbones sign could have prevented the accident.. Ron
PS.. But I don't like the idea/concept anyhow. If they have a predator problem, they should issue hunting permits.. Not to open up a can of worms.. JMHO
Quote:
JData previously said:
Regardless if anyone is going to touch or move it, there should have been a warning on it! I guess our government thinks animals can read english. I think our government dropped the ball on this one.
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08 SS, SS valve stem caps and exhaust tip
Rapper standing on the corner, wrappers flying in the wind... And in my quite reflection, I wonder why..
Why would anyone grab a "suvey stake"? Even if it were a legitimate survey stake, it would be vandalism to move or remove it. I guess I'm sorry for the guy, but a little courtesy and common sense goes a long way...
I could easily see how someone might grab ahold of such a device for the purposes of removing trail debris, litter, hazards, etc. That said, the M-44 doesn't "explode" as per the sensationalized "news" article - it's spring loaded. This is absolutely a relevant issue for offroaders using public land because of the obvious hazard and so I looked up some of the facts.
Here are some pictures of the devise...
First of all, you would think that there would be at least some warning on this device - it looks fairly harmless. However, a warning would not prevent it from indiscriminately killing pets, hunting dogs (man! I would be ass-kickingly pissed if I were hunting on public land and one of these kill my dog!!!), or even a curious young child.
I agree with the opinion that there are other effective means of predator control. Why not allow more hunting? I would much rather watch out for hunters than go through and area where these were spiked. There are also non-lethal means of trapping as well - at least then you could identify the animal before it was killed.
I wonder if non-government individuals can purchase and use these? They look like a booby-trap to me and I bet not - I'm going to try to find the answer to this question...
Finally, this is being done on public land using public $$$ to supposedly protect privately owned livestock. A report I read said that nationwide, there is a bit over $15 million in livestock loss associated with predators. On the whole, isn't that the cost of doing business? Why in the hell do taxpayers have to subsidize ranchers. I would rather give them permission to remove problem predators by other safer means.
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Oh man.. Those things are extremely dangerous and just not needed. They are bobby traps and I've see what bobby traps do, more often than not to an innocent. This upsets me.. I'm going to stop reading/typing now.. Sorry.. rant over.. Ron
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08 SS, SS valve stem caps and exhaust tip
Rapper standing on the corner, wrappers flying in the wind... And in my quite reflection, I wonder why..
Anytime I see a new survey stake out in the woods or when I used to ride ATV's I would always check the flagging tied to it, usually there is some sort of writing stating what it is marking and for who... Although they are usually wooden stakes and orange flags. Occasionally they will put in a concrete "knee" , but once that goes in , the bulldozers show up and something gets built...
Either way, pretty crappy device, there should be some warnings to people at every possible entrance to this area...
Mr. Fahy has documented numerous cases where M-44s have been set in close proximity to homes with pets and children. In one such case, in Estacada, OR, children played within several feet of an M-44 that was set within a hundred yards of homes. He asserts "It is inconceivable that the government continues to use these devices when we know of at least two dozen near-fatal accidents."
There's another link referenced in that article below:
This one goes into a little more detail about the Dennis Slaugh issue, which says he was on BLM land 10 ft off a dirt road. He was looking for arrowheads and saw this thing sticking out of the ground and lightly touched it when it went off.
I can't think of how many times I have wandered at least 20 ft off the trail when nature called and know I would have been curious myself.
My thoughts exactly growing up in West Texas, when a predator became a problem we used to load up and go hunting. When did the farmers and ranchers become so lazy? At best these things are only going to kill one coyote in a pack, so I just don't get it.
Predator poison - Please read
Ron
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