In the past, most western movies romanticize sleeping under the stars and the wide, open spaces. How much trouble did they have with all of the scorpions, rattlesnakes, black widows, mosquitoes?
They’re still a menace or a pest to anybody bedding down in the wild. It was the same 150 years ago, and back to prehistoric times. Rattlesnakes are and were scary, especially on dark or chilly nights. They would seek warmth by crawling into your bedroll and curl up next to your warm body. Don’t believe that tall tale about a laying a rawhide rope around your bed roll for protection. That Rattler might bite you for insulting its intelligence. They don’t need night vision to strike in the dark. They were also a menace in the tall and short grass prairies. Their venom is the deadliest of all of America’s pit vipers. Black widows and scorpions like to hang out in outdoor privies or wooden bunkhouses.
I’ve always wished that I could have gone up those rivers with Lewis and Clark, but they met with hordes of mosquitos.
Some Indian tribes along the rivers covered their bodies with mud. Others used smoke to keep them away. Still others used sweet smelling herbs to thwart them. Sweetgrass was an effective repellent against the pesky critters.
Don’t let these pesky things keep you from enjoying America’s great outdoors