Ever been hurt while hunting ?

[texsalerno]

I was carrying treelounge and backpack on my back,carrying 243 in my arms. I went to cross a dead tree.Treelounge caught a tree branch catapulting me forward.Lost my footing and fell between the tree limbs catching my left elbow in the crotch of two limbs.Immediately i said to myself i have just broken my arm. I walked to a tree stump back toward my truck, where i have hunted from in the past. Took off the treelounge and backpack + my hunting jacket.I put my feet up on top of the tree stump treated myself for shock.After about 25-30 minutes. I was really cold.Put my hunting jacket back on picked up my back pack and rifle headed for my truck.Found that carrying the backpack in the hand of the injured arm actually made it feel better.Half an hour later at my truck i found it very difficult to close the door.No way to use a safety belt.Drove home.My girlfriend drove me to emergency room.X-rays negative.MRI tore my tricep completely away from the joint at the elbow. After surgery, 6 weeks in a cast and 5 weeks of therapy almost new. Discovered my 3x9x40 scope was damaged internally and had to be replaced wasn't repairable like my tricep.

 

[Rich Coyle]

I guess this almost fits here. I used to enjoy walking on the curb of the street. Maybe foolish childishness, but I enjoyed it. While in the woods I figured I could walk across a downed dead tree. About half way across I managed to trip on a stobb and fall off the "log" right into the stump of a hollow dead tree, butt first. (What are the odds?!) The hollow was just large enough for me to catch myself with the back of my knees and underarms. Being athletic I figured I would just push myself out. No way. I was stuck. The rifle was still in my hands so I thought I could fire three shot, but then I couldn't get to my ammo to fire more after a few minutes so that didn't seem like a good idea. I gathered my composure and relaxed for a couple minutes. Then I realized I could move my arms "up" without falling further into the hollow. I worked my elbows a few inches above my shoulders and gave it the old college try. After a few efforts I got my calves up on the edge so I could use my arms a little more. Once I could do that I was able to push more with one side than the other and able to roll out and drop to the ground. It was almost scarey experience. The only thing injured was my pride. I don't walk on "logs" any more.

 

[gillettehunter]

About 5 yrs ago I was in New Zealand for a hunt. It rained the 2 days before my arrival and I lost the 1st hunting day due to the rain. Early the 2nd day my guide and I climbed a steep hill to look into a couple of valleys. Nothing caught our eye so we headed down. I slipped and fell twice and tore up my knee. I limped down the hill. We entered the hunting area and parked. I slowly limped down the track. We got lucky and found my red stag where I could get a shot. After he was down we went to a pharmacy. I bought the best knee brace they had and lots of pain relievers.
2 days later I was able to make the hike in to kill my Tahr..... Ultimately when we got back to the USA I had arthroscopic surgery on the knee. Had both replaced 10 weeks ago. I hope that takes care of them for a while. Bruce

 

[Shifty Old Goat]

This is a great conversation for all hunters. I know most of us in this forum would agree it is never too early to teach your kids to drive. I was only 13 and had been driving off road for a couple of years. While hunting high on Soda Ridge my Dad and I woke up early to head out to the "Rock" to settle in for a morning hunt. It was however relatively cold about 20 degrees and for some reason my Dad couldn't shake the cold. There was a fast way off the hill through some exceptionally tough though only 2-3 miles of heavy four wheeling down the side of the saddle or the long way down the average rocky mountain trail. We chose the short way as he was becoming hypothermic. Even as the old 4x4 warmed up he was just not breaking the chill. We got to lower altitude and headed to a watering hole for some breakfast and hot coffee. Things could have been much worse had I been raised under different ideals.

 

[Rich Coyle]

Had both replaced 10 weeks ago. I hope that takes care of them for a while. Bruce

Man, that's rough. I'll be pulling for you.

 

[gareyg]

A year or two ago, my friend's brother was duck hunting in a blind with his buddies. The dog in the blind with them got excited about birds coming in, knocked over a 12ga shotgun, stepped on it, managed to both push the safety off and "pull" the trigger. It hit one of the guys point blank in the hip. Fortunately it was very cold and they were all bundled up in many heavy layers, so it only broke his hip. If he had on light clothing it would have perhaps cut him near in half. Something to think about when hunting in a blind.

 

[keithcandler]

We Hunted off of Mules in Az. Nothing like a good mule, nothing like a BAD one either.
I had a 14.3h mule, nice gentle little guy, would carry me with ease in the roughest terrain you could imagine. We were scouting for deer, stepped down in a deep sand wash and Kansas went to bucking. Bucked me off and I landed face first in the deep sand. My right wrist felt weird. Got back on Kansas and continued the ride along the base of the mountains. The next sand wash, he really got to bucking hard. I landed face first in the sand again. I pulled my left arm up out of the sand and my elbow was dislocated and my arm was broken badly right up above the wrist. We were 6 miles from the truck.

I had sold my neighbor the best mule I had ever owned, Buck. The neighbor told me to ride Buck back to the truck because Buck would not act up. The neighbor got back on Kansas with a thick stick. Kansas started bucking in the next sand wash, my neighbor beat his ears raw with that stick. Kansas quit bucking on sand washes after the discipline.

I ended up with rods and pins in my left arm(broke too bad for a cast), and a cast on my right arm(it was broke also).

 

[Bud Meadows]

i hurt my ankle jumping down a tree early this year....i tried pulling it back to place but it hurts too bad and i couldn't do it myself, my partner had no experience doing such thing so he was no help at all. the hunt came to an end, but i can't help but thing what if we were attacked? and i am sure this must have happened to people somehow somewhere. please f you have any experience in such circumstances plus share.

Thanks.

In March 2006 I was turkey hunting in Midway, AL. I arrived at our camp a day before the other guys. At 4:30 AM I awoke with crushing chest pains. I used my cell phone to wake up one of my fellow members to ask where the closest MD was. I drove myself 20 miles to Union City AL to a clinic and they sent me by ambulance 50 miles to Montgomery AL. I had emergency Angioplasty where they sucked two blood clots out of my heart. I wanted to drive back that day to start my turkey hunt, but they wouldn't release me for 3 days.

 

[RH300UM]

I was on a solo mule deer hunt in southeast Idaho. It had snowed 6-8 inches and I was hunting high country. 3 days into the hunt I got sick. Really sick!! Passed out on the mountain. I came to freezing my butt off and shivering. I crawled 3 1/2 miles back to camp as every time I stood up I would get dizzy and fall over.
I made it back to camp and crawled into my tent. Fell asleep for 24 hours.
Woke up with a ragging fever.
Time to break camp and get home.
Finally made it to my truck. I was completely spent. Shaking like a leaf.
Every time I tried to eat something I would throw it up too. Threw my sleeping bag under the truck and climbed into it.
Fell asleep/passed out again.
Woke up to a blizzard and it was dark.
I felt a little better. I got in my truck and made it to home.
My wife insisted I go to the ER.
After pumping me full of IV's the doctor was looking me over trying to find the cause of my sickness.
Then he discovered I had red streaks coming from my foot and going up my leg to my knee area.
I had celulitious. Blood poisoning.
The cause was a blister I had on my heel from hiking. All that from a blister!! I've had a lot of blisters in my time but I never knew something like that could happen.
A few more trips to the ER and a week later I was hunting again.

 

[glbhunter]

Now this one only happens once in a life time. As most of you, I'm sure , are hoping about some of the traumatic injuries I have just read about. I was bow hunting elk last September near my home in South East Idaho. I was working on clearing a shooting lane to a well used game trail and was going to set up a make shift ground blind. As I was trimming a branch close to the ground I was attacked around my head by about a hundred black hornets. Then was when I made a big mistake. I took off my hat and tried to swat them away. Realizing that it was to no avail, I just ran up the hill and out of the trees. when I realized that I was out of danger for the moment. I took inventory of my injuries. I had sting all over my head, face, ears, neck. All my exposed skin was numb. Because of hearing about people having severe reactions to just one or two stings, I was somewhat nervous. I immediately set out for my ATV about a mile away; I didn't seem to be having any reaction yet. When I reached home my wife, who is an RN immediately went to work. Two benadryl, two motrin anti-inflamitories, ice packs on well over 30 stings for pain and swelling, had me sit down, talked calmly to me. Put on an anti-itch so I wouldn't scratch them. She kept saying "you will be fine". She had an uneasy night watching me to make sure I didn't have any serious symptoms requiring trip to ER, however, next morning you couldn't hardly see the stings and I never had any reaction. I keep thinking, WOW! that was lucky, pretty scarey. Maybe I'll carry benadryl when out in the wilds.

 

[texsalerno]

i hurt my ankle jumping down a tree early this year....i tried pulling it back to place but it hurts too bad and i couldn't do it myself, my partner had no experience doing such thing so he was no help at all. the hunt came to an end, but i can't help but thing what if we were attacked? and i am sure this must have happened to people somehow somewhere. please f you have any experience in such circumstances plus share.

Thanks.

 

[glbhunter]

I was on a solo mule deer hunt in southeast Idaho. It had snowed 6-8 inches and I was hunting high country. 3 days into the hunt I got sick. Really sick!! Passed out on the mountain. I came to freezing my butt off and shivering. I crawled 3 1/2 miles back to camp as every time I stood up I would get dizzy and fall over.
I made it back to camp and crawled into my tent. Fell asleep for 24 hours.
Woke up with a ragging fever.
Time to break camp and get home.
Finally made it to my truck. I was completely spent. Shaking like a leaf.
Every time I tried to eat something I would throw it up too. Threw my sleeping bag under the truck and climbed into it.
Fell asleep/passed out again.
Woke up to a blizzard and it was dark.
I felt a little better. I got in my truck and made it to home.
My wife insisted I go to the ER.
After pumping me full of IV's the doctor was looking me over trying to find the cause of my sickness.
Then he discovered I had red streaks coming from my foot and going up my leg to my knee area.
I had celulitious. Blood poisoning.
The cause was a blister I had on my heel from hiking. All that from a blister!! I've had a lot of blisters in my time but I never knew something like that could happen.
A few more trips to the ER and a week later I was hunting again.

That was a very traumatic experience. One that unless you were actually experiencing it, you wouldn't have a clue what it was like. You were lucky to have made it out at all. Wow is all I can say

 

[JMHNL]

Well it wasn't extreme but it did involve mules and the ER room:

Several years ago in WY, my uncle and I were packing out a couple of elk we shot the previous day. I was leading a string of 5 mules, per my uncle's request. We were following decent game trails side-hilling back to the main trail down to the truck. The trail began to deteriorate getting steeper with more falldowns. Being the inexperienced mule man that I was, instead of trying to zig zag and slowly lose elevation by picking my way through it, I just started going straight down and through it. Not sure exactly what happened, but the string started stampeding and got out of control. Instead of dropping the lead rope and letting them go, I double wrapped it and dug my heels in. At that point I was catapulted about 10ft down the trail where my head was stopped by a tree; specifically a stobb on the tree and my upper lip! Split my lip open completely! Long story short, we recollected the mules, got down to the truck, and I drove out to Jackson Hole and got fixed. Side note, the ER doc said the most common hunting accidents involve (in order): chainsaws, mules/horses, knives, firearms!

 

[HARPERC]

......ER doc said the most common hunting accidents involve (in order): chainsaws, mules/horses, knives, firearms!

When I hear someone has a rifle that kicks like a mule, I always think they lack an experience to compare with.