First aid/survival equipment, taking care or ourselves and others.

[Alibiiv]

There are all kinds or posts and threads that address how to get the game, what to use to harvest it, how to make the 1000 yard shot, where and when to go; however, I have not seen too much about what we are using for the basic in the field first aid and survival equipment too keep us going while we are in the field? I'm older so getting back in one piece, "or"........ simply getting back is a present thought. I have a D.A.R.K ACTION RESPONSE KIT as my individual first aid kit (IFAK) that I always keep in my backpack or in a dry bag in my kayak. It has your basic Quick Clot bandage, some chest seal bandage and a "tourniquet"; and....it doesn't weigh too much or take up too much space. There are not too many hunters who can say that they have never nicked or seriously cut themselves while field dressing. I also have a zip lock with band aids, some surgical tape, some 2 X2 gauze, and some steri-strips. In addition to this I carry my heart attack kit in my front pocket, an empty Dramamine container that has four aspirins and a couple of Excedrin for migraines; just in case!! Black bear hunting, or oftentimes kayaking we end up coming out in the dark, I always carry two flashlights, a Streamlight ProTac 2, and a Streamlight ProTac HL headlamp with 2 extra batteries taped together. This past year's black bear hunt put me in an area where there was no phone service, thus truly without any communication with the outside world. Plus I was dropped off at 1:00 in the afternoon, and sometimes not picked up until 8:30-10:00P.M.. This does not sound like too big of a deal, until schtuff hits the fan. You fall out of your tree stand, break something going in or coming out from your hunt, or any "other ingenious method" we can come up with to get ourselves into trouble!! Recently I started to look at the SPOT satellite GPS messaging system. I keep saying that I am going to make the investment, but never do. My thoughts are that I would rather have it and not need it, than to not have it and wish that I had. Just curious about what thoughts of others on the forum are using for their survival gear.

 

[Litehiker]

A First Aid Kit for yourself is important and an expanded kit for a party you are with is better. As well a good emergency patient monitoring sheet and a separate sheet for sending for help is essential.
**The Sierra Club has THE best one of these I have ever seen and I'm speaking as a 16 year Ski Patrol veteran who has filled out many patient injury forms. Try to get one from the Sierra Club online and if unsuccessful call the Club in San Francisco and ask them to e-mail you the form(s). Then print several and keep them in 1 quart ZipLoc bags and IN your various hunting packs.

BUT... you need training, training, training as well. Call the American Red Cross for courses.

BTW, for hunting I always carry a Quick Clot bandage for serious wounds with a lot of bleeding.

Finally, buy a good emergency beacon like the Garmin In-Reach or the SPOT beacon and pay for yearly subscriptions. This is the cheapest "life insurance" you can buy for hunting.

Eric B.

 

[slv hunter]

Just add a triangular bandage, duct tape, super glue,and a mummy style space blanket

 

[Alibiiv]

A First Aid Kit for yourself is important and an expanded kit for a party you are with is better. As well a good emergency patient monitoring sheet and a separate sheet for sending for help is essential.
**The Sierra Club has THE best one of these I have ever seen and I'm speaking as a 16 year Ski Patrol veteran who has filled out many patient injury forms. Try to get one from the Sierra Club online and if unsuccessful call the Club in San Francisco and ask them to e-mail you the form(s). Then print several and keep them in 1 quart ZipLoc bags and IN your various hunting packs.

BUT... you need training, training, training as well. Call the American Red Cross for courses.

BTW, for hunting I always carry a Quick Clot bandage for serious wounds with a lot of bleeding.

Finally, buy a good emergency beacon like the Garmin In-Reach or the SPOT beacon and pay for yearly subscriptions. This is the cheapest "life insurance" you can buy for hunting.

Eric B.

Thanks Eric, your post is exactly what I was looking for. Our gun club just offered a training that incorporated an IFAK that included a tournaquet and Quick clot bandage and a through & through bandage. I'm torn between the Garmin In-Reach or the SPOT. I only have received input on the spot from one of the members of the kayak team that I belong to. A few years ago my significant other took a really bad fall on a bike trail. There were no mile markers, I was unfamiliar with the locale. Fortunately after some rest time we were able to continue on, however if that had not been the case the situation could have gotten serious. I will be looking in to the Sierra club's first aid supplies.

 

[ntsqd]

For training look for Wilderness First Aid/Responder classes local to you. They stress making do with what you have rather than what's available in the ER. Any leader of a Sierra Club trip has to be current on this training (annual requirement). Expect that a serious class is five days long. A friend who was a SC trip leader told me that the classes are worth every minute & penny.

Not endorsements, just examples:
https://www.wildmed.com/wilderness-medicine-search-rescue-training-schedule/
https://sierrarescue.com/course-info/wilderness-first-aid-courses/

And some food for thought, AED's have come down in price enough that they're almost within the budget of most. Those that can afford them might give serious thought to carrying one in your vehicle. They are life savers, literally.

 

[mnoland30]

I often hunt by myself, and almost never have cell coverage, so 15 years ago or so I purchased a Personal Locator Beacon (ACR Rescue Link). The batteries aren't user replaceable, but they last ten years. When the first one expired, I bought a smaller one. The new ones are about the size of an old flip phone and weigh about 4 oz. Put it in a cargo pocket, and you don't know it is there. They are less than $300 and there is no subscription cost. I carry it all the time when hunting. NOAA monitors the satellite link, and will contact local search and rescue. They tried it in Alaska first, and it saved enough lives that it is now all through the US, and I believe Canada. It gives me a warm fuzzy feeling to know that if I or others get hurt on a hunt, we have a way to call for help. I also made up my own first aid kit. I've never used either. Knock on wood.

 

[ofbandg]

The problem with first aid and survival supplies is you could fill a pack with both and still not have what you need when something happens. I have struggled with this for decades because I spend a lot of time in real wilderness, as far away from other people as I can get. For first aid I take wound dressings, gauze (duct tape works well over gauze by the way, and over hot spots on your foot if a blister hasn't already developed), anti-inflammatories, lip balm, (useful for lots of things, even chaffing in other parts of your body), tick tweezers, (also good for splinters), and few of those medicated wipes that come in sealed packages.

I learned the hard way that the best offence is a defence when it comes to getting in and out of rough country. Solid boots that protect your feet and ankles, clothes that don't rip apart when caught on a snag, glasses that protect your eyes when going through the thick stuff, (try getting down off a mountain when you have had a twig shoved in you eye), a hat that protects you from the elements, (particularly useful for us folicly challenged types), and good rain gear. I also put the softest stuff on the bottom of my pack because if I have to fall I am going to fall backwards and I want it to be a soft landing.

When it comes to survival gear the list can be endless and relate to each individual's favourite hunting or hiking areas. Fire starter, an ultralight silicone tarp, SOL bivy sack, some quality cord, your favourite snack mix (I make up my own from the bins at the grocery store), and a container to hold water, are my basics and it goes up from there depending on where and for how long I will be going. First aid training is an excellent idea by the way. I had to take it every other year as part of my employment and every new instructor added something extra.

Specifically for hunting, I take a general purpose knife and my "animal" knife as well as a sharpening device of some kind, (usually lightweight and diamond coated), and I take a kevlar glove for the hand that isn't holding that razor sharp knife. Smashed ribs can be very sharp as well, and hidden. I you want to keep the kevlar glove clean, very large latex gloves will fit over it. I also take a folding saw for bones.

As for those Garmin spot devices, I hunted once with a guy who use one to let his kids know he was alright. He sent a pre-arranged message out twice a day and they received it even though they were 500 miles south of us. It also had the capability to contact an emergency number and give his position if he hit a special protected button, which we fortunately didn't need. I was impressed but wanted more so I went to buy one that had a texting keyboard and found there is no way my fingers could hit just one of those tiny keys. I still might get the simple one like my friend has.

 

[slv hunter]

I have been a WFR for 21 years so I carry a first aid kit larger than most would want to carry. I have used it several times helping others.
The best thing anyone can do is be Careful. Think about the situation your putting yourself into. An ounce of prevention.
The obvious being said, most programs that offer a WFR class also offer a 3 day condensed version that is very informative. Worth the time and not to spendy.

 

[ntsqd]

Looking at ofbandg's list (partial I'm sure) I'm struck by one glaring omission. Benedryl. Ever since we had an MTB rider hit by ground hornet's nest & stung 100+ times I've carried a bottle in all of my various packs and bags. Useful well beyond merely being an anti-histamine for allergies.

 

[VernAK]

I've carried the In Reach for five years......it has a keyboard but is cumbersome unless you wish to blue tooth to your phone.

The pre-arranged messages are a simple one button send.

The In Reach is in my go-bag year around as I drive remote roads and mountain passes.

I can go on a month long canoe trip without recharging The monthly fee is $26.

 

[mdbiggerstaff]

All great stuff fellows....I would add a Camel back for water, magnesium fire starter with some dryer lint/newspaper for starter, some fuel sticks, mirror, rope, whistle. Remember anywhere you can feel a pulse is a pressure point to stop bleeding & practice on yourself to find these pressure/pulse points. Some of the walkie talkies are amazing these days.

 

[del2les]

Good op. I am an old US mil aviator, and I have been thru a ton of survival training courses, wilderness medicine classes, etc and in my youth, I took a lot of Tom Browns wilderness courses. Since I often venture into the Rockies without anyone else, I have a mil M17 kit with an additional personal field surgical kit and a few other added items in the truck, but often, I carry a rapid response kit in a large fanny with a small surgical/suture kit with Israeli 6inch trauma bandages and few additional items. Of course, the usual como/locator, fire starters, signal mirror, strobe, water tabs, cordage, etc, etc, etc.

Remember, one of the higher injury rates is from twisted ankles, knees or falls onto the rocks with shelf inflicted cuts coming in also, so be prepared for wood splinting, wrapping or air splinting. Air splints are not expensive and light weight, so add one to your kit.

Knowledge and training are your best friends, so take a course or two, read some manuals and practice before you need it. You have more game to hunt before you die.

 

[Tulsa Reiner]

A couple of meds, which weigh next to nothing and take up little space could be life saving: Decadron (dexamethasone) for altitude sickness, and Flagyl (Metronidazole) for Giardia (commonly called "Beaver Fever").
Either of these conditions could kill you or make you so disabled that you couldn't get out. They do require prescriptions, but if you locate a hunting doctor (there are plenty of us), s/he could explain the symptoms and the dosages. Taking them at the wrong time won't even hurt you either.

 

[Muddyboots]

Perfect timing since I was just updating my personal gear list for this fall's elk hunt.

1. Tick twisters - easy way to remove ticks.
   
2. Antiseptic salves for ticks and minor cuts.
   
3. Fire starter material - I use cross cut shredder material, some soaked in candle wax. Will light any time.
4. Small fire starter flares, literally the diameter size of Slim Jim about 6" long. They can start a fire and give off orange smoke. http://www.orionsignals.com/product-groups/fire-starters/product/211.html
5. Safety glasses are huge for hiking after dark thru heavy cover etc.
6. Trekking poles - instant 4WD for us 2 legged folks. You will be amazed at how much easier it is to go uphill or downhill with them especially carrying a load. Crossing a stream? Now easy button. Takes 10 years off your age for walking and just about anything else.
7. Its been mentioned a bunch but take a First Aid/CP course from the Red Cross or local educational institution. It is absolutely worth the time. Carry a CPR mouth protector for those times when you look at your buddy and realize a lip lock with him is a life long image that you may want to eliminate.
8. Roll aids, pepto bismal type products. Bad water even filtered can strike anytime anywhere.
   
9. Electrolyte powders such as Propel or Gatorade. Good for replenishing if you have bad water experience or even for muscle recovery.
10. Sun block