Just Returned From The Northern Rockies ( Part 2)

[moose2]

After a good mountain hunt in September I thought I would return for sheep and goat for the last four days of the season. This story is a sequel to the first.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?86667-Just-returned-from-the-Northern-Rockies

Day 1 Oct 11 2012

I arrived early evening to start my solo hunt. I went to see if I could find a fellow hunter from this site, that may still be up there.
I talked to a guy that said he left earlier that day. So I went and parked at the drainage I wanted to hunt sheep at, and got set up for a nights sleep in the truck. I did not sleep very long when I awoke to see if I slept in only about a hour and a half had gone by. I kept this pattern up until 4:00 am.

Day 2

That's when I got ready and planned on walking the drainage in the dark in hopes of being on the mountain top at daybreak. The walk in the valley was OK, but with 6 inches of new snow and some still falling I took my time. A cool thing happened on the way up. As I went around one of the creek boulders a bird flew up I guess he was confused by the light and he landed on my left arm. He stayed there a few seconds until the light hit him again and he flew off into the dark.

I started up the side face of the mountain with about a half hour to go before day light. I soon discovered the mountain side was very slippery and dangerous. It looks like there had been a frozen rain hit the rocks and then the six inches of snow had covered that. I was slowly making my way towards the top with about 200 feet left to go until it leveled out. It was now day light and I just turned off the headlight.
I was on a slim sheep trail going around a bluff, that's when I slipped. I started sliding down a chute at a fast pace for about 40 feet then all I saw was open sky. I completely launched off a 25 foot rock bluff. It all happened so fast I barely had time to swear, it probably sounded something like this I am sure "Ohhhhhhh Fuuuuuuuu" and then thump I landed square on my back on top of my pack and heard my rifle crashing behind me. After I hit I continued to tumble and slide another 30 feet before coming to a stop on another slope. I had managed to stop about 70 feet short of another bluff that would have dropped me another 70 feet probably to my death.

I felt some back pain as I lied there for a bit, and my first thought was about my wife and daughter and the fact that no one knew exactly where I was. I was glad to feel my arms and legs moving so I got up and gathered my thoughts and then my gear. I felt very sore and bruised, but thought I could walk it off. It was soon apparent to me that I needed to get looked at as every step became harder and more painful. It was a long 4 hour walk back to the truck. This was the toughest thing I had ever done walking in these conditions in this kind of shape.

I stopped at the hospital in Fort Nelson and they took X-rays. This is when they discovered that I had a compression fracture to one of my vertebra as well as many bad bruises to my back, ribs and hips. The doctor said my meat packing was over for this season and gave me instructions on what to do to get heeled.

I am now rethinking my position on hunting solo, in these kind of conditions anyway. My next winter mountain trip will be with a partner or I will not go. This was a relativity good ending for me considering what could have happened. It has taught me a couple things for sure. I will be hunting again soon, but I am not sure if it will be with the same scope. lol
http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_072_Large_.jpg


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_073_Large_.jpg


My next report will be on my partner's and mine elk, wt deer, and moose combo.
That's it for now good luck for the rest of the season and thanks for reading.
Mike

[TheProvider]

Glad you made it out alive. Mountain are beautiful things but all it takes is one bad step.

[longwalk]

You are one lucky man. I'll leave it at that.

[kootenayelkslayer]

Holy sh*t, that's scary stuff man. Glad to hear you're alright, could've been a lot worse. I often worry about making that 'one wrong step'.

[bowhunterbruce]

holy crap batman, very close call, im really glad we arn't getting a far worse report. glad you made it back out.
hopefully every hbc member reads this to remind them that anything can happen at anytime,even to the best of them.
get well soon
bhb

[Darksith]

wow, glad to hear that you aren't too f'd up. Maybe you can get warranty on that scope lol.

[tomahawk]

Usually its the tough times and mistakes that we learn the most valuable lessons in life. Your wife and daughter will be thankful you have learned one from this experience.

[Buck]

Hmm i had some Kahtoola microspikes in my hands today looks like i will be buying them after all.Glad to hear you are all right.

[Whonnock Boy]

Scary stuff! You might want to consider a SPOT, or something similar even if you do plan on hunting with a partner. My wife loves the fact that she can login and see the last position that I turned the unit on. You could still be laying at the bottom of that bluff if you were incapacitated, even if there was a search crew looking for you.

[whitetailsheds]

Holy shiite Mike......too close. Glad you made èr out!!

[BlacktailStalker]

Glad you got lucky. A good thing to post, it'll remind everyone that bad luck can be just around the corner.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Holy crap Mike!! I'm glad able to type this story out. Could have been much, much worse!!

Glad you're "relatively" okay.

Happy healing.

SSS

[Caveman]

Battered, Bruised and a wee bit Wiser! Glad to hear to wasn't any worse

[Jagermeister]

Good story to relate, seeing as how you can. Happy that you're still with us.
In hindsight, it would seem that crampons would have been the order of the day.

[325]

Glad to hear you survived. That's some scary shit.

[Rackmastr]

Yikes man...thats rough!

I do a few solo trips every year. Yesterday I was chasing goats in some rocky and shaly stuff that made me think twice a few times. I had more than couple times yesterday that I had wondered about taking a wrong step or slipping, etc and being by myself. A SPOT messenger is good but getting into the rocky messy stuff can be a bad deal no doubt.

In any event....good to see you made er out OK. Good lesson for everyone!

[squamishhunter]

Crampons dude! Waaaaay better than those dumb spike things.

[swampdonkey]

Glad your ok besides the bruising

[Rubberfist]

Well thank goodness you only broke your ass and not your neck! I'm sure your injuries pale in comparison to the tongue lashing your wife gave you. Seriously though, glad you are still in one piece.

[Old Crow]

Good to see the Weaver rings held up

[GoatGuy]

Glad to see you made 'er. Hope the healing process is relatively quick.

Looks like a leupy, so at least it will be warrantied unlike the flakes at bushell.

[coach]

Jeebus, Mike! Scary shit! Sounds like a rather rough ride. Good to hear you're somewhat OK. Good on you for sharing your story. Hope the healing goes quickly and you're back hunting soon.

[swampthing]

I love to be in the mountains alone and am always very careful.....but. Stuff happens. You got yourself out, as planned. Your a survivor. Head out next year solo and be a bit wiser. Great trips you did.

[Glassman]

Glad you are alright. Yes you are right, hunting solo is never a good idea.
When you send in the scope tell them that you are not sure how it looked like this. " I just bought it and when I took it out of the box for the first time this is how it looked and for reason it fogs up and it always shoots to the right". .........................Just kidding. But you would be surprised about how many people will make up a bs story and lie to get something for free. Please let us know the outcome of what Leopold says and does. This could be great advertisement for them if they handle this right. When you send it in to them make sure you send in this story with pics and also make sure you refer them to this thread. We all want to know the outcome. Before shipping to them make sure you talk to the right person by e-mail. This way they will expect it and if the advertising dept. gets a hold of this story they may use you for "cheap" advertising. Cheap as in, all it cost them was a free scope. (know what I mean).

[The Silent Stalker]

Wow, thanks for sharing the story. I hope everyone thinks hard about what can happen in the blink of an eye. Glad you'll be ok, hope you heal up fast.

[boxhitch]

That ice was laid down about 12 days earlier. Glad you made it.

Thats the way it goes though, one day posting on HBC and within 24 hours, falling off a sheep mountain.

[BCrams]

I am now rethinking my position on hunting solo, in these kind of conditions anyway. My next winter mountain trip will be with a partner or I will not go. This was a relativity good ending for me considering what could have happened. It has taught me a couple things for sure. I will be hunting again soon, but I am not sure if it will be with the same scope. lol


Thankfully nothing worse came of it. It reminded me of my solo sheep trip where I already had a ram and was packing it out - I bobbled on a rock off the edge of a bluff and the pack weight threw me over and I bust my rifle in half and some broken pins and bent frame. Landed upside down and as I lay there, my first thought was - thank god I didn`t break any bones etc. That was my last solo trip in the mountains for sheep. Too much can go wrong.

[Rubberfist]

The subject of solo hunting is a tough one, because I completely agree that it is risky and that too much can go wrong. Even if all of the risks are assessed and one does their best to mitigate those risks, there are a number of things that cannot be controlled or anticipated, and even a small issue can become very serious, even fatal, when you are isolated. For me, the risk is very much part of the thrill and satisfaction that I get out of solo hunting goats.

I guess everyone has to do what they feel is within their comfort zone and capabilities. Regardless, there are specific pieces of equipment that everyone (not just solo hunters) should invest in that will help to safeguard against disaster when things go wrong:

SPOT transmitter
GPS
basic first aid kit
a no-fail form of fire starter (parafin wax packets are amazing)
at least two quality sources of light (something that casts serious light like a Surefire or Fenix)
a down-filled insulation piece (i.e. North Face vest)
a waterproof and windproof top and bottom (water/wind resistant is not enough)
one of those cheesy "space blanket" things
electrolyte tablets of some sort (dehydration and muscle cramping are as dangerous as anything else you might encounter)
a strong anti-inflammatory
a strong pain-killer

[BimmerBob]

I will be hunting again soon, but I am not sure if it will be with the same scope. lol

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_072_Large_.jpg


http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_073_Large_.jpg


Mike

Whoallah! No worries Mike, I am sure that will buff right out! Glad you are still with us, I have taken a few tumbles myself and stopping on the edge of something is a memory not many share but those that do will know how hard it is to even move for fear of starting another slide...

[dana]

I've been there done that, except I went over the next drop and the next drop and the next drop. Did time stand as you were falling? For me, it was like slow motion. It certainly makes ya think twice when you are on similiar slopes afterwards. Glad to hear ya made it through this one without too many problems. Was the barrel jam packed with dirt? Those Leupolds are amazing scopes.

[moose2]

Thanks to everyone for the positive comments. Great post Rubberfist I agree with your reasons for hunting solo as well, these are the same reasons I enjoy it. I carry everything on your list as well as a few others. I will be adding crampons and a spot before next years mountin trip. Yes Dana it felt like time stood still. I had the same felling as when I used to jump of cliffs and bridges into water when I was younger. The drop felt the same , but having a few seconds to think about the landing wasn't fun. It sounds like your fall was a bad one as well. Glad you are around to tell us about it. After I went over and realized how far my drop was going to be I remember thinking don't put your feet and legs down. Not that I had much say in how I landed but it was probably best the way it went. My pack was full of winter clothes this cushioned the landing a bit I am sure. I looked at my pack later ( external frame ) and it apeared to be the one cross bars that must have caused the fracture. This might be another plus for internal frame packs, but I am not sure.
Good luck with the rest of season everyone.
Mike

[Call of the Wild]

Day 1 Oct 11 2012

I arrived early evening to start my solo hunt. I went to see if I could find a fellow hunter from this site, that may still be up there.
I talked to a guy that said he left earlier that day. So I went and parked at the drainage I wanted to hunt sheep at, and got set up for a nights sleep in the truck. I did not sleep very long when I awoke to see if I slept in only about a hour and a half had gone by. I kept this pattern up until 4:00 am.



Too bad we missed each other and I would have offered you a place in my camp to sleep man. I've done the truck sleeping thing on many occasions and it never provided a good sleep but now doing it during winter conditions and hunting the mountains the next day is brutal!!!!!


I’m glad to hear you made it out, it could have been a lot worse. Take the time to heal up good and take it easy for the rest of the season. Two days earlier it was raining first thing in the morning and then mid day the weather cool down gradually to turn that rain into a wet snow. I would say that caused the slopes to be icy and then during the night you arrived it started to snow again, a good 4 inches of fresh powder snow was on the ground when I left in the am.

[Call of the Wild]

The subject of solo hunting is a tough one, because I completely agree that it is risky and that too much can go wrong. Even if all of the risks are assessed and one does their best to mitigate those risks, there are a number of things that cannot be controlled or anticipated, and even a small issue can become very serious, even fatal, when you are isolated. For me, the risk is very much part of the thrill and satisfaction that I get out of solo hunting goats.

I guess everyone has to do what they feel is within their comfort zone and capabilities. Regardless, there are specific pieces of equipment that everyone (not just solo hunters) should invest in that will help to safeguard against disaster when things go wrong:

SPOT transmitter
GPS
basic first aid kit
a no-fail form of fire starter (parafin wax packets are amazing)
at least two quality sources of light (something that casts serious light like a Surefire or Fenix)
a down-filled insulation piece (i.e. North Face vest)
a waterproof and windproof top and bottom (water/wind resistant is not enough)
one of those cheesy "space blanket" things
electrolyte tablets of some sort (dehydration and muscle cramping are as dangerous as anything else you might encounter)
a strong anti-inflammatory
a strong pain-killer


A great way to put it into perspectives and I totally agree. Things can happen so fast up there and Mike’s story should be a reminder the mountains combined with mother nature will win if we don’t respect them and gamble.

[moose2]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/medium/all_hunting_2012_072_Large_.jpg

I was able to get out and shoot my rifle after my mountain fall. The leupold did really well considering the beating it took. It was dead center on height and about 4 inches to the right at 100 yards. It shot a good group and I was able to zero it and it held the adjustment. I will be putting it to the test this week when I go looking for elk and whitetails. There is a small bruise and crack on the glass so I will take my daughters 30/06 as a spare incase mine fogs. I hope this scope gets me through the season and I will be purchasing another fixed 6 by 42 from Leupold for next season. I bought this scope new 19 years ago and has been abused on and off over that time. It has performed perfectly the full time. I can not say enough good about the quality and toughness of this scope. The Tikka did well also lots of scratches and dents and a bit of surface rust from being in the snow for most of the morning. Nothing broke or bent and the safety held strong during the fall. That would be bad luck to survive a bad fall and then get shot by your own rifle when it lands.
Mike

[BiG Boar]

Man it sounds like you had quite the adventurous season so far! As far as solo back packing trips go, they seem a bit out of my comfort zone. From what I have read on mountain hunting, it's not really a prudent idea. All of the gear in the world can help, but sometimes an extra mind to think things through can be a blessing. The same fall could have happened if you had a partner there, but had you broken your legs real bad, or knocked yourself out for a few too many hours, you could possibly have died from exposure. A good hunting partner can do a lot. Also, this re-enforces the fact to let someone know where you are probably going to be hunting. If you know which 3 drainages you're most likely going to hunt, leave that info with your friend or wife.

[BCHunterFSJ]

"Been there, done that" !!
Best of luck healing up...