Last week I left the house and walked a half mile to my ladder stand and had to cross a tight fence where my stand was set up. I set my bow across the fence and was setting on top of the fence post which was a telephone post cut to 4 1/2'. As I started to slid off on the other side I slipped and fell to the ground. I grabbed the barbed wire and ripped my left little finger bad. I stopped the bleeding with the tolet tisue and put on my surgical grove to hold it.
I then got up on my stand and hunted.When I got in that night I ate supper and was cleaning up the wound when I decided to go to emergency and get it sewed up.
The doctor toll me that your body starts to heal in 6 hours and he could not sew it up because it had been longer than that and bacteria sets in. They soked it for 20 minutes in bedidine and taped it up.
What I am trying to say is fix you hunting pack with something to patch you up in an emergency. I had my tetnus shot which last 10 years which was good. I was lucky I did not rip thru a blood vein in my finger. Ken
very good advise on the first aid kit. Then again if it was cut that bad that you thought you required stitches. Why take the chance and go on and hunt. I understand the desire and willpower people have to hunt no matter what. However, when it comes to health and safety that is my priority.
James
QuoteOriginally posted by jamesh76:
very good advise on the first aid kit. Then again if it was cut that bad that you thought you required stitches. Why take the chance and go on and hunt. I understand the desire and willpower people have to hunt no matter what. However, when it comes to health and safety that is my priority.
James
Same here. I carry some small first aid provisions but in the long run - I'm getting out of the woods and driving to a hospital if I'm bleeding like that.
James, I think because it was a perfect day and I am hard headed at 70 years old. James, you are correct about health First. At 70 you don't know how many times you can get back out hunting. Ken.
Get some Bedidine and something to stop bleeding.
My wife slips a first aid kit into my pack whenever I go off hunting. I was looking in my backpack that I ALWAYS take to the stand, she had one in there that I did not even know about. Makes you feel good.
I always like to carry a small first aid kit. You never know when you will need one.
I keep one in my truck, I should also start packing a small one.
QuoteOriginally posted by ken denton:
James, I think because it was a perfect day and I am hard headed at 70 years old. James, you are correct about health First. At 70 you don't know how many times you can get back out hunting. Ken.
Get some Bedidine and something to stop bleeding.
Understandable Ken,
Many of us here will be fortunate to reach your age, let alone reach it in the physical condition you are to walk that far and still pull a bow. God bless you,
James
Kinda like toilet paper, I never got hunting without it.
yep, the day you leave it home is the day you need it!
my last caribou hunting trip i had gone with a paramedic and a emerg doc, you should have seen their first aid kit., needless to say i felt pretty safe with them around. always carry a first aid kit in my backpack. you never know!
just like your rain gear! lol
You can now get a blood clotting pack. Many survival stores and gun shops carry them now. It was first made for and is used by the military. Stuff is called QuickClot.
Yes, I keep super glue, electrial tape, and towel paper in the pack.
The blood stop works great, my son can attest to that!
It wouldn't hurt to have some alcohol wipes to clean with also. Be prepared and safe.
good advice we bow hunters have very sharp STUFF
be careful out there and be prepaired..... I carry a first aid kit in my pack but I don't carry my pack when hanging stands so I very deliberately take it out of my pack and put in my tree stand hanging bag... never leave it at the truck....
I had to use a firstaid kit while hunting before,I think about that day quit often siiting in the tree...
first aid is just that. A stop gap to keep you from having worse problems. BUT it is not very wise to get up in the stand and hunt when a trip too emergency is in the offing. What would have happened if you got a deer?
There may not be many hunts left at 70, but I'd like to have one more with all my parts.
Mike
Thanks for the good advice,I for one never carry a first aid kit unless I'm out of town on some hunt.I guess that seems like one of those things you only think about when ya need it...
I Practice medicine in the navy on submarines and I NEVEr leave port without super glue. If the cut needs 3-4 stitches and you don't care about scarring....your gettin the glue. Just make sure the cut is cleaned out well with water. The only difference from the medical grade skin glue is the slight burn:)
I carry a small first aid kit in my pack, it has most stuff needed in an emergency.
Good advice Ken.
Tim
Minimum first aid kit = duct tape and aspirin.
That is a good reminder Ken. I very often don't take one, and they weight next to nothing.
There are more than a few Trad Gang members that have needed Dr.Daves first aid kit. I travel alot to hunt and I never leave home without a extensive first aid kit. Carry a smaller version in my pack all the time. I'll list my must haves.
Duct tape
Crazy glue
Peroxide
Quick clot
Tampons
Bandage
stapler
antibiotic powder
pain killers - heavy duty ones
There is not much you can't fix with above.
I am super-serious about first-aid and correct treatment of injuries or illness while hunting...just ask my hunting partner. When we go to Alaska it's a 12 day wilderness trip; dropped in by Super Cub. No injury will get seen by a medical doctor for at least 4-6 hours...more likely to be next day. Correct first-aid can salvage a trip or it can prevent a death.
I take a moderately large primary supply kit with all the necessaries...way too many to list here. From that I take a much smaller "carry kit" which goes in my hunting pack. Minor in-the-field illness and injuries can be handled from it. More severe situations mean going to the main kit. Both of my kits are kept in clear, zippered waterproof bags which allow me to see what I'm after...no "fishing" or dumping.
Being well-supplied has kept me hunting on more than one occasion. Maybe the most important first-aid item is your brain. Knowing when to give up and go get help is crucial.
great topic...
Kevin
Great topic! I'm afraid I have to agree with the others in that a wound that severe and being that close to home, would've been better handled by the ER. With that said, I've taken a lot of ribbing through the years by my hunting buddies for taking a first aid kit wherever I go. Having a kit is one thing, knowing how to use it is another! It sounds like I'd like to be in the field with someone like Kevin...
Glad you brought this post up. I've never really thought about bringing a small emergency kit before.. Funny how I put so much thought into what I need and don't need in my pack, and never crossed my mind. I will now! thanks.
I would add that if you are treating a sucking type puncture wound,(such as your chest cavity) you don't want to use anything that absorbs. Leave your TP in the ziploc, or carry a pad slathered with vaseline for your pressure bandage. We want to seal that hole up. Once you apply the pressure bandage, don't lift it back up.
I have given very serious thought to the idea of carrying one of those GPS emergency beacons (PLB)should I ever go on an Alaskan moose hunt. I would certainly carry one if I were an offshore fisherman. Things can go very bad in a big hurry.
Either way, you should always always (what did we learn in boy scouts?) BE PREPARED. Pack your supplies with this thought in mind. "What if the worst should happen?"