Ever hurt yourself in the woods?

[criveraville]

Diego and I haven't seen a single deer all season. I tried with my bow first and nothing came in. We have been rifle hunting since it opened in Nov, but we have got seen any deer. I decided to cut a shooting lane 200 yards away from the feeder. I thought maybe I was leaving too much sent near by. I guess at this point I was willing to try anything. Well there was a mesquite tree with a six in trunk. I sawed in it with my dull hand saw and every few minutes I would reach up and pull down on the tree with all my weight and force. Mind you that the tree was on the edge of a small tank dam. Well I kept sawing, stopping, reaching up and pulling. As I reached up and pulled I had to lift my right foot off the ground. The tree started to give a little, but I had to keep sawing.

About the third time I reached up and pulled and sure enough that tree came down with all my force and gravities force toward the ground. It was like a toothpick snapping. It happened so fast.

Next thing I know my right foot is touching my right shoulder. It was as if I could see myself falling back and the tree coming down on top of me. I hit the ground hard and fast. It's been a long time since I have had that sensation. There was a ringing in my ears, my head felt hot and I felt my head slam against the ground. Somehow instantly I managed to pull my right leg out from behing and under my body. I felt the back of my head and then felt the ground to see if I had landed on a rock. I then felt and looked at my hand to make sure I wasn't bleeding.

I was blessed. My left arm, shoulder and leg were sore and that's it. My back was a little too, but not too bad.

Cipriano

PS... Still no deer.

[gstoneberg]

Glad that didn't go worse Mr. C.  I honestly have been blessed while hunting.  All my close brushes came while I was much younger and pheasant hunting.  I had my stocking hat shot off my head once at close range.  Took a while to hear again after that one.  Had a friends shotgun shoot a big hole right behind one boot.  Been hit by shotgun pellets in the shoulder and foot from 60 and 40 yards respectively.  My uncle shot a hole through the car door with his 12ga.    Things have gone better since then.  I did have the bottom of my climbing tree stand fall once, but I was happily sitting on the seat which was a different piece.  Getting back down was tricky.

George

[PEARL DRUMS]

WOW! Thank God you okay Cipster. That sounds painful. Thats a PERFECT reason to get in your favorite chair and use it all weekend pal. Get feeling better! You have a BOM contest to manage!

I fell 16-18' out of a white pine in my mid-teens. Who needs a stand right? I will just climp up and sit on one of the many limbs.......I picked the wrong limb and took a quick ride down. Like you, I had no broken bones. I lost my wind for a bit and got some light scratches. I can type here today and tell you for 100% certain that will never happen again.

[Badger]

   Couple of years ago I jammed a broadhead deep into my thigh, bled quite a bit but not too serious. The worst injuries have been my own fault, one year I pulled both my groin muscles from not getting into shape before chukkar season started, I had one hell of a time getting off that mountain.

[Eric Krewson]

Ran my hand through a batch of sharp Bear razor heads back when unshielded quickie bow quivers were the rage back in the 70s. A friend dove me to a Dr to get patched up.

Got careless hooking up my safety harness one time, fell about 12 feet, broke my back and wrist. Getting myself out of the woods that day was the most harrowing experience of my life. 

[lowell]

Fell 10-12 feet from a tree while putting in the tree steps maybe 30 years ago. Grabbed a branch that was dead and it broke,   Stand was below me but at least I did not fall on the stand.  Timber soil was softer than most ground!!   Got myself out of woods but also had to make a few trips to the chiropractor.

Always made sure after that, the stand was not anywhere under me!!  I'm sure it would be worse to take that fall now than it was 30 years ago!!

  Glad you were not hurt worse Cip!!!
 

[Pat B]

Glad to hear it wasn't more serious, Cipriano.
  Back in 1979, on one of my first hunting trips, my buddy Richard took me out to his hunting club and we walked in to his stand. From there he told me to walk about 100 yards away and find a tree to put my stand in. This was a morning hunt so it was dark. I headed out to find a tree and within a few minutes I hear Richard call my name. Apparently I had made a big circle and was headed right back towards Richards stand. It was beginning to break light  so I headed a different direction and finally found a straight live oak to climb.
  My tree stand was a home made one I bought at a flea market for about $10. All it was was a plywood platform with electric conduit frame  . This was before they added climbers with stands so I had to hug the tree to climb it. I was so frustated by this time I had forgotten the bannana in my pocket that instantly became mush(my first cover scent  ). I got about 10' up that live oak tree when the platform racheted down the tree with me still up about 10'. I had to shinney down, disconnect the stand and look for another tree. This time it was a big pine and I successfully made it up.  Within about 15 minutes, just as it was light enough to see, I looked up to see a nice 8 point buck following very close to an apparently hot doe. I raised my T/C Hawkin and dropped the buck(later paced off 85 yards to the dead buck). I actually ended up shooting the buck a second time and slit its throat.
  Being my first deer kill I knew Richard was gonna "bloody" me good as this is a tradition and Richard got it good when he shot his first. As I knelt by my buck to give thanks I put my fingers in his blood and put stripes on my face. I was so excited I ran over to where I knew Richard was, yelling with excitment...and ran off a pack of deer that were around Richards stand. Needless to say he was pissed!    Richard did quickly get over it and was very excited for me.
  I guess the only thing that got hurt was my ego(and the banana) but I got over that quickly.
  Back then we hardly worried about falling from a tree. I did make myself and Richard a web belt with a piece of rope attached to fasten us to the tree when we got up. I used that "safety" belt for years before I finally bought a full harness.
  Again Cipriano, I so happy you weren't hurt too bad.

[JackCrafty]

Close one Cip!  Good thing everything is OK.

Luckily I've only had minor injuries but I've come close to disaster a few times when I was a kid: mostly by walking on ponds that were not completely frozen over or when the ice was thin and clear.  When you hear that cracking in the ice as it travels away from you, it feels like impending doom.

[YosemiteBen]

I have slipped on logs, tripped over rocks and gotten poked in the eye by sticks, But the strangest injury ever came while driving on a dirt road.  I was doing range management work for the US Forest Circus driving a little dodge pickup. The dash extended to just over the steering wheel leaving little room for ones hand on the wheel. As I was driving down the road I heard the familiar "click" of rocks being thrown off the tires against the vehicle frame. It was warm and the windows were open and then I noticed the pain!  A 1 lb rock had been thrown by the tire and perhaps bounced off of a rock or log at the side of the road and came in the open window and wedged itself between the dash and my hand which was on the steering wheel.  Took a few moments for the pain to fully register. I pulled the rock out and put it on the seat beside me and looked for a spot to pull over so I could further address the situation.  The back of my hand was skinned up pretty bad. Got out the outdated first aid kit and the only cleaning solution was iodine.  Wrapped my hand up and tried to work bu it just wasn't gonna happen. On the way back to the office I kept sying to myself that they were never going to believe me. They didn't until I showed them the rock with my skin still on it.  I an fortunate that it wasn't a foot back and into the side of my head.
Glad you were not hurt C. My cousin was a logger and fell a big tree on himself broke his pelvis and leg. Doggone hornets nest!

[JW_Halverson]

Hey Pat?  Is that a banana in your pocket or are you excited to go hunting?

A few years back I was slipping thru the woods to a turkey roost sight when I heard a faint voice calling out "hello?"  I called back, "TURKEY HUNTER" hoping to not catch a face full of shot.  The guy called back "Thank God! Help me!"  He had gone out the night before and sprained his ankle and knee.  He'd spent a 20 degree nite in the woods with just a light jacket, no gloves, and a baseball cap to keep his head warm.  He was borderline hypothermic and had split the side of his boot with a dull pocket knife to relieve the pressure from swelling. 

He was from out of state, staying alone in a motel, and hadn't told anyone where he was heading and when to expect him back.  I lectured him (and myself) for not letting anyone know where he was going and when to expect him back.

As bad as I hated telling anyone where I was going as a kid, I hate it even worse as a grown man!  Especially since it reveals secret hunting spots!  No matter how convinced I am of my own invincibility, Murphy is bigger, badder, and has a sick sense of humor.  Ya just never know.

Glad to hear you got away with just strained muscles and a bruised ego, buddy!

[Buckeye Guy]

Good to hear your OK Cip
One of my more recent dumb attack as we call them was a few years back during a pheasant hunt ! I was hunting with my 12GA, side by side muzzeloader and in all the excitement perhaps I loaded both barrels after only firing one of them! Well my poor old shoulder didn't even slow that gun down when I touched it off the next time ,but my cheek bone stopped it dead when the left side hammer caught in my eye socket ! Needless to say we had plenty of red snow on the ground that day! some of the guys had a hard time finishing the hunt after that! After we finished cleaning the birds I stopped by to get the ER girls to help me clean it up ! Then I went out and fired my gun to unload it for cleaning ,and make sure I hadn't developed a flinch, All is well
Merry Christmas
Guy

[Kpete]

Glad you are OK. 
Well, yes.  I was going fishing on the Clackimus River in Oregon and fell off a 100 ft. cliff.  Fractured skull, concussion, dislocated both thumbs, 56 stitches.  I guess I got hurt.   Got winched up the cliff by the local fire department from Gresham Or.   Fortunately I landed on my head. or it could have been serious. I was 17 at the time.
I fell out of an Oak tree bowhunting.  about 12 feet and landed on my back in thick oak leaves.  Knocked the wind out of me but that was about it.  Had to crawl up and get my bow.
So now you know why I am the way I am. 

[criveraville]

George, I am not sure about hunting with you again   You sound accident prone....

Thank you Pearly.. That is a long way to fall... I gotta ask.. Did you bounce off each branch you hit coming down like squirrels do?? 

Badger, I am sure I am not the only person to tell you how lucky you are to be alive.. If it had severed your femoral artery.. Ouch.. I have pulled just one of those before.. That would have sent me to the nurse for a sticker

Eric, I imagine that was a bad bad wound, but I also know it could have been much worse.  Thank goodness we have all wised up and cover our points.  I have never broken a bone, but I hear it hurts.. Ouch

Yes sir Patrick.. The ice cracking reminds me of the story, To Build a Fire...

Ben that is one crazy story and yes thank goodness it was not the side of your head.  Did you keep that rock?  I have heard loggers are a tough breed.  How did he fell a tree on himself?  Thank you me too

JW that poor guy was in pain and at your mercy and you lectured him??  Way to go.    That could have saved his life down the road.  Gracias amigo

Guy that sounds like that "left a mark."  Way to get back on that horse.. 

lowell as we get older any fall is a bad fall.. Thank you

Pat that sounds funny.  I can see it in my mind and yet after all of that you got a nice buck and made banana pudding
Me too.. gracias amigo..

Kpete well that beats them all.. How long were you in the hospital? 

My right leg is still sore, but it gets better daily..

Cipriano

[Eric Krewson]

Here is another one, not while hunting but blazing a trail to go hunting.

I was walking down an old fire lane knocking down saplings with my chainsaw to make a path to a really isolated hunting spot I had found.

I cut a small maple, something(branch, limb, twig?) sprung up that was under pressure,went under my safety glasses and into my right eye. I knew I was in trouble when I closed my left eye and could only see a blur out of my right eye. When I got back to my truck I used my left bifocal to check out my right eye in my trucks rear view mirror. Dang, I could see a flap of my cornea hanging down where it had been torn loose. Sorta' gave me chills when I saw the damage.

It was 40 miles back home and if I really hurried I could get to my eye doctor before he closed
up shop for the evening.

My Dr took me right in and confirmed what I had seen, the good news was he couldn't see any fluid leaking out of my eye and the tear would probably heal. The bad news was to prepare for the worst pain I had ever felt in my eye that would occur about 6 hours after the injury.

I went home, plopped down in my Easy Boy and waited for the lightning bolt to strike me in the eye, it never happened.,I had only minimal pain.

My vision returned over the next two weeks as my injury healed. Got lucky on that one for sure.


 

[Kpete]

c-ville,
I was in the hospital 3 days, but suffered from a concussion for about 10 days.  We were staying with my mom's cousin who was a registered nurse.  The released me to her "custody".  Bad plan.   I vomitted everytime I stood up for the next three days.
Walked with a cane for a week.  Played High School footbal 8 weeks later.  Dumb.