Common Backcountry Injuries

[Pgohil]

Let's have a discussion about common Backcountry Injuries and how to prevent them.

I've been fortunate to never had a Backcountry injury except for heartbreak.

PGohil
WV

Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[Bobbyboe]

I've only been on one true backpack hunt, but here are a few off the top of my head. I'll add illness also, since that could derail a hunt too.

Altitude sickness, food/water related illness, sprained knee/ankle, blusters. Others injuries are unpredictable, but be prepared.

 

[reaper]

A stupid branch in an eye,been there done that,not fun at all.
Burns from stove or fire camp.

Envoyé de mon Pixel 2 en utilisant Tapatalk

 

[Jimss]

One of my most common injuries is when I get out my knife and start skinning and boning game! Snapped a piranta blade once that almost went into my wrist. That was the last time I used piranta! I now use Outdoor Edge replacement blade knives and never have broken a blade. Holy smokes they are sharp so beware!

 

[Jauwater]

Busting through brush I had a leaf just barely touch my eye. It was like a paper cut to my eye. For the next 3 hours it was brutal trying to keep my eyes open. The next morning it was decent, but it definitely overall ruined the hunt. It bothered me the whole time.

Sent from my moto g(7) optimo maxx(XT1955DL) using Tapatalk

 

[4rcgoat]

Its the little things.......got a seed from some damn organic granola bar stuck in between my back molars,4 miles from camp,rifle elk
Didnt think much of it until a day later and my face began to throb from the pain. Had no way to get it out. 3 hour hike back to truck,1 hour ride home,few seconds with some dental floss and it came out. Now i always have some floss with me.

 

[toadmeister]

Montezumas revenge.

That can cause some serious butthurt and dehydration.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Pgohil]

Its the little things.......got a seed from some damn organic granola bar stuck in between my back molars,4 miles from camp,rifle elk
Didnt think much of it until a day later and my face began to throb from the pain. Had no way to get it out. 3 hour hike back to truck,1 hour ride home,few seconds with some dental floss and it came out. Now i always have some floss with me.

I remembered reading about your experience, and since then always have a couple of those flossers with the pick on one side and floss on the other with me.


Sent from my SM-G973U using Tapatalk

 

[5MilesBack]

I'm always getting poked or stuck with something. The eyes are always vulnerable hiking in the dark.......so much so that a set of clear safety glasses wouldn't be out of the question. One year I stepped over a blowdown in the rain and when all my weight was finally forward of it, I slid down the slope into the next blowdown which had about a 3" long by 3/4" wide broken off branch that impaled itself into my leg next to the shin.

I go through a lot of blowdown terrain every season, so those are probably my biggest % of possible injuries. I did the same thing as above another time and slid until my foot was under the next blowdown. Luckily my foot released as all my weight and momentum forced me over the top of it. Could have snapped my lower leg in half.

 

[toadmeister]

Busting through brush I had a leaf just barely touch my eye. It was like a paper cut to my eye. For the next 3 hours it was brutal trying to keep my eyes open. The next morning it was decent, but it definitely overall ruined the hunt. It bothered me the whole time.

Sent from my moto g(7) optimo maxx(XT1955DL) using Tapatalk

I've always had awareness of protecting my eyes having used contacts in the past and had Lasik eye surgery several years back (money well spent). I'll use a cheap pair of clear safety glasses sometimes, work let's you take all sort of PPE for home and safety use. The gloves and earplugs get lots of use from me too.

Another tip is a good hat. I like boonie hats because the brim sticks out 360 deg and acts like cat whiskers or antenna that fraction of a second early warning has saved several close calls.



Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[menhaden_man]

Monkey butt is the most common injury for anyone over 40 .

 

[toadmeister]

Monkey butt is the most common injury for anyone over 40 .

Good call, honestly next to blisters on the feet this is probably the most common "injury".

Gold Bond is my friend. Just keeping things aired out, clean and dry is key. I also bicycle a lot in the summer and this is a constant battle.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

 

[P Carter]

Monkey butt is the most common injury for anyone over 40 .

It’s funny, I hear this on this site all the time. I worked backcountry trail crews and research crews in high school and college. I literally did not bring tp...would just use leaves and stuff. In my ultra runs I likewise don’t bring tp...used natural stuff. Never had “monkey butt” or similar issues. Maybe it’s a getting old thing or maybe you just get used to it.

Anyhow, I’d vote blisters, sunburn, and deadfall issues (strains, sprains, and scrapes) as in the top 3. I also slipped on a frosty steep side hill while I was holding my bow. Jammed the elbow of the my bow arm into the side hill really hard. That didn’t feel too bad at first but took a long while to fully heal up. Still bothers me sometimes.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Most frequently, of all the injuries types I've witnessed and experienced while hunting in the backcountry, I'd say wounded pride is the most common.

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

We hunt the perimeter of some great summer backpacking and fishing areas. We see tons of people with hydration/blood sugar/hypoxia related issues every season. Not so much by the time September rolls around. I take a solid supply of electrolyte products and extra water when scouting.

During season... its always falling down nasty north exposure deadfall stick piles that we spend so much time in. Thankfully usually only bruises (body and ego) so far.

 

[Wrench]

I'm with Bruce, I've taken a size 9 confidence in conjunction with my size 6 talent for a long lonely hike back to my ever so unsympathetic wife more than once.

 

[hodgeman]

Slips, trips and falls are easily the most common backcountry injury.

 

[Azone]

Montezumas revenge.

That can cause some serious butthurt and dehydration.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I suspect Mountain House chili mac was the culprit? Somewhere in the mountains of Idaho there is a pine tree that hates me from the one time I tried the mac. I never touched the chili mac again, that stuff should be outlawed!

 

[Azone]

On a serious note, I had a nasty slip and fall packing a deer out one day. Luckily my hip and lower back broke the fall for me.
Then there was the time and old timer and I were working our way down a STEEP mountain side in a fresh burn that got interesting. I was about 30 yards below him when I heard him yell "oh f......." right as I looked up there was two big rocks rolling right at me gaining some speed. I managed to dodge one but the other one left a nice bruise on my lower leg for a week, if either one had managed to hit my head I'm sure it would have had grave consequences.
But I'm sure wounded pride and ego take the cake for most common injuries.

 

[Squamch]

Last season, coming off the mountain back to camp, I slipped, and re-aggravated an otherwise nearly healed ACL tear. After a few hours it got less painful, but it was pretty scary an hour from camp, and 4 or 5 hours from the truck, in the dark, fog, and rain.

On the same hunt, I started to have a little bit of tooth pain. I always carry floss in my toiletries kit, so I carved away at it, dug some whatever it was that was stuck in there out, and figured it would get better. That night I woke up with the tooth throbbing, ended up gulping motrin all day and night for 4 days, and going to the dentist when I got home. First time in too long I went to the dentist. Ended up having 2 root canals and 7 or 8 fillings done.
Moral of that story is, do the preventative maintenance, so that stuff doesn't sneak up and ruin a trip.
I still keep motrin and T3s in my kit, just in case!