Interesting Factoids about Montana Living, especially critters
Cost of Living:Be sure you have a job and a house BEFORE coming out. My dh saw an ad in a paper there recently that said, "Looking for a fixer upper. $140,000".
Weather:
The popular saying here...and it is VERY TRUE is, "if you don't like the weather, just hang around for 15 minutes." It can snow and be -13 then the next week, be 80 degrees! We have hot summers, but low humidity, which is nice. But even then, there are storms that blow through at a moment's notice. The winters are very cold ... -13 but it will be that way for, say a week, then change to something more pleasant.
Snakes and Critters:
We have snakes here. Bull snakes, which eat rattlers. Rattlers, which will go in your yard. I know this because I was bit by one in my yard. If you are in the city, you normally don't see snakes, especially if you have sprinklers.
Baby snakes do not control the amount of venom they give. Have you heard this, as well. Everyone around here says that, plus the doctors at the hospital... so my impression is that a baby one is more dangerous than an adult.
My kids can tell you... when they head out the door, I'm like, "Watch where you step for rattle snakes. Stick together if you see a mountain lion. Wear your boots so a rattler won't bite you or ticks won't get on you." LOL No kidding!
Coyotes normally won't go near people. What we did, when our neighbor's dog was killed by a mountain lion, was we went to the Fish, Parks, and Wildlife center to pick up information on what to do if the kids saw a mountain lion. It was very interesting. They have a lot of stuffed animals there, too! They had paperwork with images of what different critter's prints look like and good explanation as to what to do if you see a mountain lion. I would encourage you to go there and check it out. Mountain lions like to be up in trees and pounce on their prey. We have a neighbor whose mule has scars from a mountain lion attack. It had jumped down from a tree. Another thing we learned about mountain lions is that they have a HUGE are in which they live/travel, this is probably part of the reason they aren't often seen. Most recently, a mountain lion was discovered in a tree in the yard of a home near to a local schoolyard.
Here's some basic information from a website:
If a mountain lion is encountered:
- Stay calm. Talk to the lion in a confident yet calm voice.
- Pick all children up off the ground immediately. Children tend to frighten easily and their rapid movement may provoke an attack.
- Do not run. Move slowly. Try to back away from the lion slowly. Sudden movement or fleeing behavior often triggers instinctive predatory attacks by lions.
- Do not turn your back on the lion. Face the lion and remain in an upright position.
- If a mountain lion behaves aggressively: Arm yourself with a large stick, throw rocks, speak louder and more firmly. Do not turn your back or stay crouched down. The object is to convince the lion that you are not prey, but in fact are a danger to them.
- Fight back! IF a mountain lion attacks, remain standing up. Many people have survived lion attacks by fighting back with everything from rocks, sticks, and bare fists to fishing poles.
Click here to read about rattle snakes
Rattle snakes and ticks: It seems like there are some years that are worse than others. I think mild winters have something to do with that, best we can figure. I encourage my kids to carry a big stick to tap the ground in front of them if they are walking out on our property. They normally don't just lie on the ground, except that's what the one that bit me was doing. It blended into the scenery. We have also learned that they usually don't come out if it's 40° or colder and if they do, they are very sluggish and lethargic. They are easy to kill with a shovel end... cutting the head off. We also learned that when it's hot out, they are most likely to take shade under a large rock or sagebrush. In other words, don't let the kids just go out and pick up large rocks when it's hot. Maybe in the spring, when it's cool, you could clear your yard of them. Our boys cleared our 10 acres of sage a few years ago. That also cuts down on ticks.
Click here to read about bull snakes
Bull snakes look a lot like diamond back rattlers. These are good critters and don't normally bite. I don't even think they have teeth. They not only eat rodents, but also eat rattle snakes!
If your kids see a snake, have them run straight in the house and tell you. You should check it out (having a shovel handy) to see if it has a rattle. If it does not, it's probably a bull snake.There are probably a lot of websites, too, that have more good information. Beth also knows about registering with the life flight out of Billings in case someone does have a bad encounter. It's a good idea to be signed up. Time could be a factor, especially with the snake bite.
Here are a couple more websites I found with information, including cleaning your property to avoid problems.
http://tchester.org/sgm/conditions/bugs.html
http://fwp.mt.gov/mtoutdoors/html/Articles...rattlesnake.htm
Here's an article entitled, "Goodness Snakes!"
This would make a great educational lesson. That reminds me... if your kids could pet some horses and be around them for a few minutes, you would soon find out if they are allergic to them. This would be important knowledge if they were bit by a rattler. Something about the antivenom is made using horses. Rattle snake bites are very rare. Meeting a mountain lion is very rare. Although it's good to be careful, please do not loose sleep over it.
Do
Remain alert when hiking or in the outdoors.
Wear boots and watch where you stick your hands and feet.
Keep your distance if you see or hear a snake.
Alert the authorities if the snake presents a significant danger.
Get medical care immediately if you or someone else has been bitten.
Try to keep the victim calm and heart rate down.
Don't
Pick up or harass a snake.
Try to suck the venom out of a bite.
Ice the bitten area or tourniquet it.
Avoid all nature just for the sake of avoiding rattlesnakes.
