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Leaves of three, turn and flee...

AirmetTango

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Well, I didn't even make it through my first full season MDing without finding some poison ivy! I'm usually pretty vigilant, but I was detecting a former home site with some pretty deep grass, and it must've been hiding in there while I was digging one of my holes. Painted up both wrists and part of my forearms above the glove line - thank goodness I always wear gloves or it'd be really ugly! I must've put my detector down in the stuff as well - I actually have a stripe higher up on my right forearm right where the detector cuff strap falls across my skin, too.

So, the gloves got trashed, I washed my cuff strap multiple times, I fully wiped down all of my equipment, and I've coated myself in hydrocortisone. To add insult to injury (literally), I pretty much got skunked on the hunt, as well! :no: Best finds were a completely corroded, old axe head and an intact porcelain canning jar insert.

While I spend the next few days resisting the urge to scratch, does anyone care to share their metal detecting PI experiences?
 
But you had FUN, right? :lol:

I feel for ya. I've never had it, used to pick some and chase my brother with it, he could look at it and catch it.
 
Last year spotted a home to be torn down . Got permission, one Indian and poison ivy. Not a great hunt.
 
All the old homesteads and one room schools seem to have poison ivy growing. I've been not getting the itch from it so far. But what has been worse is all the ragweed blooming right now. Thankfully a few years ago I did a round of immunotherapy for my severe therapy. Gave myself two shots three times a week for a year. And that has really, really helped. I still get sneezing something awful after and hour or so and have to quit for a while or go to a park where there's no weeks.
There's a couple of the old places I want to take my mower in knock down the weeds so I can hunt better but that's going to have to wait a while.
 
I'll repeat what I said on an earlier thread - get some Tecnu. I hunt in the woods where there's plenty of poison ivy. I wear gloves, but often wear a short sleeve shirt. I try to avoid the poison ivy, but sometimes you get focused on a target and forget. Sometimes about two days after a hunt I'll get some of the rash on my arms. The great thing about Tecnu is that once the rash starts, you can apply it to the spots , rub in for two minutes and rinse off, and the itching stops completely and doesn't come back.
 
I can typically brush up against it without and problems but when I first moved into my house about 10 years back there was a row of overgrown hedges in the backyard. Took the sawzall to it without checking first. Big mistake! I was hurting for weeks after that. I was popping Predisone and about bathing in cortisone cream.
 
It never has bothered me. I used to get in trouble in the Army because when I was on point I would lead everyone through it. I told them to put someone else on point.
 
Hazards of the hobby. Hopefully it clears up for you soon. We will have to get together this fall and do some field hunts that I have my eye on. No poison ivy there.
 
Yeah I did! :D ....but mainly 'cuz it took two days until the rash popped up!

The delay is sometimes the biggest problem...

Without realizing it, it can get on items like steering wheels, tool handles, boot laces, and getcha later too..

Learning to ID it is the KEY to not getting it..

I can see it from a mile away... Also know in the fall, it's leaves can be pretty much anywhere on the ground..

The oil, they say, can affect you for over a year...

<°)))>{
 
Last year spotted a home to be torn down . Got permission, one Indian and poison ivy. Not a great hunt.

Yep, I'm feelin' ya there! But I'll be happy to trade you my rusty axe head for your Indian :laughing:

I'll repeat what I said on an earlier thread - get some Tecnu....rub in for two minutes and rinse off, and the itching stops completely and doesn't come back.

I'm sold - I'll be looking for that stuff! I'm 3 days in, and the itching seems to be getting worse - the hydrocortisone seems to provide relief for about 2.53 seconds :lol: I'm ready to try anything!

...Took the sawzall to it without checking first. Big mistake! I was hurting for weeks after that. I was popping Predisone and about bathing in cortisone cream.

Ouch! I'm envisioning PI flying around like zombie splatter! For what it's worth, i hear it's a very bad idea to burn PI, also!

It never has bothered me. I used to get in trouble in the Army because when I was on point I would lead everyone through it. I told them to put someone else on point.

...and I thought Gauntlet was cruel! :laughing::laughing:
 

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Hazards of the hobby. Hopefully it clears up for you soon. We will have to get together this fall and do some field hunts that I have my eye on. No poison ivy there.

Absolutely - goes with the territory, I suppose. Lesson learned though - I'll leave the more overgrown sites for later in the year when it'll be more comfortable to hunt in long sleeves - I'm just glad it was a cool day and I went with long pants!

Definitely would like to get together again...I've got a couple interesting field permissions I can share, too :cool:

The delay is sometimes the biggest problem...

Without realizing it, it can get on items like steering wheels, tool handles, boot laces, and getcha later too..

Learning to ID it is the KEY to not getting it..

I can see it from a mile away... Also know in the fall, it's leaves can be pretty much anywhere on the ground..

The oil, they say, can affect you for over a year...

<°)))>{

All good points, Ice. The oil is pretty persistent, and stays viable off the plant for months - so, yeah, you can re-expose yourself from boots, tools, etc if they aren't cleaned.
 
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While I spend the next few days resisting the urge to scratch, does anyone care to share their metal detecting PI experiences?


Oh ya..... got several......

1. Attack of the fire ants. Here in Florida fire ants are EVERYWHERE.... not just near their mounds but every piece of grass that isn't treated. Anyways I hit a good signal knelt down and started digging..... it was deep so it wasn't a "scoop and go" target. Needless to say I didn't check behind me where my feet would be and I kept at it till ...... aaaaaaahhhhhhhh..... they were all over my foot and you can't just brush them off. The one's that aren't biting can be brushed off the one's that are will bite till they are pulled off...... too make it worse the "good" signal turned out to be a zink!

2. Jellies. Florida has hazards on the land and in the water. Out waist deep doing my thing then ...... aaaaahhhhhh..... once again. I knew exactly what it was..... the sting/burn is very recognizable. Being that I didn't have a bottle of vinegar with me and didn't feel like peeing down my leg in front of the crowd ...... I chose to let the bikinis distract me from the pain till the sting wore off. It wasn't too hard of a task to distract myself but thankfully it wasn't Man-of-War or I'd would have headed home in misery.

got more but those 2 were the worst.....
 
Even in the winter...

Its roots can get you too..

Remember this...

Don't dig near, a vine with hair!

<°)))>{
 
never had a problem with it my whole life. Then one day in north carolina i ended up taking a weed eater to a patch of it.... one of my poorest choices ever made. HEAD TO TOE, lots of steroids.
 
I've had some very bad rash reactions the last couple of years. Thanks to the internet, I now know what to do. You have to treat the Urushiol,(the oil that comes off the leaves), as a true oil. Almost as if you poured motor oil on your arm. You have about 2 hours to react. I use hot water, Dawn dish soap, and a coarse rag, and scrub like crazy. And then scrub some more.....:yes: Haven't had an issue since I've been using this method.
 
I can usually avoid it now, but being the Foragist I am, sometimes I just go lightly through it, and wash thoroughly as soon after as possible. The worst I ever got was from digging Jerusalem Artichoke tubers right next to some poison ivy. I learned the PI roots are just as bad, or worse than the plant. Lots of prednisone for that one! My eye is twitching just thinking about it.
 
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