pests put to use

[leatheroo]

the cane toad is a BIG pest here in australia but someone is making use of them.

the leather cane toad head can be bought for $5

i think the cane toad (toadtie) is my favorite

Edited March 25, 2008 by leatheroo

[Beaverslayer]

Those things scare the ..... outta me. It reminds me of way back in the day, I knew a guy that went out on weekends and collected horse droppings, cleaned em all up nicely, coated them in some sort of substance and made birds outta them. He sold them at flee markets, called them "The Alberta Turd Bird", he was a wierd sort of guy now that I remember.

Ken

[Froghunter]

I got one of those!!! It's my motorcycle ke ring!

Man would I LOVE that bow tie!!!!!!!

[TomBanwell]

Those are too cool! Where can I buy one?

[leatheroo]

hey tom, here is the web address where i found them

http://www.univenter.com/cane-toad.html

[SCOUTER]

You have to feel bad for the bum rap that some animals get just for their looks... A humming bird, ladybug and butterfly have a much easier time then the Frog, Spider or Opossum. Does anyone feel bad for the "Slug"?

[bruce johnson]

Roo,

That hide looks familiar. I am thinking that it looks a lot like the "frogs" I buy from Jerry Van Amburg. Pretty cheap and makes dandy little inlays. Shameless plug for Jerry. I have seen him pass out free frogskins to little kids at leather shows. You know they were there with their folks, and weren't going home with anything but a case of boredom. Jerry gave them each a frog, and they had something to talk about at recess on Monday. Good guy.

Scouter,

I enjoy slugs. I am a slug salter from way back, and passed on the tradition to my son at a tender age. Twenty years later we still enjoy a good salting together. If I dig back in my music archives I am sure I can come up with Too Slim's (of Riders in the Sky) version of the Salting of the Slug.

[yaklady]

the cane toad is a BIG pest here in australia but someone is making use of them.

the leather cane toad head can be bought for $5

i think the cane toad (toadtie) is my favorite

Roo, is Toadie your favorite when he's tanned, or when he's alive?

[Rawhide]

I can't stand these things, They love my pool and i have to fish them out everyday.

I hate 'em . Come by my place and you can have all you want.

[HorsehairBraider]

I'm wondering when someone will start tanning prairie dog hides.... wretched things get hit by cars along the highway all year long. It seems such a waste of good hide!

[tonyc1]

are Prairie dogs and Gophers the same beast?

Tony.

[yaklady]

are Prairie dogs and Gophers the same beast?

Tony.

Prairie Dogs are much larger than gophers, 14 inches long compaired to the 7" long gopher, or ground squirrel. They have simlar habits, such as digging burrows and eating grasses. Prairie dogs are very social and live in a prairie dog town. You find them all over the Great Plains. Many people get angry with the little creatures because of their holes, which can be quite large. A horse can break a leg in one. They also tend to carry the plague. They are an important part of our ecosystem, feeding coyotes, eagles and such. I like the littel guys, but we don't have them in the mountains. We just have the samller ground squirrels.

Kathy

[gunfighter48]

are Prairie dogs and Gophers the same beast?

Tony.

Nope, two different animals. Prairie dogs can carry bubonic plague. so you have to be careful of their hides. The last I read on some varmit hunting forums, some very large colonies in either New Mexico or Arizona were being wiped out by the plague. If I remember correctly 1 or 2 people had contracted the plague from handling the dead ones and had died(it's rare but does happen). It only seems to be a problem when they over populate a given area but they do carry fleas all the time.

(yaklady, looks like we had the same thought at the same time!!!)

John

Edited March 28, 2008 by gunfighter48

[tonyc1]

Nope, two different animals. Prairie dogs can carry bubonic plague. so you have to be careful of their hides. The last I read on some varmit hunting forums, some very large colonies in either New Mexico or Arizona were being wiped out by the plague. If I remember correctly 1 or 2 people had contracted the plague from handling the dead ones and had died(it's rare but does happen). It only seems to be a problem when they over populate a given area but they do carry fleas all the time.

(yaklady, looks like we had the same thought at the same time!!!)

John

[/qu

Thank you John and Kathy, now I know!

Tony.

[mendedbowl]

lmao oh i love that tie!!!

that's spooky as hell

can you get them in black? i want a black toad tie to wear to a high class black tie benefit here...can't you see me standing over the punch bowl offering drinks to all the fancy ladies?

[Sasquatch]

That tie is classic.

[jbird]

Roo,

That hide looks familiar. I am thinking that it looks a lot like the "frogs" I buy from Jerry Van Amburg. Pretty cheap and makes dandy little inlays. Shameless plug for Jerry. I have seen him pass out free frogskins to little kids at leather shows. You know they were there with their folks, and weren't going home with anything but a case of boredom. Jerry gave them each a frog, and they had something to talk about at recess on Monday. Good guy.

Scouter,

I enjoy slugs. I am a slug salter from way back, and passed on the tradition to my son at a tender age. Twenty years later we still enjoy a good salting together. If I dig back in my music archives I am sure I can come up with Too Slim's (of Riders in the Sky) version of the Salting of the Slug.

Ok forgive me for asking but what the devil is a slug salter ?

Josh

[HorsehairBraider]

Ok forgive me for asking but what the devil is a slug salter ?

Josh

You've never poured salt on a slug? Man, I thought every kid tried that at least once!

When I was a kid if you did stuff like that you had to be dang sure my mother did not catch you at it as she would about kill you for it. (It will kill the slug, she did not approve of killing things for no reason at all and I have to say I agree with her, at least a little, but slugs can be pests.)

[jbird]

You've never poured salt on a slug? Man, I thought every kid tried that at least once!

When I was a kid if you did stuff like that you had to be dang sure my mother did not catch you at it as she would about kill you for it. (It will kill the slug, she did not approve of killing things for no reason at all and I have to say I agree with her, at least a little, but slugs can be pests.)

Ok that clears things up, not many slugs in Utah at least not for the most part so didn't get a chance, how ever I agree about killing things for now reason you should have a need or a reason.

Josh

[Denise]

As far as slugs go, eating and sliming and pooping on my lettuce and cabbage is reason enough. But I stomp them, not salt them. At least it's quick (and satisfying).

[jbird]

That sure sounds like a good reason but what about a shovel cleans off easyr Lol

[tonyc1]

No, stomping is too good for them. I like to see them froth and bubble.

Tony.

[MADMAX22]

http://laurafries.com/archives/frog_purse/

Gotta check this one out, thought of this thread and the frogs so I had to post it.

[tonyc1]

I think a couple of people out turn Cane Toads into humorous and odd things.

Tony.

[TrooperChuck]

All this talk of toads and slugs reminded me of the slugs that live in south east Alaska. Some of those things are HUGE! Imagine a slug the size of a polish sausage. When you step on one of those (I NEVER did it intentionally) it makes a big mess!

But those aren't the biggest slugs I've ever seen. In the redwood forests of California they have banana slugs. Bright yellow. Enormous. With big knobby antennas on their heads. I think they came here from another planet, and are planning on ruling the earth someday.