Stay safe out there

Just a reminder to stay safe out there. Things can change quickly.

My hunting partner fell though some ice the other day. We were trying to cross a small creek. He was across and thought he was standing on solid ground, but it turned out to be a patch of ice that had frozen before the water level dropped. Between the two of us we had enough gear to get him straightened out pretty quickly. I gave him my bib overalls I was wearing, we put some hand/toe warmers on his toes, covered them in game bags and then wrapped them in plastic bags before putting his boots on. We were about a 5k walk back to the quad and another 20 minute ride back to camp. If that had happened the day before when it was -20 we would have been in some serious trouble, but it warmed up to about -2 or so. Lucky.

I pack enough stuff in my bag to spend the night somewhere with some first aid supplies, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for that.

Like I said, be prepared, stay safe, have fun.

Good thing you were prepared. Shit happens fast, like you say.

Glad it worked out ok.

did you/your buddy post this story in one of the FB hunting groups recently? looked like a nasty spill, glad it worked out ok

I did this once, of course was not properly prepared, but at least I only put one leg through into the creek....I just had to keep moving and not stop till i got the truck, after the initial stock it wasn't too bad, and wool base layer probably helped me a lot.....I am lot more careful on frozen creek crossings now

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BRvalley

did you/your buddy post this story in one of the FB hunting groups recently? looked like a nasty spill, glad it worked out ok

I did this once, of course was not properly prepared, but at least I only put one leg through into the creek....I just had to keep moving and not stop till i got the truck, after the initial stock it wasn't too bad, and wool base layer probably helped me a lot.....I am lot more careful on frozen creek crossings now

---

Im not sure if he posted it on fb or not, because I don’t have Facebook. His name is rob. I’ll ask him tonight.

Glad everything worked out. I also carry enough gear to last 2 nights+ in my backpack just in case. I'll get an inreach before my next solo trip.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Bustercluck

Just a reminder to stay safe out there. Things can change quickly.

My hunting partner fell though some ice the other day. We were trying to cross a small creek. He was across and thought he was standing on solid ground, but it turned out to be a patch of ice that had frozen before the water level dropped. Between the two of us we had enough gear to get him straightened out pretty quickly. I gave him my bib overalls I was wearing, we put some hand/toe warmers on his toes, covered them in game bags and then wrapped them in plastic bags before putting his boots on. We were about a 5k walk back to the quad and another 20 minute ride back to camp. If that had happened the day before when it was -20 we would have been in some serious trouble, but it warmed up to about -2 or so. Lucky.

I pack enough stuff in my bag to spend the night somewhere with some first aid supplies, but I definitely wasn’t prepared for that.

Like I said, be prepared, stay safe, have fun.

---

Good thinking on your part...I carry enough suppliesin my hunting pack to prepare me for most situations...cheers

While in high school in Waterloo decided to go camping with a friend to Kirkland Lake wilderness area during the Easter break.
The lakes were still frozen. We walked on the lake ice for quite some time & on our way back near the shore's large boulders, the ice broke & we both fell in & got totally soaked.
We managed to make it to shore. It was really cold so we ran about 1/4 mile to the old trapper's cabin where we were staying.
We had the wood stove burning in no time.

Lesson learned -we only had regular matches that were totally soaked.
Since then always carry waterproof matches, BIC lighters & space blankets when in the wilderness.