Misc data and adventures of a Tayopa treasure hunter

[audigger53]

Reminds me of a Dentist North of Phoenix in the late 60's. He raised Beagles and Rodesian Ridgebacks. The Beagles would smell the cat and take off. The Rods would just trot along behind them. Rods are Air born scent, sight and sound, not ground scent. He was always afraid that the beagles would arrack the cat before the Rods got there. When the Rods smelled the cat, they were gone and would catch up to and pass the Beagles. The cat would either climb a tree or the dogs killed it. He also packed a "Dirty Harry" bolt action pistol.
I don't think I would go after cats with a .22. If so I would have a bunch of rounds in the pocket.

 

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[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

AU. my buddy. my partner and I packed .22 pistols for our 6 month of living off of the Jungle lookig for Mayan Ruins..We relied upon fthem or our food and minimal protection against preditors, although I would have preferred a larger cal. We often discussed an alternative while cutting trail

 

[audigger53]

Ours were 6 shot revolvers, cheap ones, AKA Saturday night specials. 2&1/2 inch barrels, with CCI Snake Shot a 4 inch pattern on the ground from the waist. Small enough to not catch in the brush. Our normal load in the brush was 2 snake and then 2 CCI hollow points, then one snake and one more hollow point.
I liked the 4 inch pattern, because it made it harder to miss when excited. LOL We wore them almost dead center in front in holsters, again so as to not catch in the brush. We did a lot of what would be called cross country. Made our on trails more than once, rather than follow cow trails or people trails.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

NP, I noticed that there was conspicously no chow invitation. I'll remeber that sniff.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Au, I forgot to include the picture, appol. Coffee acepted ? that's my partner on the toughiing up trail - now a four lane super hi-way - and hamming it up in the river after almost 3 days wihout water - a stupid situation and decision that could have cost us dearly.

Me gathhering Oysters on the mangrove roots.in Quitana Roo east coast.

P.S. yes the Iguanas are good eating, white meat on the order of chicken.

 

[Not Peralta]

NP, I noticed that there was conspicously no chow invitation. I'll remeber that sniff.

Amigo, I will share my fire and food with anyone in the mnts,as long as they don't try to fry up a skunk on my fire, and when questioned they said God wanted them to go to the water, I was very polite,and run them out of my camp, that story I shared on my thread. so there's no reason for me to bring up Iguana juice at this time, I dont want to get your taste buds in an uproar.NP P.S. Remember ,I can bring the Bar B Q sauce for the belly crawling lizard chicken

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

NP. I remember that post, ugh. anyway you are forgiven

 

[audigger53]

On the trail, Fritos or Doritos, heat doesn't bother them, and even broken they are still good, and the corn lasts for a good long time. Those nice fruit cups for the moisture and the sugar boost, also jerky is nice. Those are for day trips though.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

This was my partner, he was as tough normally as he looks however once he ---

Twas back in the 50's. After hiking half way down Mexico's almost uninhabited west coast, My partner and I had turned inland and hit patches of pure jungle growth. We were recutting the remains of old paths that had been cut before, since they were going our way. We had been on the trail for weeks getting in condition to go to the Border of British Honduras to look for Mayan ruins


One day while cutting trail, my partner suddenly took off his pack, threw it on the ground then sat on it? We hadn't seen anyone for a week.


When I stopped cutting, I was lead cutter at the time, and turned around to see what was up, he lit a cigarette then said "it's no use. we are through, we are done, we will die here. but no-one will ever find us?


"hot-- ell are you saying" I asked a bit confused, he replied "It is just no use Jose, we are going to die here". "Die ?? are you nuts? we are doing just what we have trained and planned for, for almost two years. We have 3 cooked Chacalacas, Rice, Beans, etc., plenty of food, water etc." ??


"Nope" he said 'it is just no use" ?? HMM "OK" I said, "I'll let your family know what happened to you" and turned around and continued cutting, About 15 minutes later I head him calling from back down the trail "Jose Jose, where are you"? I didn't say anything, just kept cutting.


He quickly caught up wth me as I had planned. I still didn't say anything, however, after a whie, said "Let's cut back to the beach and rest for a few days" He agreed, and a few days later we were on the beautiful, unspoiled beach again.


I never mentioned this to him again , and he only gave me trouble once more when we ran out of water for two days, but found it on the third day. Nope we didn't die.


One day, while we were at that beautiful beach I spotted a 6 ft shark in very shallow water. Since shark meat is good chomping, I grabbed my Machete, a 30" colins, pistol, and went into the surf after him. When the shark heard me, he turned towards me and started coming, apparently he wanted dinner also.


We played 'circle around each other' several times then mutually decided to get the 'H' out of there.


My partner was laughing his arse off in the small hut that we had constructed. sheesh.


The picture is of him on what would become a major 4 lane highway down the west coast of Mexico. He actually was one tough guy.

that's a chcalaca he is holding, our mainstay on our diet. built similar to a roadrunner.

 

[releventchair]

On the trail, Fritos or Doritos, heat doesn't bother them, and even broken they are still good, and the corn lasts for a good long time. Those nice fruit cups for the moisture and the sugar boost, also jerky is nice. Those are for day trips though.

A standard potato chip like a frito has lots of oil.
For an experiment light the edge of one with a match. (Outside the domicile if a female is , or will be around to avoid further continuation of experiment beyond the match holders control.).
A help in firestarting if tinder is scarce or wet , or a quick small light in the dark.

 

[audigger53]

Anytime you can find Manzanita, you can start a fire really easy. The dead part will shred very easy and make a nice power for starting the fire. But it burns fast so you will need another type of wood for a longer fire with good coals to cook on. Mesquite worked really good but now that is illegal in Arizona to "harvest" as so many people have been doing it for BQB's that there are few left around the Nat Forests. Never tried Iron Wood.

 

[releventchair]

Birch bark on this side of the country. Burns hot ,even wet.
Use only dead bark as damage results breaking the skin of the tree.

Strike anywhere matches with white tips contain phosphorous hotter than the red tips.
Wetted the removed tips can reprime rimfire brass with a thin layer applied and allowed to dry. Former firingpin/ hammer strike dent needs loaded to not strike the same spot , (now a high point inside.)

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Rel, I didn't thinl that any of the present group knew about that primer trick, also they used the old nitrate film shredded to sub for gunpowder. In places like Afghanastan they pound out the old hammer / striker dimple and prefer the Berdan primed cases.

 

[audigger53]

"that's a chcalaca he is holding, our mainstay on our diet. built similar to a roadrunner."

Now I know why you are both so slim in the pictures. Looks like not a bunch of fat in those and you need a lot of them for a "full" meal. Of course a high calorie burn (hiking in the hills, ect) without lots of high calorie food, trims you down real fast, and it isn't "just water loss". Been there also. We dropped 25 LBS in one 3 day trip in the mountains. Took 3 months to gain it back.

 

[rockhound]

I take several cotton balls, soak in petroleum jelly heated over a fire in a tin can. when dry I put them in a resealable plastic bag. This is the best fire starters I have ever made or used. Fritos make for a good snack and will burn readily too, but I carry jerky or pemmican and also trail mix for longer treks. A water filter straw and a container of drinking water. Tuna, potted meat and Vienna sausage are also small, light weight and nutritious. I carry a magnesium fire starter and ferrous rod. A good bushcraft knife like the Morakniv and a bowie knife 15-16 inches long or a tomahawk or small hatchet. Eastern native Indians only carried a tomahawk for hunting, skinning, cutting and self defense, along with their bows and arrows. It served all their needs. They traveled light and fast to hunt or make war. Good Luck. rockhound

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Keep posting rock, what took you so long ?

I origionally carried my issue Collins Bowie with the horn handle and the sheath that could fit on the issue 1911 holster between the belt fastner and the actual pistol sheath thus making a inegreal unit as issued to Army air crews, -- how the Navy got it, I have no idea -- but finally left it behind in favor of a full sized Machete backed up with a Marine combat knife.

Course that was for the Jungle, for the Supers a good light hand axe may be preferable since it has more hardwood.

For hard wod they use a hooked type of Machete, they cut in the curved section.

 

[audigger53]

Much nicer than the one I have now for chopping cactus and brush. But I also have a Buck Folding Hunter from a long time ago. And yes you can shave with the Buck, if you wanted to. To me a dull knife is like an empty gun, won't do you much good except as a club.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

AU, I like to stay as far away as it is possbible from those long, sharp, spinnes coure they do have their ueses.--

A mexican friend of mine who was very religeous, was a good friend 0n the theological balancing act ?


any way, one day I found him with a long face, upon questioning him it seems that he had lost the steel needle in his kiddie, wind up, record player, So I told him to relax, and the thank the lord for sending him a fine upstanding member of an exploreer, and went to the nearest Hecho cactus - similarto a sahuaro -and cut off two spines about 1 1/2 inches long, put one in his kiddie player then told him to start it up. I was repaid many times over by the delighted, disbelief look on his face when the recording came out nice and clear.

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

AU, I once spent 3 days in the rain waiting for a truck in the middle of a mazanita clump.in the remote sierras while on the search for the Gloria Pan mine I only had a 6 ft sq piece of plastic, so I had to rely upon the manzanita for side protection. I had plenty of fire materiehel within arms reach. as you said it is fine fire materiel.

 

[markmar]

Keep posting rock, what took you so long ?

I origionally carried my issue Collins Bowie with the horn handle and the sheath that could fit on the issue 1911 holster between the belt fastner and the actual pistol sheath thus making a inegreal unit as issued to Army air crews, -- how the Navy got it, I have no idea -- but finally left it behind in favor of a full sized Machete backed up with a Marine combat knife.

Course that was for the Jungle, for the Supers a good light hand axe may be preferable since it has more hardwood.

For hard wod they use a hooked type of Machete, they cut in the curved section.



View attachment 1329422

This is my little 5" blade Muela survival knife with the belt portable sheath. I have it in my possession about 20 years and is an usable and loyal " friend " in my hunting quests .