Don’t be stupid like me. Knives are sharp.

[Hectocotylus]

I was fortunate enough to shoot a beautiful blacktail buck this past Friday. I was several miles in by myself. Due to a bit of being stupid I of course managed to be out of water right when I shot it. I think that extra bit of stress of needing to get water on my mind, plus the general spaz of being solo with a lot of work to do led me to rush a bit while butchering. I slipped with my havalon while taking one of the lower legs off and stabbed myself in the finger deep. It was an instant gush of blood like I haven’t seen before. I had my stuff laid out of my pack so I grabbed my “first aid kit” and wrapped the heck out of it in electrical tape very tightly. That managed to stop the bleeding but it was a very deep cut, maybe to the bone. I knew I’d feel a little woozy so I pounded some sugary snacks. I then had to cut up the rest of the deer, and take two trips to get it to camp. The next morning I packed out and the finger was still bleeding through the tape when I worked it. Went to urgent care but it was too late for stitches.

Lesson 1) electrical tape sticks to itself even when bloody and makes a great direct pressure point. Lesson 2) don’t get in a rush. Accidents happen.


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[Cameron.25]

Good reminder, be careful guys! Last year I left my mulie skull out for a couple weeks once i got home before skinning it out to do my euro, so it wasn't as easy to skin. I was lazy and didn't wear my cut resistant gloves, pulled really hard at one point instead of taking my time and my knife slipped. My razor sharp magnacut MKC knife went into my thumb so fast I hardly even felt it but damn was there lots of blood once i took a peek and washed it in the sink, i almost cut my whole thumbnail in half lengthwise.. it was brutal, about a 3/4" cut and that skull was probably covered in bacteria to boot. Won't gross anyone out with the pics but it was a pretty long recovery lol. Luckily happened at home, got some stitches and antibiotics but it took a couple months to sort itself out. Thumb tip is still numb and its a good reminder to be careful

 

[ScreamingPotato]

Buddy of mine stabbed himself in the thigh, to the bone. Was working on getting some stubborn hide off and his friend was waiting on him so he was in a hurry. Knife skipped and full force down into his thigh. Swelled up and looked like he had elephant man disease for about two weeks. He went to the ER of course and they put him on an ABX cocktail and still had to fight off infection. I've never seen a leg so swollen like that.

Slow down, and be careful.

 

[voltage]

Good reminder. Bears are scary, but accidents involving vehicles, knives, and hot water are all too common.

 

[ResearchinStuff]

A cut proof glove for your non- dominant hand is a worth the weight

 

[AZ_Hunter]

Yup. This February I was butchering a javelina, teaching while doing it, at night under head lamp.

“Bla bla bla, add counter traction by pulling on the skin as you cut….. shit…. Not your finger like I just did….”

Nice deep slice. Washed hands real good, gauze and duct tape, re-glove, and back at it.

Sometimes we all need a reminder to slow down.

 

[Hectocotylus]

A cut proof glove for your non- dominant hand is a worth the weight

I had one at home and didn’t bring it… moron.


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[Crowmangler]

I always carry the non-dominant cut resistant glove, quick clot bandage & a couple of these Clozex strips in my kill kit.

Amazon.com

 

[waspocrew]

Glad you're ok! Have heard a few horror stories from cuts in the back country. Good reminder to slow down for sure!

 

[Beendare]

Yeah, sorry to hear that.

I solo hunt a fair amount and whenever I have a critter down I consciously slow down when cutting them up to avoid accidents

 

[butcherboy]

Yep, always a good idea to slow down and be aware where your hand is relevant to the knife. One of the first things I teach employees but it takes a while and lots of bandaides and electrical tape before it sinks in.

 

[Doc Holliday]

Glad you are OK! I've heard that the majority of hunting related injuries happen when cutting up the animal. Makes sense - usually you are physically and or mentally not at 100% from the effort to get the game, you are in awkward positions or have poor light, there is excitement/adrenaline, a sense of urgency to get it done quickly whether due to darkness or grizzlies or just knowing you got a long haul ahead of you and trying to get it done. Great reminder for folks to slow down and be careful.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Those knives sort of sketch me out, I’ve seen a. Few guys flat themselves open trying to get outdoor edge blades out when they are fatty, bloody and slippery.

 

[Edge]

Did something similar a few years back. Dad was in the hospital still recovering from a heart attack and other complications and we talked about the season opener in two days. He told me he was ok and was getting good care, told me to take a day or two and go kill a buck. I borrowed his pick-up and headed to the hills and stayed at my Uncle’s place for the night. Headed to one of my favorite spots solo ~2.5 miles from the truck. Long day with a lot of thoughts about my Dad and the day carried on without a single deer to be seen. Was getting to be late in the afternoon and I was about to pack it in and start heading back to the truck as it was going to be dark by the time I got there. I look up and two bucks are coming across the ridge line and I shot the biggest one.

Grabbed my daypack and hurried over to the buck, filled out my tag, thinking this is going to be a long night. Grabbed my knife and start field dressing, reached up inside the chest cavity with both hands and slice the wind pipe along with my off hand. Pulled out and watched the blood pour from my finger. Great.

Ended up cleaning up with a few wet naps, wrapped the finger tightly with part of a paper towel and put a glove on it, with the large amount of paper towel it was a really tight fit and stopped a good portion of the bleeding. Ended up back at the truck dragging the buck the entire way on a plastic sled I hauled up that morning, 4 hours of dragging as there wasn’t any snow. That finger was throbbing!

I was able to get a little cell service to let my uncle know that I was going to be late and with the poor reception I think all he heard was I cut my finger pretty good. It was a solid 45 min drive back to my uncle’s house and they were getting worried as it had been over 5 hours since they heard from me and were about to send out the Calvary. The next morning it was raining cats and dogs, went to start the truck to back it up to the barn to get the deer hung and the fuel pump had gone out. Still have a nice scar on that finger! Got back down to my Dad the next day in a rental car, he was happy that I got a good buck and was worried about his truck

I’m much more careful with a blade in my hand and now carry bleed stop and some other first aid gear at all times.

 

[dirtshooter]

I can still feel the last bad cut I got from skinning a deer, the body doesn't forget pain too easily. As said, was in a rush and right down the middle of the off hand thumb.

 

[Silver Wings]

Thanks for the reminder and glad it wasn’t any worse. I’m going to do an upgrade on my first aid kit and buy cut proof gloves for me and my boys. Does anyone have a link to gloves that are cut proof and still allow for the dexterity to do the work?

 

[7mm-08]

A no-cut glove on the hand opposite of the one holding the knife will save your bacon - please don't ask how I know this. I nearly saw a fatality in a gutting/quartering operation on a kid's first mule deer buck. Dad was standing at the buck's head leaned over and holding the front legs open and (for some unknown reason) the kid decided he was going to split the ribcage with a knife. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict what was about to happen - that first rib broke under extreme force from the kid and he nearly drove that knife in his follow-through upswing into Dad's throat. It was CLOSE, so close I believed he made contact. Scared the hell out of everyone. And with good cause, we were three miles from a boat to get back across the Snake River to a point that was four hours from McCall. Knives are really dangerous in field situations because we're tired and in a hurry to get an animal in a pack.

 

[Hectocotylus]

A no-cut glove on the hand opposite of the one holding the knife will save your bacon - please don't ask how I know this. I nearly saw a fatality in a gutting/quartering operation on a kid's first mule deer buck. Dad was standing at the buck's head leaned over and holding the front legs open and (for some unknown reason) the kid decided he was going to split the ribcage with a knife. Doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict what was about to happen - that first rib broke under extreme force from the kid and he nearly drove that knife in his follow-through upswing into Dad's throat. It was CLOSE, so close I believed he made contact. Scared the hell out of everyone. And with good cause, we were three miles from a boat to get back across the Snake River to a point that was four hours from McCall. Knives are really dangerous in field situations because we're tired and in a hurry to get an animal in a pack.

That’s horrifying. All we talk about is bears cougars etc but the greatest danger is cold and ourselves.


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[Crowmangler]

Thanks for the reminder and glad it wasn’t any worse. I’m going to do an upgrade on my first aid kit and buy cut proof gloves for me and my boys. Does anyone have a link to gloves that are cut proof and still allow for the dexterity to do the work?

Amazon.com

Here ya go. I like the ones with the rubber type material on the palm side because they don't get soaked with blood like the others. This is especially nice when is cold/ snowy/ rainy helps keep your hand warmer

 

[butcherboy]

Hexarmor is a good glove. They also sell arm sleeves and aprons. I’ve used a Havalon a few times and while they are sharp I much prefer a fixed blade knife.