Sunday, February 25, 2024

So, Who Could it Be? Otterly Unbelievable©

 

 


Again, my apologies to the Kratt Brothers, but “who could it be, that animal that I didn’t see” just naturally came mind.  I always loved watching Zoboomafoo with my kids when they were young.

 

I didn’t see the mystery animal who left these tracks, but I think I know who it could be, and honestly, I never expected to see one in waterway this close to Buffalo, New York.


 

But the proof is in the prints, so to speak, so let’s break out some photos and size up these tracks and see what the straddle and stride tell us about who this could be.

 






So, our mystery animal moved with a 3×4 bounding, loping gait, in which the hind track on one side of the body is placed on top of the front track.  The front track is just over 2 inches (5 cm) wide and almost 3 inches (7.6 cm) long, and the back track is slightly larger being almost 2 inches (5 cm) wide by just over 3 inches (7.6 cm) long.  The stride1 at 34 inches (56 cm) long, is the same length as my cane2, and the straddle is between 5 and 6 5/8 inches (13 to 17 cm) wide. 

 

At first, I thought that the tracks might be those of a raccoon (procyon lotor),  However, when I looked at the loping gait, I thought that they might be the tracks of a fisher cat (pekania pennant).  But the stride was so long that I began to wonder if they might be the tracks of a northern river otter (lontra canadensis), but that would be unbelievable!

 

It seemed unbelievable because, river otters had been exterminated throughout Central and Western New York state by the early 1900s, due to unrestricted trapping, habitat loss and water pollution, only surviving in the Adirondacks, the Catskills, and the Hudson River Valley regions of New York State.  However, in 1994 the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation, with the help of trappers, began to live trap and transplant river otters, eventually releasing 279 otters into the waterways of Western New York at sixteen different sites, so it was possible.

 


Now, let’s see what the experts have to say about what it could be. 

 


Because of the bounding gait of the tracks, I knew that the creature must be a member of the mustelidae (weasel) family, which typically (except for the skunk) use this gait because of their short legs and long bodies.  In snow a few inches (5 cm) or more in depth, members of the weasel family use the 2×2 lope, placing the hind tracks on top of the front tracks, to save energy.  Otherwise, members of this family use a 3×4 loping gait in which the hind tracks on one side of the body are superimposed on the front track of the same side.  Incidentally raccoons use a waddling gait, not a bounding gait.

 


But both fisher cats and otters can be found in Western New York, both having been successfully reintroduced, and are both members of the mustelidae (weasel) family, so how can we tell them apart? 

 

The straddle of a fisher cat averages 6 inches (15 cm) wide, and the otter’s straddle averages 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) wide.  Our mystery animal had a straddle of between 5 and 6 5/8 inches (13 to 17 cm), so that would imply a fisher cat.  But fisher cats are smaller and have a shorter stride length of only about 28 inches (71 cm) long and our mystery animal had a stride length of 34 inches (56 cm), so that suggests a river otter.

 

I found the tracks on the sandy shore of a large creek, in an area which is mostly open, with only a few large trees.  Fishers depend on large areas of mature, deciduous, and coniferous forest for food and shelter, since they eat squirrels, birds, and porcupines, and while they might scavenge a dead fish they do not hunt in the water.  But otters do.

 

Because of this I believe that the tracks that I found were those a small river otter, maybe a female, since female otters are smaller than the larger males. 

 


I didn’t see any signs of slides, or tail drags, or webbing between toes, (something which is usually hard to see).  Unfortunately, the sandy track trap on the creek’s shore, where I found these tracks, wasn’t very large and it had been walked on, obliterating much of the trail.  So, honestly, I can’t be certain that they were the tracks of a river otter, and not a fisher’s tracks.

 

So, I guess I will have to go back to Como Park to look for more tracks, maybe I will get lucky and see one!

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Seeing The Elephant ©”, where we will talk about how and why people end up lost in the wilderness.

 


I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

1


 

2 Don’t worry, I am not carrying a cane because I hurt myself, I just hate to leave the house unarmed.  A cane is the only street legal weapon that you can carry without attracting attention and I am hell-on-wheels in a cane fight, but more on that in a later article.

 

3 A copy of A Guide to Nature in Winter can be found HERE, courtesy of Colorado University and Tim Kittel, or

 

Sources

 

Stokes, Donald W.; A Guide to Nature in Winter: Northeast and North Central North America, [Little Brown & Company, New York, New York, 1976] p. 271-296

 

Murie, Olaus J.; Animal Tracks, 2nd Edition, [The Easton Press, Norwalk, CT, 1974], page 70

 

River Otter: Aids to Identifying Tracks and Scat, https://amigosbravos.org/uploads/fck//file/Tracks_Scat.pdf

 

 

Sunday, February 18, 2024

Winter Survival Tips, Part Three©

 

 


You never know when a late winter storm is going to blow in, don’t forget Punxsutawney Phil is only right 39% of the time1 and February is a great time for winter snow!  

 

So, here is the final installment of our winter survival tips, which didn’t make it into earlier articles.  In Part One and Two we talked about dressing for winter weather and taking shelter, and this week we’ll talk about staying hydrated to prevent hypothermia and some general survival tips.

 

Dehydration...

 


Staying hydrated?!”, you exclaim, “Boring!  But before you turn the page, did you know that most people are walking around chronically dehydrated, and that when you are thirsty you are already 1% dehydrated, or a quart (almost a liter) of water low2!  Feeling thirsty yet?

 


 But people only get dehydrated when it’s hot”, you suppose “right” ?  Wrong!  The air is the dryest when it is cold, because when the temperature is cold, the ability of air to hold water vapor decreases and it becomes dry. 
Sure, but with all this snow, I’ll just eat some if I’m thirsty”, you guess.  Bad idea, can we say hello, to death by hypothermia!

 


Winter Survival Tips...

 


The same general survival tips that the experts recommend are the same survival tips that you need to pay attention to during the winter; stay dry, stay warm, always have a buddy.

 

Always have a way to create a fire and know how to build one in any weather.  Carry a candle, it makes it easier to light a fire in wetweather and you can use it to warm up a snow shelter.  Don’t forget that survival is a mental attitude, and 90% of survival is controlling your fear and panic.  Keep a positive, can do attitude, and don’t give into useless negative what-if conjecture.

 


Let’s hope you never get lost in a winter storm, but if you do, maybe these tips will help you to survive the snow and cold.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

1 From “How accurate is Punxsutawney Phil?”, HERE

 

2 By the time you notice you are thirsty you’re already 1% dehydrated.  For a 150 pound (68 kg) person, this means you have already lost about 1-½ pounds (.7 kg), or almost a quart (almost a liter) of water.

 

 

Sources

 

Circle No. 36, Reader Service Card; Backpacker, March 1995, https://books.google.com/books?id=5t4DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA73&dq=winter+survival+tips&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVgsfYmO-DAxXyCTQIHcexCGgQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20tips&f=false, page 73, accessed January 27, 2024

 

Flemens, Norm, Maj.; “Hot Info About Cold Weather”, Combat Crew, Volume 34, January 1984, page 19 to 20, https://books.google.com/books?id=KgMQ17xpzVMC&pg=PA18&dq=winter+survival+tips&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiqtLWtxO-DAxUBFVkFHfIBAx04HhDoAXoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20tips&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

House, Mike, Sgt.; “Motorcyclists Warned of Hypothermia”, Driver, Volume 19, Issue 10, March 1986, page 25, https://books.google.com/books?id=HkxdD5t6SdIC&pg=PA25&dq=heat+loss+wet+clothes&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjpiNedqv6DAxXuF2IAHfztBbYQ6AF6BAgMEAI#v=onepage&q=heat%20loss%20wet%20clothes&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

Livermore, Beth; “Survival School”, Snow Country, January 1997, page 99 to 102, https://books.google.com/books?id=Q8k-kqIvS-YC&pg=PA99&dq=arctic+survival+tips&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj9meSOzO-DAxUOF1kFHXz4C8o4ChDoAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=arctic%20survival%20tips&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

Odom, Jerry, R., CMSgt.; “Letter From USAF Survival Training School”, Driver, January 1981, Volume 14, Issue 8, page 17, https://books.google.com/books?id=UtknYZSnKEcC&pg=PA17&dq=arctic+survival&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj8yrKy1u-DAxXrKlkFHTkqC6A4HhDoAXoECAQQAg#v=onepage&q=arctic%20survival&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

United States Immigration and Naturalization Service; Safety and Health Guidebook, page 77-95, [MA-502, May 2000], https://books.google.com/books?id=JR-lqAaTZGAC&pg=PA95&dq=winter+survival+tips&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiw-8G_m--DAxWUFzQIHUnTC144ChDoAXoECA0QAg#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20tips&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

United States Air Force; “Survival in the Snow”, Driver, Volume 11, Issue 7, page 15 to19, https://books.google.com/books?id=ljEaTOOMPZYC&pg=PA16&dq=fire+starting+survive&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi45pys6YyEAxUHkIkEHZxrCts4HhDoAXoECAwQAg#v=onepage&q=fire%20starting%20survive&f=false, accessed February 2, 2024

 

United States Air Force Survival School, 3636 Combat Crew Training Wing, Fairchild AFB, Washington; “Winter Survival Tips”, Boys' Life, December 1990, [Boy Scouts of America, Irving TX], page 75, https://books.google.com/books?id=jfgDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA75&dq=winter+survival+tips&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiVgsfYmO-DAxXyCTQIHcexCGgQ6AF6BAgHEAI#v=onepage&q=winter%20survival%20tips&f=false, accessed January 27, 2024

 

Wikimedia, “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse”, by Albrecht Dürer, 1497, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Durer_Revelation_Four_Riders.jpg

 

Wikimedia, “Snow drifts turned many roads into one-lane traffic.  This photo is from Feb. 7, 1977”, by NOAA, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blizzard_of_1977.jpg, accessed February 3, 2024

 

Sunday, February 11, 2024

The Four Horseman of Wilderness Death ©

 

 


Last week we talked about some general winter survival tips, so this week I thought a brief introduction to the “Four Horseman of Wilderness Death” was in order.  The four horsemen, from right to left, are Windchill, holding a bow in his hand, Hypothermia, swinging a sword, Dehydration, holding scales, and Panic, shown as a decaying body1.

 

Hypothermia, windchill and dehydration...

 

The first three horsemen, Hypothermia, Windchill and Dehydration work as a team, and you defy them at your peril.  They’ll gang up on you and kill you fast!  Windchill cools you and makes it easier for his brother Hypothermia to cut you down.  And Windchill, with his wind blowing on you, helps his buddy Dehydration, to dry you out.  Remember when you are dehydrated, it’s harder for your body to regulate its temperature, and that’s when Hypothermia moves in for the kill!

 

Windchill

 


The first horseman, Windchill is a thief, armed with the wind, his bow.  The first thing to do in any survival situation is to take shelter from Windchill’s wind, and your first line of defense is your clothes.  Dress for the worst weather you will face.  Layer your clothing, so you can take off and on insulating layers as you warm up or cool down.  If it’s windy or wet, wear a windproof/waterproof outer layer.  And always bring a knit hat and wear it if you start to get cold!

 


And stay dry!  Because when they are wet, your clothes will conduct heat just like water, which because of its greater density conducts heat as much as 240 times faster than air.  So, Windchill will steal your body heat much, much faster when your clothes are wet, than when dry.

 

Also, always carry a heavy trash bag, or two, when you travel in the wilderness.  If you get caught out in the wet or the wind you can make a quick shelter by cutting or tearing a hole about four inches (10 cm) from one of the bottom corners of the bag and pull it over you, sticking your face out of the hole.  If you are more than petite, sit inside the second bag and pull the top one down over it.  A shelter like this will protect you from Windchill, even if you are wet, by stopping him from stealing your body heat with evaporation and convection.

 

Hypothermia

 


Windchill’s brother Hypothermia, is a killer.  Armed with his sword he kills year round, even during the summer.  As Jack London wrote in To Build a Fire, that “Freezing was not so bad...There are lots worse ways to die”, but as Keith McCafferty wrote in the December 1999 Field & Stream “there were none more common”!2 

 


Normal human body temperature is 98.6o F (37o C) and if your temperature falls below 98.6o (37o C) you will begin to shiver and as your core temperature continues to drop your shivering will become more intense and your ability to perform complex tasks will become impaired.  At 92o F (33o C) you will no longer be able to save yourself, at 87o F (30o C) and you will become unconscious, and at 75oF (24o C) it is too late for anything except candles and flowers.

 


Every year many people die of hypothermia, which used to be known as exposure or freezing to death.  But it isn’t just a winter or a northern problem, in fact, according to the CDC the top ten states are Alaska, Illinois, Alabama, Arizona, Virginia, North and South Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee2.  Factors that increase your risk for hypothermia are severe winter cold, such as in Alaska and Illinois, shifting weather systems with rapid changes in temperature, typical of Virginia and the Carolinas, and high elevation, with plummeting overnight temperatures, found in New Mexico and Arizona.

 

To beat Hypothermia:

 

1)  Dress for the worst weather conditions you MIGHT encounter.

2)   Know when it is time to stop and seek shelter.

3)   Be able to build a fire and keep it going.

 

Dehydration

 


Dehydration, the third horseman, will creep up on you slowly and by the time you notice you are thirsty you’re already 1% dehydrated.  For a 150 pound (68 kg) person, this means you have already lost about 1-½ pounds (.7 kg), or almost a quart (almost a liter) of water!

 

Dehydration of less than 2% of your body weight does you no harm and many people are this dehydrated regularly; in fact, right now, as you read this article, you might be this dehydrated!  With a loss of 2.5% of body weight, about 2 quarts of water, work efficiency decreases by 25%.  When this happens, for example, you will only be able to walk ¾ as far and as fast, work only ¾ as hard or lift just ¾ as much, as you could if fully hydrated. 

 

As survival expert Peter Kummerfeldt says, “When you're dehydrated, your ability to function efficiently degrades rapidly.  Then you make mistakes”, and in survival situations, mistakes kill. 

 

So, always bring water with you when you venture into the wilderness and know how to find and disinfect more when you need it.  Try to limit your sweat, don’t ration your water.  Too many victims of dehydration have been found with water in their canteens, so if you are thirsty, drink! 


Panic

 


Panic, the last big bad, is the deadliest of the horseman, because he is one who lives in your head!  Panic whispers about loneliness, pain, cold, thirst, hunger, fatigue, boredom, and fear in your head until you become irrational, lose control, and attempt to escape by running!  Panicking only makes things worse and running will lead either to your death or to you finding yourself exhausted and in a much situation than before.

 


Staying calm and conquering Panic is 90% of survival.  Conquering Panic is simple, but it isn’t easy!  To keep Panic away remember these four things:

 

1)   Fear is normal, just don’t give into it.

2)   Recognize dangers and dangerous situations and then plan to avoid them.

3)   Subdue your fears by keeping mentally and physically busy.

4)   Think positively, pray, be realistic and don’t let your imagination run away with you.

 

I hope that you never meet the Four Horseman of Wilderness Death in person, but if you do, remember how to defeat them.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

1 In Dürer's wood print, four horsemen are from right to left; the Epidemic holding a bow in his hand, War holding a sword in his hand, Famine holding scales in his hand, and Death, which is depicted as a decaying body.

 

2 Keith McCafferty, Field & Stream, January 2000 and Don Colburn, “Hypothermia's Top Ten May Include Your State”, Washington Post, January 1, 1996

 

Sources

 

Conover, Keith, M.D.; “Hypothermia: Killer of the Unprepared”, https://sites.pitt.edu/~kconover/ftp/Hypothermia%20Basics.pdf, accessed February 10, 2024

 

FAA; “How Strong it Blows, How Low it Goes: Windchill”, FAA Aviation News, Volume 7, February 1969, page 6 to 7, https://books.google.com/books?id=-iy2jQh-enAC&pg=RA9-PA7&dq=windchill+survival&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjdt_jz8ZKEAxXQkYkEHZ6ABsYQ6AF6BAgKEAI#v=onepage&q=windchill%20survival&f=false, accessed February 10, 2024

 

Holzer, Ricky; “How to Dress For Winter Hiking in the Midwest”, February 7, 2019, https://www.nocoastbestcoast.com/article.php?url=how-to-dress-winter-hiking-midwest, accessed February 9, 2024

 

Lauffer, Brian P., and O’Bryan, Bob; “Baby It’s Cold Outside!” Maintenance, Volumes 9-11, October/December 1984, page 12 to 13, https://books.google.com/books?id=HiFN5OQiSvAC&pg=RA3-PA13&dq=windchill+survival&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi_kM_l9JKEAxUyhYkEHVQeD2c4HhDoAXoECAwQAg#v=onepage&q=windchill%20survival&f=false, accessed February 10, 2024

 

McCafferty, Keith; “Death by Degrees, Part 1”, Field & Stream, December 1999, page 40 & 42, https://books.google.com/books?id=TMK7ROgAJKEC&pg=PA42&dq=survival+hypothermia&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwipt4yklZOEAxUBhIkEHRCyCAc4FBDoAXoECAYQAg#v=onepage&q=survival%20hypothermia&f=false, accessed February 10, 2024

 

McCafferty, Keith; “Death by Degrees, Part 2”, Field & Stream, January 2000, page 78 to 79, https://books.google.com/books?id=8Gj0yRugg3MC&pg=PA78&dq=%22death+by+degrees,+part+2%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiUgsGk1qGEAxV34ckDHVv_CfUQ6AF6BAgHEAI#v=onepage&q=%22death%20by%20degrees%2C%20part%202%22&f=false, accessed February 10, 2024

Nelson, Janet; “How Cold is (Damn) Cold”, Skiing, January 1972, page 12, https://books.google.com/books?id=zL-h_HP9DXQC&pg=PA140&dq=windchill+survival&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjVpNqA95KEAxXzjokEHfYiCTA4KBDoAXoECAMQAg#v=onepage&q=windchill%20survival&f=false, accessed February 10, 2024

 

Robel, Robert J., Sgt.; “Survival Working For You”, Aerospace Safety, Volume 35, December 1979, page 25 to 26, https://books.google.com/books?id=ZL9_FhZV2_EC&pg=RA11-PA24&dq=layering+clothes+survival&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjvz83znZ2EAxUklIkEHRYeDGUQ6AF6BAgEEAI#v=onepage&q=layering%20clothes%20survival&f=false, accessed February 9, 2024