Say What Saturday: “Away down South in the land of traitors, rattlesnakes and alligators”

Deer flies can be worse then horseflies here....though similiar deer flies are quite a bit smaller.

What makes em worse is in summer, sometimes they will swarm along rivers.... haven't ever encountered horseflies thick enough to consider a swarm......but have deer flies......
 
Ticks that carry blood-born illnesses are on the rise. Those critters are the worse.
An even smaller, non-seen critter is the ole' chigger.
The Yankees DESPISED these more than anything. They mistakenly called them "jiggers".
They leave extremely itchy red whelps around the ankles, waist and groin areas. They love to fit in between tight fitting clothes.
I've read several accounts of the Yanks north of Vicksburg that slept in a bed of them prior to the siege.
 
If the alligators are not fed on this new schedule, the home owners wonder why their little "lap dogs" disappear.
That might be preferable to the 'gators coming to look for their lunch :hungry::cold:

Gators will eat anything.
I honestly expected the chicken, or meat, but sweets? Not much nutritional value in a marshmallow!

The easier the better.

Sounds like they've been trained by the tour operators to expect that daily appetizer
Yes, we probably wouldn't have seen so many if they hadn't been given their treat.

For some reason I was thinking at the same time, "I'm sure marshmallows aren't good for them" ... like an alligator cares :laugh:
 
Ticks that carry blood-born illnesses are on the rise. Those critters are the worse.
An even smaller, non-seen critter is the ole' chigger.
Oh yes !

Ticks are easy to forget about, but dangerous as well. These bugs used to be only a nuisance until they started transmitting Lyme disease.

Gawd, and chiggers . . . . While not harmful to the immune system, their bites will cause discomfort for at least one month.

I don't know if you have been down to the mouth of the Mississippi River (about 100 miles south of New Orleans)
to fish for speckled trout or redfish, but there is some kind of almost invisible flying insect down there that can take down an elephant within an hour.

I've only encountered these demonic insects during late Summer.

:eek:
 
I can't imagine how any of the soldiers survived these beasts, both big and small, without the modern products we have today to defeat them. I'm sure there were natural remedies, like dock leaves for nettle stings, and no doubt the native people's had been dealing with them for centuries. How did they do it? And I'm not sure camping is something I would like to do down South ... how do y'all survive a camping trip? I'd be locked up in my camper or zipped up in my tent hiding from the beasts of the forest! Must be more of a city girl than I realized :smile coffee:
 
Marshmallows are known in some places as "alligator crack." Some people say they think they are eggs (a favorite snack); or, maybe they just like the taste. But, they've been known to fight over them. Tour-guides who started using them to lure gators closer, now find the critters lined up, waiting, as soon as the boat approaches.
https://blog.nationalgeographic.org...-about-true-bloods-marshmallow-eating-gators/

Don't try this at home:
1619911322812.png
[https://m.blog.naver.com/bong-6031/220977516434]
 
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I'm not sure camping is something I would like to do down South ... how do y'all survive a camping trip? I'd be locked up in my camper or zipped up in my tent hiding from the beasts of the forest! Must be more of a city girl than I realized :smile coffee:
You need to spend a weekend with lil' "pickle".
(A young Cajun girl that hunts gators with the best)

She'll teach ya everything you need to know about camping in the swamp !
:smile:


Seriously ... alligator hunting is a big deal down here.
It's the livelihood for many Cajun families.

It's also very much regulated by the government.
We have alligator hunting seasons just like other wildlife hunting seasons.
In other words, there is only a short period within the year one can harvest wild alligators.
Plus there is a limit on how many one can harvest.


Naturally the tour boats will not go that deep into the swamps.

:smile coffee:
 
Oh yes !

Ticks are easy to forget about, but dangerous as well. These bugs used to be only a nuisance until they started transmitting Lyme disease.

Gawd, and chiggers . . . . While not harmful to the immune system, their bites will cause discomfort for at least one month.

I don't know if you have been down to the mouth of the Mississippi River (about 100 miles south of New Orleans)
to fish for speckled trout or redfish, but there is some kind of almost invisible flying insect down there that can take down an elephant within an hour.

I've only encountered these demonic insects during late Summer.

:eek:
I think they are called "noseeums" pronounced "No-See-Ums"
 
I can't imagine how any of the soldiers survived these beasts, both big and small, without the modern products we have today to defeat them. I'm sure there were natural remedies, like dock leaves for nettle stings, and no doubt the native people's had been dealing with them for centuries. How did they do it? And I'm not sure camping is something I would like to do down South ... how do y'all survive a camping trip? I'd be locked up in my camper or zipped up in my tent hiding from the beasts of the forest! Must be more of a city girl than I realized :smile coffee:
When the French encountered the Natchez indians in 1720, they recorded that the natives used bear fat as a retardent for mosquitoes. I always thought that would be a smelly way to repel insects.
 
You need to spend a weekend with lil' "pickle".
(A young Cajun girl that hunts gators with the best)

She'll teach ya everything you need to know about camping in the swamp !
:smile:


Seriously ... alligator hunting is a big deal down here.
It's the livelihood for many Cajun families.

It's also very much regulated by the government.
We have alligator hunting seasons just like other wildlife hunting seasons.
In other words, there is only a short period within the year one can harvest wild alligators.
Plus there is a limit on how many one can harvest.


Naturally the tour boats will not go that deep into the swamps.

:smile coffee:
Wow, see the "death roll" on that first catch! That's their method of killing their prey. Drown 'em first.

And wow to that little girl doing all that hard work. She was as brave as he was :smoke: And very strong.

At the same time, I struggle to see them being killed, much like any animal, although I understand the reasoning.

Do people eat alligator? I think I've heard of alligator stew!
 
When the French encountered the Natchez indians in 1720, they recorded that the natives used bear fat as a retardent for mosquitoes. I always thought that would be a smelly way to repel insects.
All natural, without any chemicals. In a toss up, I'd go with the bear fat, I think :bear:

Wouldn't be no 'critters' getting near me, including human ones :D
 
Wow, see the "death roll" on that first catch! That's their method of killing their prey. Drown 'em first.

And wow to that little girl doing all that hard work. She was as brave as he was :smoke: And very strong.

At the same time, I struggle to see them being killed, much like any animal, although I understand the reasoning.

Do people eat alligator? I think I've heard of alligator stew!
Oh yes, the alligator tail is a succulent meat and very tasty.
 
Oh yes, the alligator tail is a succulent meat and very tasty.
Absolutely !

It's not that difficult to prepare gator.

My preferred method:

A long 24 hour soak in buttermilk is the fist step.
Then a bath in one's favorite marinade for a few hours.
After that, "pat dry" and prepare like chicken fried steak.
(egg wash and flour)

Deep fry until golden brown . . . (about three minutes per side).

Alligator has a bad reputation because most people attempting to cook it,
are too impatient to wait for the 24 hour buttermilk part.

And no, gator does not taste like chicken.

Yes, the tail cuts do have a similar texture, but such portions taste more like a blend of deep fried shrimp and frog legs.

Only some casual observations.

:smoke:




 
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