Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Poison oak/ivy/sumac

I can look at it and catch it. I hate that stuff. It closed up my right eye one night while I was on patrol and I had to go home early. If I catch it I go straight to the Dr. and get a shot of decadron. Clears it up right away.

That chit comes up out of the ground and runs up Wifes trees by her pool, also tries to grow up her plum trees, I pull it loose and throw it over the fence, guess the cows eat it, has never bothered me.

This is the 2nd or 3rd time this 'Tecnu' has been mentioned. Never heard of it. When I get in it, I usually immediately come in, wash with soap, and I dont have a problem, but this time I was working and it was hot, so I was sweating and didn't get to wash it off right away. I'll look for this Techu and give it a try.

Someone mentioned it has put them in the hospital. I never had it that bad, but I've had to take the Cortisone shots several times. I had it so bad one time, that the doc said it was in my bloodstream. I was breaking out all over. Had to take 3 shots in 1 week to dry it up. Only time I ever had it that bad.

Yep, it's serious for some folks. I've had a friend that gets it on hot days like Dub Thomas, just by walking near it. As a wildland firefighter when younger he had to get shots every year before the season. He could get it in his lungs even, depending on type of exposure.

I'm sure glad I've never had a bad case, really screws with my wife though.

Geno

I hired a couple of high school boys to help me clean up some deadfall the powerline crews left. Mostly post oak, I was sawing it for cordwood.

It had some poison ivy in it, It came out of a fence row. I told these boys what we were doing the day before and to wear pants and long sleeves and I'd have gloves for them.

They both showed up looking like they were headed to a swimming hole. Shorts, tank top. I had some Ivy Bloc topical I offered them. "Oh we don't get poison ivy" they said.

Mmmkay

As the job progresses they would toss the wood back and forth, one would load the other boy's outstretched arms up like a dolly vice versa. One would pick up a piece of odd burl and say "check this out it looks like my cock n balls" and hold it to his crotch.


Next morning, the one korean kid showed up he was GTG, the white boy....Eddie says "uhhh Danny had to go to the ER, he had poison all over him, in his ears, his asscrack, his eyelids, just everywhere"

I warned them.

Laughing my ass off

Goats will clear it from your property then you can poison the lower stem roots.

Used to be covered in it as a kid.
Back then there was a "vaccination" shot you could
get to keep you from getting it. Had to get it every year.
I got them for several years, then it was removed from the market.
I never got it as bad though, except for once.

Working on a sawmill, in the morning there was a vine on a log.
The Sawyer pointed at it and hollered, I grabbed it and tossed it on the
slab skid, never gave it a thought. We didn't have running water, so
throughout the day, I touched my face, arms, took multiple leaks...


Yep, I was itchy!
Everywhere!

1940's and 1950's REMEDY. Fels-Naptha Soap.

About 1948 I got into it. I was away from home for several days. By the time I returned it had spread all over my hands, up my arms, on my face. Folks made a lather with Fels-Naptha soap. Covered the infected areas and let it dry. Threw all my clothes into the washing machine. (With Fels-Naptha) An hour later I got a bath. Infection gone. I've been infected a few times since. Once on a Scouting trip and it spread up one arm and over both hands. Used same remedy. Effective. Fels-Naptha followed by a shower takes it away for me. The last time I just washed with it. Worked effectively immediately.

I’ve had it bad 3 or 4 times. It’s been a while!

When I got it as a kid the doctor had me apply 50/50 water and Clorox bleach to the area with a sponge.

Another time I got a few small splotches of poison ivy and noticed that it dried up very soon after spending a big part of the day in the swimming pool attached to the apt complex I lived at. The pool water had a lot of chlorine in it,...just like the bleach the doctor had me apply when I was a kid.

Yep on the Fel-Naptha, and on the bleach.


I work with a lot of nasty solvents, some guys will
scratch the lesions open, the stick their arms into am
bucket of Toulene, MEK, Ethanol, whatever the flavor of the day is.

Burns like heck, dries it right up.

I don't think this is medically approved treatment!
And not suggested.

I’m very allergic to all of them, but sumac is the worst. About 16 years ago, it created dozens of water blisters on me. It was awful. Now, when I’m itching in the least bit after working around it, I will scrub off well with hot soapy water many times.

I only deer hunt shirt less in January. What’s your strategy?

I have learned to watch for poison ivy , If you think you have been into it use Dawn liquid when you shower .

Mometasone cream, as potent as your doc will prescribe.

IF everyone was as allergic as I am they woulda wiped it out years ago.
Have not tried the Technu, but thorough wash down of the exposed areas with Dawn Dishwashing liquid and then regular soap seems to prevent breakouts after exposure.

I get it very badly--or it gets me. I think if I walk down-wind of poison ivy I contract a case. It will actually crop up in locations on my body that never touched it, usually a week after the initial outbreak. The doc had a term for it but it isn't helpful.

Here's some things I've learned. If you get into it, wash off in cold water. Take a cold shower. The cold will close your pores whereas hot water opens them. Dish soap works great as it breaks down the oil. If you know you are going to get into it or think you might bring dish soap and cover yourself in it in advance (I used to river-run a lot and would coat my legs when boating Beartrap Canyon of the Madison for example). If I have an outbreak I will wait a day or two then take prednisone. That kills the reaction. As mentioned, learning to spot it is key. It is a fairly mundane looking plant that shows no sign of being as evil as it is.

HOT shower and liquid dish soap will knock this junk out pretty quick.

My first wife couldn't stay out of the poison ivy in our yard. We had a big hedge growing along the property line that *always* had poison ivy growing under it. Don't ask me why, but periodically she would feel the need to weed up under the hedge. Every time she did, she'd break out with poison ivy.

I'd go out there and point it out to her,...show it what it looked like,..and next year she'd do it again.

I could have doused it with Roundup but it would have killed the hedge. It was easier just to not crawl around under the hedge.

She still lives there. I bet she's still getting into the poison ivy under that hedge

As others have mentioned Technu is great stuff! Always have a bottle of it handy when doing land clearing work. Often dont have a water source handy, just apply and rub it on according to directions and wipe it off with a paper towel until i can wash later.....knock on wood havent got a poison rash in over 5 years and know i have been exposed to a good bit of it.