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Ryan asked me every time we saw an ant mound while we were looking for Eastern Kingsnakes yesterday, "Are those fire ants?"

Guess what?

He knows what they look like now!!!

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ECC
www.

Home of TEAM ECC
It's an Inner Circle thing... you wouldn't understand...

HAHAHA!,....too funny!

I've lived in south, and central Florida all of my life, and I certainly know what you mean, and better yet, what he's feeling in the photo!..LOL!

Sometimes when I go over my friends house, we walk all the dogs together in a big field across the street from him, we sometimes mess with the ants, and scrape our shoe across the tops of some of the mounds,....man, they come "pouring" out almost like lava from a volcano. If you were to stand in this, they would also FEEL like lava from a volcano as well!

~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Down in Palm beach about 15 years ago I spotted my first Indigo snake. I was stalking it,not taking my eyes off....well I got an itch on my leg to look down...covered, couldnt see my skin from the knees down. They gave no idication and started stinging in unison....I was lucky to get back to the car, I felt the affects of over 500-1000 simultaneous stings as well as the poisonous affects(dizzy from the poison). I was sick for about a day and my legs looked like the worst 13 year olds face you ever seen! If I had continued to hunt I have little doubt I would have passed out before I got to the car....
This week I went out hunting in FL but got stung like 20 times and called it a day.....it takes the fun out of it for sure.

I assume the Indigo got away after all the fire ant distraction?.........Just as well though, since it's been illegal to touch, capture, possess, harass, or harm Indigos since the 70's, ......but cool story nonetheless. I owned several cool Indigo's as a kid ,before they were illegal to own in Florida.

Looks like "Mr. Indigo"(and fire ants) got the last laugh!..LOL!

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Doug, I know the laws and never had any intention on doing anything but catching it, taking a couple pics and letting it go. I didnt get the chance, but if what I was doing was against the law....the law is wrong,lol.

I figured that's probably all you were trying to do, Jeff, and I did figure you already knew about the laws on them as well, I just figured I'd add the inevitable in before someone else did..LOL!

As a matter of fact, if I saw a nice Indigo in the wild, I'd probably do the EXACT same thing, the photo's I'd take would be the next best thing to owning one. Guess that would make ME a criminal in the laws eyes.......oh well!..LOL!

Anyway, I understand completely.

best regards, ~Doug
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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

Doug, the fact I was working as a FEDERAL BIOLOGIST at the time would have gotten me off of any hook I could have been on. But I consider the ART of the CATCH as an important "conquest status" type of thing. I see it very much like catch-and-release for fishing....and we all know about the successes that has had. It eliminates beaurocracy(sp?)without decreasing that thrill of FEELING the wieght, the smoothness and the strength of such a magnificent animal. Its a RARE thing, and it is to be appreciated...Those of us that are FIELD guys know what I am talking about, those that arent likely go by the book. The type of person enforcing such laws will know the difference so I would encourage people to do this. If its legal to run an indigo over on the highway I see no problem catching one for a picture...provided no damage to it or its environment.

Oh, I agree with all the above, Jeff. I also think Indigo's are probably the most regal, and noblest of ALL serpents!. Those powerful, shiny creatures are truly AWESOME!, and everytime I even THINK of one, it brings back fond childhood memories.

No other snake can really compare in my opinion....... Glad you feel the same.

best regards, ~Doug

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"Better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open mouth and remove any doubt!"

hahahahahaha thats what i hate about NC, stupid fire ants!!! when i was in 1st grade they thought about cutting my leg open before it explode b/c i was bitten by 3 fire ants and come to find out, i'm highly allergic. Be careful around those gosh darn things!!!
~kin
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~Sober Serpents~
www.freewebs.com/soberserpents
Corns, Creamsicles, A Black Rat, Thayeri, Cal Kings, A Jungle Corn(Just A Pet), A Ball Python, A Bearded dragon, Leopard Geckos, Green Anoles, a Snapping turtle, and a white cheeked mud turtle

My son sunk into a fire ant mound when he was 2. There was a garden hose nearby and we doused him. I really think it saved his life.
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0.1 Mexican Black King
1.0 Brooksi King
1.0 Japanese Bobtail
1.0 Maine Coon

Learned my lesson at a REAL young age in Arizona chasing a ball in the yard. Screamed bloody murder with "red gloves" on. Recent trip throough the southeast turned out to prove I'm the best fire ant locater around. Snakes? I'm terrible at. If you need to find ants, I'm your man.
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Tom

"The more people I meet, the more I like my snakes"

haha! Well if there's anything out there in this world that can help take your mind off of chiggers it's fire ants!

LOL!!! That's a fact! and deer flies,wasps, ticks, thorns, cactus spines, etc.! Fire ants are the nemisis of field herpers!
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Todd Hughes