Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Poison Ivy/oak vs fun.

I haven't been around much as of late. Been camping and fishing on the creek property for the last month. The Holston River has been good to me for the last 2 months except for a prop that was completely destroyed and a mean azz case of poison ivy/oak. I have had it on the back of my thighs and between my fingers for 4 weeks. I have bathed in clorox, Aveno oatmeal powder and Epsom salt, taken prednisone, basted myself with Ivy dry, calamine, caladryle, ivearest, hydrocortisone, and steroid cream. I first had it on my feet and ankles and it dried up but the patch on my legs, between my fingers, on my arms and a patch on my stomach won't give up. I wash in poison ivy soap after I have been out and I still end up with a new patch every week. The smallmouth fishing has been awesome so it's been worth it but damn if it isn't torture when you get to digging at it.

I put out some limb lines and run them at night and caught a bunch of cats between 5 and 10 pounds, flat heads and channels. I hadn't put out limb lines since I was in high school. The Grass has been worse this year than I have seen it in 20 years up there. The last 6 weeks have been so bad the only thing you can fish is a grass frog or horns toad or punch the grass mats with a heavy Texas rig.

Back to the prop, I'm always prepared, prepared to bum a pair of pliers from a farmer to straitened the prop out. I'm also always prepared, prepared to fish sleeveless all day because I forgot to replace the tp in my boat. Holy hell I have been having a blast. Can't get pics to post. If you want pics go to bushcraftusa.com and look at creekside homestead under the preparedness/homestead forum. Come and see me, we will camp, fish, eat and drink.

Poison Ivy sucks Troy, but sound like you are catching lots of fish and enjoying your new place.

I was wondering what went with you. Glad you're having fun.
Poison ivy can get real bad.

Glad you're having fun Troy.

It appears as though the property was a good investment.....well except for the Poison Ivy.

I avoid the stuff like the plague!

Dawn dish soap is your friend, every ting you touch has the oil on them, rod hands, boat tiller and yes boot laces, be clean and you will be happy.

Great buy , by the way! To many of these guys are to cheap to invest in their own well being and happiness!

Would be up there right now but had to work today and gonna work tomorrow too. Don't have to work tomorrow but doubletime will buy some much needed camping stuff for the place. I'm torn between a camper or building a small cabin.

I wash in my hands in dawn every time I wash my hands. I keep a bottle on a huge wire spool we use as a camp table and wash often. I wash my sleeping bag, shoes and clothes as soon as I get home. It beats all I have ever had. It's growing up a locust tree that I dock my boat under but I'm careful to not touch it when getting in and out of my boat. My son Reid has a friend who isn't allergic to it so I had him chop the vine growing up the trunk into. Hopefully it will dry up and die. I'm gonna spray it the next time I'm up there.

I always thought a 10x16 shed would make a great little getaway, fold up beds and a kitchen is about all you really need.

a camper would be good as you could move it if the water decided to rise a little to far.

A outhouse would be an improvement right now. Lol, one with plenty of Charmin!

I don't know if you know this or not but poison Ivy and poison oak both need brush killer to get after it, Roundup just makes it a little sick and it will come right back.

seal_billy,

Glad you're having fun. I hardly ever get it anymore because before I go into it I'm covered with IvyX. I used to use IVY BLOCK but it seems to be off the market. As soon as I return from my forays I shower and wash. Then I wash again.

I really like the idea of the dish soap. Thanks for the idea.

Paul, the camper is appealing because I could move it to Davy Crockett Reservoir when the grass on John Sevier is dieing and floating down river. Plus theys muskies in them there waters!

Hummmmmmmmmm brush killer. Will check it out. We need that at work too, I spray the fence about once a month.

one of my buddy's spent a week in the hospital after accidentally burning poison ivy while he was burning a pile of other weeds, he inhaled the fumes.

Roger I got it the same way when I was in my 20s. It was hell. I cut a mulberry tree that was dead that had some vines growing up it and we have been burning it at night for a campfire but I'm sure it was honeysuckle not poison ivy, unless I overlooked some.

Ps that's a hell of a hawk.

Around these parts,poison ivy is only a foot or so high,doesn't grow up trees.
You sure you've identified it correctly?
Maybe that could be why you keep getting it, mis identified it with something else?
Best of luck

Round up works fine on poison ivy. The only people that bitch about Round up, ain't the people that use it.

There are at least 3 types of poison ivy. It can grow on the ground like you see it, it can grow as a bush when out in the open and it can grow up trees as a vine on the edges of tree lines. It's easy to see as it has a fuzzy looking vine and the leaves are in 3 leaf clusters. Poison oak looks almost identical as ivy. Poison sumac looks totally different. Either was it's a fact that 3 things of this world are surely going to be in hell, poison ivy, poison oak and mosquitos.

Sure doesn't sound like fun atall!

Guess I'm one of the lucky ones that isn't affected by poison ivy/oak. Hope it stays that way...

You are lucky indeed. My dad isn't allergic to it, wish I had gotten that gene.

the best thing is to learn to ID it and avoid it. if you think you got in it, use dawn dishwashing detergent and cold water to scrub yourself down immediately. my property is loaded too and i have been able to minimize its effects this way.

I take a poison ivy capsule every Spring. It has poison ivy in it and it helps reduce the reaction.

"the best thing is to learn to ID it and avoid it"

I had to do this and now avoid it or I'll be on prednisone

I never had a problem with it till I got older,now if I look at it I'll get it

Next time you get poison ivy, you may want to try one of the old time lye soaps. There are several on the market. I don't know how it works but it does and very quickly. Stops the itching almost at once.

one other thing, if you're a rabbit hunter, wear gloves when handling dead bunnies. the worst case i ever got was in january after a snowy bunny hunt. the bunnies were all in tangled vines and i got several and gutted and skinned them without gloves. the vines have the oil on them year round.

Congrats on the fishing. Sorry about your ordeal with the ivy. It is bad [bleep].

Goats and llamas. They love to eat the stuff and they're immune to it. Don't pet one after it's been floundering in it, though. I've read about people who have got rid of it entirely on their properties by using movable electric fences and a bunch of goats.

Just like life, you have no idea of which you speak. I go through approx 35 to 50 gallons of concentrated roundup per year at work. Poison ivy is a woody plant, woody plants require a brush killer, anyone that knows anything about grass, plants, trees knows this.

So there ya go, now you have a tiny bit more knowledge to navigate through your pathetic little life with.

Lol, The county here hires a guy to bring in his goats and fence to get rid of the poison Ivy in some of the parks. I would think it be cheaper to use a few college kids and spot spray with roundup.

Poison Ivy is actually a really cool plant, It can disguise itself to match it's surroundings. It will take on characteristics in it's leaves of the plants that grow around it but can always be identified because it will always have a unique "lobe" on at least one leaf, it may be subtle but it is there.

Here's a pretty good article on it but not the one I was looking for.

Link.


Google images of Poison Ivy and you will be able to see how it disguises it's leaves.

Here's another good link. Link.

That's government. Leave it to individuals to clean up their own property and it will invariably get done better and cheaper.

Troy, I hunted just yesterday in poison oak. I carry a ziploc bag in my pocket full of Costco baby wipes. If my hands brush against something while I'm still hunting, I whip around and see what it was. If it was poison oak, I take a baby wipe and wipe my hands down. Of course pants and especially boots are covered with the oil, so when you sit down to glass with your forearms on your knees, wipe them off. When you tighten your boot laces, wipe your hands down. When you take a crap, nice to have wipes rather than paper if you know what I mean.

If its cool enough I wear a pair of Primos lightweight gloves that come high up my arms to keep the poison oak off my hands. Wash them when I get home. All my clothes go straight to the washer when I come through the door. Don't forget next time you lace up your boots to wash your hands afterwards.

I go to the hardware store and buy tall rubber gloves for dressing game because they live in poison oak. When I'm done, baby wipes everywhere. I don't make a backpack out of my deer to haul them out either!

If I end up with it, the only thing that gives relief is called (spelling) Gwe Hi balm. It's similar to a BenGay/Icy Hot type sensation, very strong. Do not get it in your eyes or on privates!!! Very hard to find but works. We are currently out with no luck replacing so I pretty much obsess about staying poison oak free. If I get poison oak in the future, I will be trying anything like icy hot to try to get some relief. You might check into it and see if it works.

I get it bad but if I carry and use the baby wipes while hunting, then straight to the washer and shower upon getting home, I have no poison oak ever.

You simply can't ignore it and expect to stay free of it, you must deliberately manage it, but you can successfully.

No poison ivy here lots of poison oak and you can catch it in many ways including petting the dogs. I'm very sensitive to it and have had it every year for 40+ years of tromping through the woods.

I use "Mean Green" scrub to remove the oil, it is cheap and as effective as the Zanfel $12 per ounce made for the purpose. It is almost as effective as the steroid injections for fast recovery.

To kill it at our place I use a mix of roundup and Dawn dish soap to dry the plants. About 2 weeks after spraying the plants are dead or dying. That is effective in our very dry climate not sure about ivy or wet climates.

I've never seen poison oak anywhere in so. Idaho. We do have poison ivy, usually at lower elevations. I live at about 4k and we have lots of it along waterways. It's easy to see and avoid, though, and I seldom hear of people getting into it.

Years ago, though, my boss's wife was a cub scout leader. She took her cubs on a hike and one of the boys slipped off into the greenery for a nature call. He wiped his butt with poison ivy and he was one hurting little kid. They had him in the hospital for a while.

Good to hear from y'all.

It must not affect me, I've been around it many times with no problems. I've known people who would get a reaction quite a way downwind of it. When we moved here a couple of years ago there was poison ivy on the bank next to the garage. Neighbor warned me about it when she saw me out there with a weed wacker. I got some stuff at the hardware store made just for killing off poison ivy, sprayed down the plants, they died, haven't come back in two years now.

Poison oak and ivy are accumulative. You might go for years without it affecting you but then one day it will hit like a sledge hammer. Once it does, you'll be susceptible forever. If you're immune now, stay away from it and save your immunity for accidents.

Leaves of three, let them be… Leaves of five, let them thrive!

Poison oak is not typically found in the East. But Ivy is a different story. Up on our mountain in Asheville, I have vines as large as trees growing right along side tall oaks and sourwoods.

Leaves of five is Virginia Creeper and some people have reactions to it but not most.

Yepper.....did not know some folks have a reaction to creeper.

Think that's mental or for real?

RU can control Oak if it's mixed right, I kill poison ivy all year with RU at 2 %. I mix a little Arsenal in if I feel like it, but that is not necassary.

Yeah, we've killed a lot of poison oak here on our property with RoundUp. Follow the directions, and use distilled water if you are mixing your own.

I've had good results with TechNu but you have to use it right after exposure. Once the reaction starts in your skin it's kinda too late. I've had a few miserable experiences with poison oak. I have quite the eye for it now.

Sounds like a blast SB!

I get PO and PI just by looking at it too long. Usually end up getting a steroid shot in the ass from the doc.

I always got the job of cleaning out the growth around the tree stands.

Seems i was the only one that both of these plants did not bother.
Must have been from growing up in the swamps of MS.
Man i miss those days.

Troy, I feel your pain. I break out just looking at the stuff.

You've been given some good advice here. If I think I've been exposed, I wash in cold water with Dawn.

As far as Roundup goes, this version ( LINK) is what I use around the property when I can't spray it with GrazonNext HL.

Sounds like you've been living the dream. Well, except for the poison ivy nightmare...

It's good to see you back on here.

Ed

Sounds like you are having a hell of a good time. Well, except for the poison ivy/oak part. I've had that stuff and it sucks!!!!! I still have scars from the chit and the hair on one leg doesn't look like it's growing back any time soon. I feel for anyone that gets that crap. Took a couple months for that to go away too, and caladryl and calamine lotion every day. Yuk!!!

Living the Dream like a weekend warrior. I'd give my right nut and a good portion of my left one to live up there.

I want to do it all off grid so idk exactly how I'm gonna do it. The well is 40 foot deep and the water is 17 foot deep, I don't know if a 12 volt system of some kind will work. Id like to do solar and led for lights, heat will be easy, a wood stove and a propane wall heater. Hot water and ac are the other concerns. I can't live without it, I'd give up hot water first.

You don't build up an immunity to oak or ivy. You just have it...for now. Overexposure, though, will kill your immunity and once it's gone, it's gone. Stay away from the stuff to preserve the immunity you have in case you need it.

I run a 12VDC transfer pump when I'm filling my 300gal tank sprayer from a larger tank. The transfer pump I'm using has a 36' lift, so it would at least move water out of your well.

Look into a large steel tank that you can build a fire under for hot water. When I was little, I remember living in a house that had a coal/charcoal fired water heater. Maybe 40 gal.? I know it had enough capacity to let all four of us have a bath and my Mom washed dishes.

There are also some well pumps that can be hand powered and electrically powered. I think Lehman's carries them; LINK .

Lehman's also has some nice propane lighting fixtures and a couple of propane ranges. Their catalog is better than the old Sears Christmas catalog to me.

Ed

About 33' is the max lift for water with a suction pump at sea level. If your pump says 36', they're stretching the laws of physics. You need a submersible pump to pull it from any deeper. At higher elevations, the max lift is less.
At any rate, be sure you have a check valve at the bottom. If the water drains out of the pipe, you have to bring it all the way up from the bottom every time you turn it on.

Brush killer will get it

if you do get itchy, take Benadryl or any anti histamine.

I have to admit an addiction to frying brush with herbicide.

That sh.. works.

found your thread over there, and there is a lot of info on it. Thanks, and I am glad I caught up with you there.

Good to know. The lift # came from the box. Always have a check valve.

Ed

Interesting. I have been immune all my 57 years. Can roll in it and have accidentally done so with no harm. 10 years ago I got something trapped in a sock while brush busting that welled up pretty good. Since then I have brushed up against it several times with no adverse reaction. I have an aunt who would break out on skin when a neighbor was burning vines anywhere within a mile.

You're lucky, so far. Some people will be immune their whole lives but many have found out that immunity can disappear at very inconvenient times.

Troy,
I wipe down with isopropyl alcohol and paper towels folded in quarters. If infected, it's usually through the dog. He'd get the oil on his fur and then deposit it on the couch, etc. So when he'd get in it, he'd also get wiped down. I always have a big spray bottle of isopropyl alcohol in the truck.

Glad to hear your enjoying your new place, with the exception of the poison ivy.

Go myself a minor case of it from hunting in it the other day. All the best precautions and it still gets me.

Same here, I've been on hikes where several people, if not everybody else got it when we all walked in the same places, but I never got an iota. I was changing a flat one night literally crawling in it and laying in it getting the spare from under a SUV. I didn't even notice until a helper with a flash light pointed it out too late, but to even my surprise, still nothing.

I have a friend who the least little bit, and he blisters and scabs up bad--like hospital bad. Like concrete burns, etc., we all have different tolerances for it I guess.

I have had it really bad and not so bad. When it's bad, I go straight to the doctor and get a steroid/cortizone shot. It's usually gone in 3-4 days.



Clyde