First Aid, Who's Needed It?

[type2bowhunter]

Ruptured my patellar tendon chasing ibex in NM and had to hike down 2 miles, thank God for gorilla tape. I did a little write up on the whole deal. Rehab is going well

Thread 'Injured in the backcountry'

Oct 22, 2024

I am currently lying in bed several hours post surgery. I am zonked on hydrocodone but unable to sleep, I've got an immobilizing brace on my left leg which has made falling asleep a seemingly laughable proposition. I don't know exactly why I intend on summarizing what happened to me here on rokslide, but I believe it'll help me close the door on the injury and motivate me to attack my rehabilitation. And, if somewhere down the line my story can help someone else, great.

If you couldn't tell by my username I am a huge fan of difficult hunts. I'm a bow only guy and the more difficult the...

• type2bowhunter
• Replies: 62
• Forum: General Discussion Forum

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[westsloper]

I have a first aid issue basically every summer lol. Thank goodness they've all been mild. The most annoying one was a puncture from a stick. I stepped on it just right and it flipped up and smacked me on the leg. I bled a lot and had to get stitches.

One that sticks out to me was a girl who got her tooth knocked out walking into a branch. We were very grateful to have plenty of ibuprofen and acetaminophen that day.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Numerous horse wrecks, broken ribs, couple helicopter wrecks, and an out of control slide down a snow field with a crash at the bottom. Even had a tree fall on me.
Blood, cuts, and abrasions. Even some nasty bruises. Other than trips to the emergency room, never needed any first aid.

I have needed some help driving but nothing applied before hand.

 

[Beendare]

Our assistant guide was almost killed in Australia. A buddy wounded one of those 2,000# water buff's and we were looking for it. Johnathan and I were walking into a thick patch of brush that was about 6' tall...and I was not going to have any of that. He had his Canon video cam on a tripod over his shoulder.

I got to my buddy 50y away when we hear this big smack and J cry out. Then we see the brush being plowed in a donut like a skid steer was in there mowing it down. All of a sudden the brush starts parting right towards us and I took 2 steps behind a tree with my buddy Robert running down a trail full out.

The bull went past me at about 3 feet away- dang I can still remember the ground shaking. The bull ran off in a different direction with Robert and the others yelling and chasing it.

I went in to get J and he was mangled knocked out cold, I thought he was dead. He had a pulse and I knew I had to get him out into the open in case that bull circled back to his hidden hole. I squeezed his legs and he could feel it. I was worried about a broken back but running my hand up both sides of his backbone he said no pain, only his shoulder and collarbone which was broken. I humped him on my shoulder and got him out of there to the clearing we had been when it happened.

Turns out, the bamboo size brush saved him while draped over the horns of the bull as it had some give to it. If the bull would have slammed him to the hard ground, he would have been a goner.

An hour to the truck...then a 6 hour drive on dirt roads to Darwin to the hospital- that had to hurt. He recovered....a stud dude that just made a bad choice. I'm an old hog hunter....no way I walk into a thick brush patch like that with just a bow.

 

[Mr Biscuts]

North American Rescue makes a patrol kit that goes in every hunting pack/range bag I use. Comes nice and compact in a vac seal bags and can be picked up for relatively cheap. Highly recommend, still will need a band-aide bag but for any serious injuries this kit has you covered.

 

[alecvg]

Even as an EMT and first responder, I carry very little with me while out. I’ve never had the need for anything in the backcountry. Scariest I’ve had in the moment ended up being minor. I was thinning timber a few years ago on a project by myself, and skipped my power saw along my knee and lower leg. Looked much worse than it was. Once I got calmed down and looked it over, I wrapped it with some Covid masks from my truck and duct tape, and kept working the rest of the day. Went into urgent care at the end of the day to get everything cleaned out and stitched.