had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
11-25-2006, 09:14 AM
#11
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RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
Well thanks for the input, and its good to cut any potential injury from happening. But in truth that was the first major cut I have received in my
life and have split 100s of cords of wood with no problem . now horse wrecks have taken there toll on me,lots of horse wrecks. when it comes down to it the hole trip is full ofrisk you have your rifle,side arm,knives,axes,hatchet,saws,horses,night ops and lets not forget terrain. But our new rule in camp is to just gut them and wait for help to quarter the elk up.
thanks again for the inputand here isa pic of one of our spike camps from 1972.
life and have split 100s of cords of wood with no problem . now horse wrecks have taken there toll on me,lots of horse wrecks. when it comes down to it the hole trip is full ofrisk you have your rifle,side arm,knives,axes,hatchet,saws,horses,night ops and lets not forget terrain. But our new rule in camp is to just gut them and wait for help to quarter the elk up.
thanks again for the inputand here isa pic of one of our spike camps from 1972.
11-25-2006, 04:08 PM
#12
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Cheyoming
Posts: 870
RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
Consider yourself very lucky. As you may know, many hunters die each year after harvesting an elk. A fellow was found next to his elk a few years ago and they figured he slipped on the snow, cut his femeral artery (SP?, inside the leg) and laid there and bled to death. I'm sure there's many more.
I know a guy here in town that died of a heart attack packing his out.
You can't be too careful. I like that rule about no hatchets (mine stays by the wood pile) and only one knife out at a time.
One of the smartest things we can do as outdoorsmen is to tell somebody where we are going, and when we think we'll be back.
I know a guy here in town that died of a heart attack packing his out.
You can't be too careful. I like that rule about no hatchets (mine stays by the wood pile) and only one knife out at a time.
One of the smartest things we can do as outdoorsmen is to tell somebody where we are going, and when we think we'll be back.
11-25-2006, 05:52 PM
#13
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RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
Yes I do feel Luckyand it could have been far worse. The problem is that when you have 4 or 5 elk to dress out and pack out in a day time is critical so chopping quarters up is faster then then sawing them.
But like I said earlier I will use my Wyoming buck saw from now on it will take a bit longer but much safer. I agree you should always let people know Ware you are and when you would be back to campor check in. My situation I told my Dad and cousin what I was going to do and that I would meet them at camp after dark. I shot the Elk at 3:30 pmand cut my leg at about 4:00pm so they would not have started to worry until7 and would probably not start out until 8 orso.You should use every form of communication you can "hell I still carry a whistle" you never no.
but most important remember accidents happen and they happen to everybody. So just be ready with the right gear from now on I will carry a militarywound kit. In camp we are good to go we even have a small tank of 02 and my cousin in law went to med school so thats a plus to and we all have taken CPR courses.
I thank you all for you advice it isgood to go over anything to do with huntingsafety
But like I said earlier I will use my Wyoming buck saw from now on it will take a bit longer but much safer. I agree you should always let people know Ware you are and when you would be back to campor check in. My situation I told my Dad and cousin what I was going to do and that I would meet them at camp after dark. I shot the Elk at 3:30 pmand cut my leg at about 4:00pm so they would not have started to worry until7 and would probably not start out until 8 orso.You should use every form of communication you can "hell I still carry a whistle" you never no.
but most important remember accidents happen and they happen to everybody. So just be ready with the right gear from now on I will carry a militarywound kit. In camp we are good to go we even have a small tank of 02 and my cousin in law went to med school so thats a plus to and we all have taken CPR courses.
I thank you all for you advice it isgood to go over anything to do with huntingsafety
11-27-2006, 02:49 PM
#15
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Join Date: Jul 2004
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RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
Good to hear you are mending well. Something to consider on the topic of communications, you can rent a satellite phone and make a call from pretty much everywhere.
11-27-2006, 03:32 PM
#16
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Hurley, NY
Posts: 864
RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
My father cut his femural artery while gutting out a trout next to a stream. he slipped and the knife went right into his leg. We had to put a tourniquite (sp) onto his leg and drive 40 miles to the nearest hospital. He was darn lucky. They took him into emergency surgery immediately and it saved his life. I am always thinking of that day whenever I am gutting a fish or dressing a deer. Very scary and I am happy you had a good outcome to your story as well. it is not a pleasant feeling when you are in the mountains with no cell phone service or neighbors to call for help
11-27-2006, 04:37 PM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Idaho
Posts: 2,072
RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
Glad it all turned out ok in the end. Just a side note, if you skin the neck to the base of the head, you can cut through the meat and pop the head off at the atlas axis, the joint is like the hip socket and can be popped with a pocket knife, no chopping or sawing needed.
11-27-2006, 10:03 PM
#18
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Montana
Posts: 586
RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
I have been teaching and doing first aid for a long time. The more I teach it, the more I reinforce that the best first aid is prevention. The second best is telling someone your whereabouts and having a whistle. The third is knowledge - your first aid booklet or your notes is the most important thing in your kit because it calms your nerves to know you have a reference- most everything can be improvised if you're carrying hunting stuff already.
As far as hatchets - I will keep carrying mine. I never swing it, though. Whether I'm cuttingwood or bone, I always place the axe headand beat the back end with a rock or something else. Quick, safe, and easy. I have cut my hand badly with a saw, especially when it hangs up, but never with a hatchet. But a long axe - I agree with leaving them behind.
Good post and good answers.
As far as hatchets - I will keep carrying mine. I never swing it, though. Whether I'm cuttingwood or bone, I always place the axe headand beat the back end with a rock or something else. Quick, safe, and easy. I have cut my hand badly with a saw, especially when it hangs up, but never with a hatchet. But a long axe - I agree with leaving them behind.
Good post and good answers.
11-28-2006, 01:01 AM
#19
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RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
Well I think I would have a problem getting the old timers to change their
way's when it comes to a camp axe two hander. We go in for 13 to 14 day's"like to set up early" so we can cut and chopwood ,dig up cash goodsfrom last year,and scout. In a camp stove most of the time you have to splitthe wood to get it in. I have considered coal but we pack in so far with equal number of man to horse, That it's not worth the load.
We couldjust cold camp it, but my uncle tom is 75 ruff old man and my father is 71.At 10,000 its hard forthem "they would never say it" so I keep a warm camp for them as best I can and if I have to I'll drive a bull through camp for them to take"we have" LoL . My father broke trail for me when I wasa boy I shall alway,s fallow that trail. They are set in
their lumberjack way's and I would not change that for the world. We had a guy get kicked in the knee and it blew it out when a horse blew up at the horse next to him. nothing he could do it was out ofhis control.
Now an ax is an interment under your control 99% of the time .What I'm trying to say is that in an controlled environment"Around camp" the axe is no more athreat then walking up to your horse.The human factor is what got me, I hunted vary hard this year and pushed it
so did the others thats ware the 99% fell to like 75% I had just done drives from AM to PM then hiked back into the high country to shoot
that rag-tag. So the stage was set for human error it was not the hatchet that cut my knee it was me. I should have slowed down to do the job.
I'm glad I posted this thread, And I thank you all for your suggestions and view's
way's when it comes to a camp axe two hander. We go in for 13 to 14 day's"like to set up early" so we can cut and chopwood ,dig up cash goodsfrom last year,and scout. In a camp stove most of the time you have to splitthe wood to get it in. I have considered coal but we pack in so far with equal number of man to horse, That it's not worth the load.
We couldjust cold camp it, but my uncle tom is 75 ruff old man and my father is 71.At 10,000 its hard forthem "they would never say it" so I keep a warm camp for them as best I can and if I have to I'll drive a bull through camp for them to take"we have" LoL . My father broke trail for me when I wasa boy I shall alway,s fallow that trail. They are set in
their lumberjack way's and I would not change that for the world. We had a guy get kicked in the knee and it blew it out when a horse blew up at the horse next to him. nothing he could do it was out ofhis control.
Now an ax is an interment under your control 99% of the time .What I'm trying to say is that in an controlled environment"Around camp" the axe is no more athreat then walking up to your horse.The human factor is what got me, I hunted vary hard this year and pushed it
so did the others thats ware the 99% fell to like 75% I had just done drives from AM to PM then hiked back into the high country to shoot
that rag-tag. So the stage was set for human error it was not the hatchet that cut my knee it was me. I should have slowed down to do the job.
I'm glad I posted this thread, And I thank you all for your suggestions and view's
11-28-2006, 05:19 AM
#20
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Hurley, NY
Posts: 864
RE: had my first major injury on annual elk hunt.
I give you credit for packing in that far for a hunt that long.... what do the horses eat while you are there? how do you carry enough supplies? does it take more than one trip to get everything to camp? sounds like fun
