What sort of critters do you deal with shooting outdoors in the desert?

[Joe Link]

I've fired a round in Arizona, Nevada, or Utah, let alone outdoors in the desert, so I'm curious what you guys run into and what you have to prepare for. Snakes? Spiders? Scorpions? How common is it to encounter these things when you're out there?

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[MadDuner]

Actually, not very common at all.
Only flying insects are a bother.
Bees, wasps and flies.

 

[Joe Link]

Actually, not very common at all.
Only flying insects are a bother.
Bees, wasps and flies.

That's good to hear! Definitely opposite of what I assumed

 

[AZOutdoorGear]

None. When the shooting starts, they just go back in their holes and hide....

 

[Ambiguous]

This time of year ... Spring ... on a 8 mile hike around Usery Pass park SE of Phoenix i can count on seeing an average of 2 rattlesnakes. There are many you pass by but don't see.

 

[Joe Link]

This time of year ... Spring ... on a 8 mile hike around Usery Pass park SE of Phoenix i can count on seeing an average of 2 rattlesnakes. There are many you pass by but don't see.

The girlfriend read that and nope'd about five times

 

[Belevolk]

I spend an hour or so shooting .22 and .45 and when we were picking up to leave the area. Up shows a rattler. Now this idiot was coming directly at us. I shot twice with the .22 to shoo it off, nothing doing. The dogs were about so my buddy walks over with is new colt .45 and dispatched it.
I get them in the back yard. Usually hanging out under the tree in the corner and being cool. One last year made it the 40 feet to my patio and decided to be obnoxious. I dispatched him with a shovel. There is no accounting for snakes in the desert. Be careful of what you step over and what you sit on. Snakes are just part of the issue. There are ants, bees, wasps, spiders and the occasional lizard that need to be considered. Mexican Beaded and the Gila Monster are both protected and poisonous. I have not seen either in the wild for several years. Does not mean they are not out there.

 

[AZOutdoorGear]

"Gila Monster found in sideyard of Scottsdale home" Glad I don't live in town....
Gila Monster found in sideyard of Scottsdale home

 

[Joe Link]

I spend an hour or so shooting .22 and .45 and when we were picking up to leave the area. Up shows a rattler. Now this idiot was coming directly at us. I shot twice with the .22 to shoo it off, nothing doing. The dogs were about so my buddy walks over with is new colt .45 and dispatched it.
I get them in the back yard. Usually hanging out under the tree in the corner and being cool. One last year made it the 40 feet to my patio and decided to be obnoxious. I dispatched him with a shovel. There is no accounting for snakes in the desert. Be careful of what you step over and what you sit on. Snakes are just part of the issue. There are ants, bees, wasps, spiders and the occasional lizard that need to be considered. Mexican Beaded and the Gila Monster are both protected and poisonous. I have not seen either in the wild for several years. Does not mean they are not out there.

Do most folks down there know how to handle these things? I had no idea you had poisonous lizards down there

 

[AZOutdoorGear]

I've been in AZ for 5 years and all over the desert and backroads. I have only encountered two gila monster (got to admit though they were pretty cool to watch) and 3 snakes. I know that they are there because you can see where they have crossed the road or trail I am on..... but I am always vigilant where I walk and step. Maybe we could teach the snakes to read the "Beware of humans" signs....

 

[Res502cue]

A couple years ago was picking up cans and plastic jugs had used as targets on a hillside in the East Hewitt Station Rd area. I reached next to a bush to grab a can, heard a thump behind me. I turned to see a large rattlesnake coming towards me. He finally started to rattle after I started my retreat. He kept coming, dumped a full magazine from the Glock 23, could not hit his head. He retreated to a bush, told my now former Bride to bring me another magazine. Of course she brought an AR mag. Could not leave a p.o.'d and injured rattler so grabbed the AR, went back up the hill to dispatch it. From then on, I check the surrounding brush with my 7ft walking stick before and after shooting out there.
Lessons learned: always state which gun you need a loaded mag for from your shooting partner lol; there are no rules in nature mandating a rattlesnake to give warning rattles.
Am back with my former Bride, we still joke about being specific regards to which gun I need rounds for when asking.

 

[Old18C]

Some of the things you will run across. The only things I kill on sight in the photos are the Mojave Green Rattlesnakes (the one in the jar was on the back porch) and the scorpions. I am out and about a lot the Wolf, I saw south Congress AZ I didn't get a photo of or the bear or mountain lions (closest neighbor has a photo of three lions in one photo she showed me as I drove by on our Razor and scared them off). Enjoy just pay attention to what's around you my normal carry around the house or out in the woods is a revolver with snake shot upfront.

 

[Capn Jack]

CCI .38 Spl. Snake Shot. Only had to put down an injured squirrel, but it
was very effective.

 

[Res502cue]

It's a shame the shot shells won't cycle a semiautomatic pistol.

 

[Capn Jack]

For anyone that carries a .45 revolver chambered in .45 ACP, I used to cut down 30-06 cases and load them with #6 shot. I used .410 wads over 16 gr. of 2400 and nitro cards over the shot.
Then I roll crimped the case slightly with a .44 crimping die. These loads worked great in my 1917 Colt.

 

[billdeserthill]

Plenty of black widow spiders around too but I mostly find them inside the house--if ya see a gila monster don't try to pet it. They look slow-moving but it's a lie

gila monster at DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.

duckduckgo.com

 

[Res502cue]

Along with the Black widow spiders is the Arizona Brown which is in the family of the Brown Recluse. The difference being the Arizona Brown's venom does not cause as severe necrosis. It's bite still hurts like mad and causes a hole but does heal and the necrosis does not continue to spread. Before picking up previously used boards or anything else to hold a target or use as a target I strongly recommend using a long stick. Also, be prepared for a snake to jump out or spider to crawl from a crevice of the object. Set a 2"x4" one day, went to replace the target, Miss Black Widow was sunning herself just outside of a split in the board.

 

[armoredman]

Actually, not very common at all.
Only flying insects are a bother.
Bees, wasps and flies.

The public range has a beehive somewhere nearby, but when one shows up to check on the noise, I just say "Hi, George" and leave them be. 99.9% of the time they leave me alone, except for the one mentally challenged one who landed on the bench in front of me and started doing the bee butt wiggle dance, (how they communicate), and I couldn't understand a word he was saying. I mean, do I really want to know how far it is to the good flowers? He got frustrated and left.
Wasps...I haven't seen but a couple of Tarantula Wasps, and they don't pay any attention to us, which is a good thing, because their sting is supposed to be the most painful of all wasp stings.

 

[Mrjenkins]

Almost stepped on a coon tail once. Other then that just bees and flys lol.

 

[Mrjenkins]

I've been in AZ for 5 years and all over the desert and backroads. I have only encountered two gila monster (got to admit though they were pretty cool to watch) and 3 snakes. I know that they are there because you can see where they have crossed the road or trail I am on..... but I am always vigilant where I walk and step. Maybe we could teach the snakes to read the "Beware of humans" signs....

I've lived in az since 1997. I've seen one gila monster. It was south of maricopa city out in the desert. They are pretty rare but beautiful if you ever are lucky enough to see one outside the zoo.