[groozier]

We were in a cottonwood grove in Gateway,Colorado for an outdoor 4th of July celebration today (yesterday by now). The owner of the land had sawn down some trees and I was going to get some bark to try. It had been down long enough that the bark was loose from the tree. I go over to this one piece and it is coming off the tree in a piece about 12 to 15 inches wide by about 5 feet long. As I go to pick it up I'm looking at what seemed like a thousand yellowjackets that had their home between the bark and the tree. I took off running but they caught me as I fell down trying to escape. I had about three stings on the back of my neck and three or four on my arms and my back. Needless to say, that piece of bark is still there. I did manage to get some smaller pieces from another tree, but they are only about 15 inches long and about that wide also. I hope the carvings turn out good because it will be awhile before I try to harvest any more bark. The big piece was 4-5 inches thick but the smaller pieces that I ended up with are only about half that thick. What a bummer. The guy asked me if I wanted to try to get the big piece, but I don't need bark that bad!!!!!!
groozier

[Banjo]

How awful! I hope you are doing OK. I'm sorry you didn't get the piece of wood you wanted. I think that would end my bark gathering attempts, too!

[Tom H]

Yikes! I know carvers that would risk all the stings for a piece of bark like you described. Shoot, I even know some who would gladly get the stings for the bark... Tom H

[Eddy Smiles]

Groozier...

I totally understand. I had the same thing happen to me yesterday when I went to work on a yard decoration that my wife wanted fixed up... you know the kind... a couple of old crows! Anyway, when I went to lift the hat off of one of the crows the wasps inside, like your yellow jackets, didn't appreciate my intrusion and chased me half way across the yard. Fortunately, I was a little bit luckier than you and they gave up before I was hit. Good thing as I'd have had to get some antihistimine asap. I tend blow up when stung or bit. Needless to say those wasps met their maker later on in the evening!

[artolver]

Tom... it happens a lots, out on the hunts,them hornets will sting you, and if you jerk on the branches or stepping on a nest in the ground. Oh I love that stuff...I tell them "amscray" if they still don't stop I spray them.
two weeks ago I walked down a trail with some bark and a couger walked out the trail ahead of me and I slowed down till he disappeared, then I got to my van real quick. And I went down to town.
Next day I asked a lot of people how mean the couger gets. My daughter says cougers don't stick around much in the same place. So I drove back that afternoon and picked up my bark and other stuff.. Art the barkguy

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Several people have been killed by cougars, but everyone I have heard of was running from them....not a good idea! They think you are "game: stand your ground and try to look as large as you can and a bit of noise as you walk through the woods will allow the critters to hear you coming and go away, they don't want a confrontation anymore than you do! As for the bark....geez, I would get a smudge pot or something, a bowl of sugar water to entice them ha ha....something......hit and run?

[Eddy Smiles]

Hi Ho! Jeremiah Johnson couldn't have said it better!