What Is "Safe"

[Swede]

We all know there is no such thing as being absolutely safe in the elk woods, but what do you do to minimize risk to life and limb?

I call home once a day and try to let my wife, who has no idea about the area I hunt, basically know where I am.
I have a good safety line to arrest my fall from the time I leave the ground until I return to the ground.
I like having someone in camp, but that does not always happen.
I do not consider a 1st aide kit a safety item, but I guess one could be. Mostly they are used after something bad has already happened. Anyway I don't have one.

What else?

[Elkhntr08]

I picked up a inReach last year. Doesn’t make me safer, but might help if I do get in a predicament. Makes my wife happy that I have it and we can text at night. Happy wife=more hunting trips.

[Lefty]

Maybe more than anything we use common sense, and avoid stupid.

We know the area we hunt, Down hill is a road, help and people
I use to teach construction site safety and industrial safety , we’ve had horses and a few cows. I know accidents generally have a preventable cause.
And experience; some simple things,stay awy from cliff edges, steep slopes thin ice: I don’t walk on logs, a long ago slip on a log that put a tree spike through the crotch of my pants,.no damage to me but the pants needed mending in the crotch.
I’ve also had neighbors friends and ecclesiastic leaders that have advised us on medical safety.
And as a retired scoutmaster the Motto “ Be Prepare” “ is etched in my mind!
We feel knowledge preparation for much that is preventable.
I often feel our biggest concerns are animals themselves: love stuck bull moose, grumpy range bulls, cow moose with calves and grizzlies.

We don’t take risks hiking in the dark or adverse conditions and more recently I do not hunt alone nearly as in the past.

And our vehicles and travel, I m not racing down the roads to start hunting. I take a few more minutes to get where Im going .
In the past 15 years I’ve lost -blown a dozen tires When hunting in the lava and even more so, obsidian, two spare tires, two spares have saved me 5 times in my life,

And a prayer for every hunt for safety; and a true or not arrow on the way to game.

[Fullabull]

I b quite often start the season by myself for about a week before my son arrived.
My way to stay as safe as possible when alone.
1. Always park my truck where it can be found easy.
2. I always hunt up him where I know I can get a cell signal.
3. Carry a cell phone, radio, onx map on my phone and solar power source for charging all.
4. Hunting up hill also allows for easier path to the road if I get hurt and have to get myself off the hill.
5. I carry a water filter and always hunt where I know I can get to water if needed.
6. Never hunt on hills when there is snow. To easy to break an ankle or leg around deadfall.
7. I never hunt more than a mile and a half from my truck, two in good terrain.
8. Let people close by or in camp ground know I am alone and when I expect my hunting partner.
9. Carry kimber micro9. I do not hunt in grizzly country so just want something to scare things of if needed.
10. Goes without saying, carry a med kit. Most is normal but make sure to carry forceps to clamp an artery, blood clot and plenty of good duck tape.

[Indian Summer]

I have a daily hunt prayer. I hunt steep hills in snow. Never carry a first aid kit. Trek more than a few miles from the truck. No cell signal.

But I’m super careful. I have bad knees so watching every step and planting one foot before lifting the other is an every day habit. My partner knows where I’m at. This year I’m buying an Inreach. It will give me the ability to take risks. Just kidding. I just watch what I do every step of every activity all day every day. Back in the day I’ve cut myself a few times while quartering elk. Now I look at it as one of the higher risk parts of elk hunting and I’m very careful and take it slow. I guess I may be a bit complacent because I’ve spent most of my life even as a kid stomping around in the woods. I’m right at home there.

One thing worth mentioning too is that I’m glad to be able to say I never panic. I’ve always been able to keep calm in shaky situations and my years of guiding and outfitting really increased that ability. I’ve seen some serious train wreck in the hills. I will go nuts if I see someone getting overcome with anxiety and panicking. I have zero tolerance for that! I’d be the guy who slaps them across the face saying “Get a grip man!” Panicking only guarantees to make a bad situation worse. I used to instill the ability to remain calm on all my guides. I’d do it in a joking way at times. Watching a mule roll over sideways 10 times fully loaded down a steep rocky hill will definitely increase your heart rate. It’ll leave a rookie guide with his mouth hanging open and eyes bugging out of his head. I would tell them look shit happens. You can’t change that or stop what’s already gone down. Dismount, tie your horse off and slowly walk down the hill. Stay clear of kicking hooves. Talk calmly to the animal. And stay positive. In other words don’t look uphill at everyone and scream oh my God I think he’s freakin dead!!! Instead say something like “Well the bread and coffee looks ok but the mule not so much” or something like that. If I see you down there panicking I might have to draw my pistol and run down there and put you down so I can drop the loads and get the critter right side up so we can be on our merry way.

[Tigger]

Hunted for a little bit with a new guy in the mountain. He stepped onto a log about knee height and jumped off. I quickly told him, no, you never step on a log and you for sure never jump! He looked at me surprised and then said, "yeah, that makes sense and I never thought of it that way."

I always plan my route. First from a safety stand point and secondly from a hunting standpoint. If an elk can see or hear me if I go this way....then choose another way. Is it too steep? Find another way. Nothing wrong with stopping for a minute and carefully planning your route. Crossing creeks is a tough one. I often take way too much time to find a safe place to cross or going super slow. Those rocks are slippery!! The scenario that scares me is you step over a log and put all your weight on that lead foot and it slips forward maybe stopped by a shin high branch. Either your leg breaks or you impale your nether regions on one of those 6" branch stubs sticking out of the top of the crosswise log.

Being prepared is huge. Knowing the landscape and identifying boundaries (ie road, creek, ridge) that you don't want to cross. Having InReach, OnX and maps is important. A well thought out first aid kit for your style of hunting is critical. Joe, dadgumit, you need to take one with! Corey Jacobson has a podcast from last year where 3 super experienced elk hunters struggled after a freak injury. It can happen to anyone!

[Magic]

I hunted alone for many years and no one had any idea where I was. Heck, many times I didn't even know where I was. This was well before GPS but foolish is still foolish. Now days my Western hunts are always with a partner. Deer hunting on my property, I go to designated areas and "she who must be obeyed" knows the area and knows where I am. I always have my cell phone and walkie talkie with me.

[7mmfan]

While I frequently hunt on my own, someone always knows where I'm going and I leave a loose hunt plan. My wife has OnX loaded on her phone and knows how to navigate to waypoints and tracks. If I update anything while I'm there, she gets that info.

In general though, I just do my best to be safe in the woods. I don't cross sketchy rocky faces or slide down rock chutes. I go out the way I came in unfamiliar country so I don't end up cliffed out in the dark. I carry a basic first aid kit, and I've used it many times. I have the stuff needed to make fire, and know how to use it. I frequently make fires in the woods, especially when conditions are tough just to keep myself up to snuff on my skills. I've started carrying a small sil-nylon tarp in my pack to make an emergency shelter. It weighs nothing and takes up no space. I have micro spikes in my pack and I used them a lot this year. Steep alpine ground, frozen Idaho canyons, and slippery wet grass hillsides, they made a world of difference in secure footing. I also bring enough calories for 2 days in the woods.

This winter I went snowshoeing after a big storm. I had a long circuit planned with a fair amount of off trail hiking into a basin on the other side of the ridge from the road. When I got to the trailhead and grabbed my pack, I realized I'd left most of my food at home on the counter. I did a quick survey of the food I had and decided that I didn't have the amount needed to safely do the circuit I wanted to and have the surplus that made me comfortable. I chose a different route that kept me on trail all day and in striking distance of the road. It wasn't what I wanted to do, but I know that in those conditions, and heavy caloric output, that a guy can get tired and make a bad or dumb move. I just played it safe and had a nice day in the woods.

[Swede]

Joe probably has the same 1st aide kit I carry. Some may not recognize as it looks exactly like my tee shirt and pocket knife. I had to use my kit only once, but it got the job done until I got in to a doctor who sewed me up. For the most part those little plastic things they call Band-Aides are just sympathy strips.

[wawhitey]

Joe probably has the same 1st aide kit I carry. Some may not recognize as it looks exactly like my tee shirt and pocket knife.

Thats a first aid kit? I thought that was the "forgot the tp" kit.

[Indian Summer]

I never walk on top of downed trees. I used to. But 2 years ago I was in a situation where I had to step up on one to get to the the other side. I still have the scar! Slipped and stabbed myself inside the left thigh with a stub from an old branch that was broken off.

I’ll take as long as I need to to find a safe place to cross a stream. I had a friend fall backwards off of a log that was about 5 feet above a small whitewater stream. He had a huge frame pack on and landed on it. He didn’t get hurt but it was absolutely frigid out and it was all we could do to make it to camp and get a fire going to warm him up.

I bought trekking poles this year to avoid slipping. A wrong twist of my bad knees could really be catastrophic. Also a silnylon tarp for a shelter. I don’t carry rain gear so the idea of being able to hole up through a downpour or whiteout seemed like a nice option. I already have the poles so another 15 ounces for a shelter seems worth it.

My first aid kit is flagging tape and toilet paper.

I can start a fire anywhere anytime. I went through Cub Scouts and then Boy Scouts and have been camping literally since I was old enough to do so. At 10 years old we’d do 2 weeks straight in tents up in Ontario. Loved every minute of it.

I was life flighted in 92 after falling from a tree. Landed flat on my back onto a Canon Rebel camera which broke two ribs just off my spine and collapsed a lung. I used to be a daredevil when it came to heights but not after that. So when it comes to cliffs I’m out! I’ll do whatever is necessary to avoid them.

Being careful... really really careful is my main survival plan. In my opinion hypothermia is as dangerous as anything else. Well except for maybe doing 100mph on a Harley. Lol

I build fires all the time. They not only dry your clothes but lift your spirits and give you a chance to rethink the next plan for the day after you’re warm and dry and have your priorities straight.

[Indian Summer]

But once I have that Garmin Inreach I’ll be able to take all kinds of risks right!

[Swede]

Thats a first aid kit? I thought that was the "forgot the tp" kit.

I always have TP. I don't remember when I did not have that in my pack. For years I carried surveyors tape, but threw it out after a GPS went in the pack. I suppose I could replace it with some electricians tape. A small partial roll could be handy for other things too, and it doesn't take up to much space, or weigh too much.

[Tigger]

Ditch the TP and use wet wipes. You have never read a better tip.

Joe, Joe, Joe. Bring a few basic essentials for a first aid kit. It will help me to not worry about you! Just a few essentials like a trauma pack and some of that stretchy tape they use for horses (same stuff they use for humans but cheaper). throw in a dish towel which can be used for all sorts of things. I don't bring much for bandaids. Maybe 1 or 2 but they are more for comfort than need.

Swede, I would feel better if you packed a automatic defibrillator.

If I am antelope hunting I add a tweezers for the cactus that my dad ends up with embedded all over him.

[Indian Summer]

My shirt or socks can double as a dish towel but no dirty dishes on the mountain. Flagging tape is stretchy and the knots stay put really well. There are splints growing out of all of the trees. I always save one bullet for myself.

Actually probably one of the more dangerous activities during my elk hunting is riding horses simply because I’m not 100% in control of the situation. But I have a ton of experience and I usually get the same level headed horses every year. If I get on road sky sections of the trail my feet are barely in the stirrups and I could bail out in the blink of an eye.

I was born to roam mountains and if they could do it back in the early 1800s and live to tell about it so can I. Don’t worry Tigger I’m as safe as anyone. Do a shot of NyQuil before bed if you need to.

[saddlesore]

I don't use tree stands
I carry a road flare to start a fire in emergency.
I have hunted with horses or mules for close to 58 years.Some injuries, but more than not, I have trusted my life to them.
I always make sure I know where I am. I don't use a GPS, but usually have a topo map and compass. I won't trust my life to high tech electronics.
Staying dry is my main priority.I don't hunt in the rain and make sure I have suitable clothing/gear if I am hunting in the snow.
The older I get ,the more care I take about not falling. I fell once in the snow and a limb sticking out of a tree, broke my rib.