TomH Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Well, met up with Dave and James to do some exploring. Did some detecting but we all came up with a skunk. There was a couple of mines in the area and we found some neat old junk to bring home There was a snake skin in the wall of one mine and for the life of me I cannot figure out how those pack rats can move cholla cactus to cover the floor 6 inches deep. I just look at cholla and get stuck by it???? Tom 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nugget108 Posted January 26, 2018 Share Posted January 26, 2018 Sounds fun Tom. Sometimes just finding the rusty stuff is really fun. At least thats what my little guy tells me lol. Cool relics and cool pics. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonoran Dave Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 I am amazed the rats can nest in the cholla. I just can't grasp how that crap doesn't stick to them Fun trip anyway...we'll have better luck next time 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 Looks like a fun day 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mn90403 Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 So, it does look like fun. I've got lots of relics and beach finds ... so many you don't really know what to do with them. What do you do with yours? We 'display' some but you begin to forget where it all came from. Mitchel 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwaysdirty Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 I think cholla are to packrats like gold is to us. They love it! Hard workin little fellas. Glad you guys had fun out there Tom 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomH Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 2 hours ago, mn90403 said: So, it does look like fun. I've got lots of relics and beach finds ... so many you don't really know what to do with them. What do you do with yours? We 'display' some but you begin to forget where it all came from. Mitchel Mitchel: The unique finds go up on my work shop door. Not so cool ones go in a bucket that I don't hope will some day be needed to show how we do clean up the desert by metal detecting and taking out "horrible" stuff like lead bullets and other crap that are leaching into the ground water because of the irresponsible people....if you get my drift Gonna have to post a pic of my work shop door. Its pretty cool. Tom H. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomH Posted January 27, 2018 Author Share Posted January 27, 2018 (edited) Packrats/woodrats...think I found out how they dont get stuck...........we just need to be dehydrated! The nests of desert-dwelling Woodrats, often built in and of cholla and beavertail cactus, are usually impregnable to predators, except for the Badger. The Woodrat is most vulnerable when out foraging for food, at which times a Coyote, fox, snake or owl may prey upon it. Primarily nocturnal and vegetarian, desert Woodrats survive on a diet of spiny cactus, yucca pods, bark, berries, pinyon nuts, seeds and any available green vegetation. They rely on succulent plants for their water, since they do not have the refined metabolic and water conservation capabilities of Pocket Mice and Kangaroo Rats. They are one of the few animals that can navigate with impunity between cactus spines to feed on the juicy pads. Read more: https://www.desertusa.com/animals/packrats.html#ixzz55MKWKz4e https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desert_woodrat Tom H. Edited January 27, 2018 by TomH 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AzNuggetBob Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 I know how they do it,very carefully. that stuff is the most crazy stuff I've seen in the deserts. they seem to know. (Pack Rats)not much else will mess with them when they pack it around their nest. we call them choya balls. Ive seen some really bad encounters with it on people. we had places that had good gold and had to rake it off or if it was too deep just leave it. AzNuggetBob 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisski Posted January 27, 2018 Share Posted January 27, 2018 You're saying the packrats place the Cholla there? I always thought it was the wind. With the bee hives, I have been finding them at the outside of about one out of five tunnels I look in. Most of the hives are long gone, but a few are active. I also wonder about those sluicing ops like the ones you found. I've seen a few of those, but always on dry creeks. I wondered if they stock piled pay dirt until the rains, or perhaps that was just a chute to get the ore into a vehicle or mule to take to a mill. With that operation, I wonder if it was a test hole, or an active mine. I've seen a few shafts that have a metal dog tag like mark next to the shaft with an identifier. I can't find any history on the mine, but I wonder if they were test sites to find a vein, or had actually worked on something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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