Alone and in trouble

[foxvalley]

I would like to elaborate on phantoms"It's no picnic out there" thread.
I like to solo hunt,pack in a few miles and get away from everybody and everything.If you are one of these guys,and spent enough time this way,you have probably found yourself in a really "bad situation". Sickness,injury,bears,cats,hypothermia,etc. Lets hear some stories.
I was packing in one year and was about a mile in walking down a trail with the creek to my right and a cliff to my left,and 80lbs. on my back.
3 little black bear cubs started to climb up a sapling 10 feet from me by the creek,and at the same time right above me on the cliff...... In a furious rage, popping her teeth and roaring,she flew by me at about 5 feet.
She ran under the tree with the cubs,they slid down, and the whole thing was over in less than 5 seconds. I never moved an inch,by the time it sunk in what was happening, it was over. If she decided to attack,my face would have been lying next to me before I knew what happened.

[Freebird134]

I've never had any real trouble with wildlife and the elements. My scariest moment was probably from other hunters threatening me because I was in "their spot." The spot I had been scouting and hunting for months without ever seeing them. On public land. And I was in "their spot." Ha!

[Swede]

I have had several situations similar to Firebird's. The worst was when one party claimed priority at a water hole where I had my stand. They said they had been hunting there for 30 years. I had been hunting that same waterhole for about 15 years and had never seen any of them. One afternoon when my friend was in the stand, one of that group started shooting from above just to scare him off. I am quite sure they are the ones who stole my stand that year. Fortunately they left after that season and have never been back.

[DominicV]

I was close to hypothermia once and believe that if I would have sat down I probably wouldn't have got up. It was the last yr I rifle hunted and was not dressed properly (levis and cotton long johns) no matches. There was only about 6-8"of snow and what was intended to be a short track ended up being a long day. I ended up a ridge over from where I intended and finally made it back to the truck, I don't remember but my friend said I was saying stupid things, my body was sore for days and still 16 yrs later I dont like to be cold I panic if I am hiking and start getting chills.

[Goneelkn]

On my way out one night, decided to take a "short cut" across a shale slide. Dumb right? Anyways, i slide down about 20 yards, twisted my knee and cut both my hands. Limped out that night, and had to take it easy for the next week.

[T/H]

my second year bowhunting and hunting elk, i went to CO and did not realize how big the country really is up there. in all my previous years hunting with a rifle in NM (open country) and growing up in Ohio and exploring the woods every chance i got, i really thought my sense of direction was exceptional (which it is most of the time) and never even thought about owning a gps up until after 1 small incident. as i had done on numerous previous occassions on this hunt, i took off onto an elk trail for the morning hunt only this was just a little different. although i still had "confidence" in my sense of direction something just did not look the same and it looked the same at the same time if that makes any sense and for about 45 minutes while heading back towards the trail head i really felt lost and popped out of the dark timber about 500 yards from where my truck was parked on an old growth logging road. i cannot tell you how helpless i felt for those 45 minutes. there was no sun, cheap azz compass was not working, no cell phone service. it sucked. now i own a nice Garmin CXS60 GPS that goes with me wherever i go in the elkwoods. i love this little unit. i have "never" had issue with it. knock on wood.

the one thing i will say about that though was i was over packed slightly and had enough food in my pack and water around me to last for a couple days as well as enough clothing to stay plenty warm if need be. CO is big elk country guys, as is Elk country where you guys probably hunt and should not be taken for granted. Aloha all!

[foxvalley]

I here ya T/H. I always have a slight tinge of panic/terror getting back to camp,it's dark, miles to go etc.... even when your not lost!
I think the closest I ever came to getting packed out was in 1988, my second year in the mtns. I wasn't drinking enough water and after 2 days the dehydration caught up to me. I spent 2 whole days,miles from the nearest road, laying on my back in my tent. I didn't eat, drink,move or poop,I just layed there.After the second day,I managed to suck on a jolly rancher,and started to "feel Better". "Feeling better" consisted of leaving everything,including my bow,in the tent,and heading out with just the cloths on my back in a desperate attempt to get out. I did, and spent another 2 days on my local friends couch as I recovered.

[dotman]

I can't say I have been in trouble but I have felt it. Last year in CO was my first time ever seeing a mountain lion in the wild, only issue is he was following my trail. I was on a big bennch, just blown out a nice bull and decided to scout my new hidden area. I made a slow loop that took about 3 hours and when I got closeto where I started I saw him with his head down right on mu trail. I decided to head back and cut my trail a few hundred yards back and watch. He came in head down on my trail about 60 yards away, the wind changed and blew to him and he didn't even look my way just changed direction and headed away from me. Now I doubthe was stalking me, probably just curious but it was fun and hair raising to experience. I'll be back in there again because it is a nice little honey hole that aucks to get to but once there is amazing.

[WapitiTalk1]

I can't say I have been in trouble but I have felt it. Last year in CO was my first time ever seeing a mountain lion in the wild, only issue is he was following my trail. I was on a big bennch, just blown out a nice bull and decided to scout my new hidden area. I made a slow loop that took about 3 hours and when I got closeto where I started I saw him with his head down right on mu trail. I decided to head back and cut my trail a few hundred yards back and watch. He came in head down on my trail about 60 yards away, the wind changed and blew to him and he didn't even look my way just changed direction and headed away from me. Now I doubthe was stalking me, probably just curious but it was fun and hair raising to experience. I'll be back in there again because it is a nice little honey hole that aucks to get to but once there is amazing.

Well Tim.. It's common knowledge that when you see a big cat in the wild, you scratch your finger on a log and call "kitty, kitty, kitty". With a wolf, you whistle, throw a stick and say "go get it boy". Either way, you bonk em on the head with the butt of your .44 when they get close

I've had a few close calls with hypothermia, black bear charges, a bull I called in running a guy over in an alder thicket (luckily, he ended up with only bruised ribs), and a brown bear and cub in Alaska that did a full out charge across a shallow creek. I've even been "disoriented a few times".. never lost Lots of good stories to learn from here. It is definitely, no picnic out there and respect and awareness in the elk woods is absolutely essential, even when hunting only a mile from camp. RJ

[eltaco]

I've only had one time in the woods by myself where I questioned what the heck I was doing... and who would find me if something bad happened (answer: nobody). Pretty lame story, but one I'd never really considered until the moment a tree hit the ground about 40yds from me while I was sitting down to do some calling. I didn't hear that tree even snap, just heard it crash when it hit the ground. There's absolutely no chance I would have gotten out of the way. I'm not ashamed to admit that I picked it up and got out of those trees. Lesson learned: don't sit in a blowdown area during high winds... especially when alone.

Had a buddy learn a hard lesson a couple of years back when rifle hunting by himself. Snow started hitting the ground at a pretty good rate, and my buddy was pretty well equipped for it with a 12'x14' wall tent, stove, firewood, food and water for a couple of weeks, etc. He was up the mountain with a few other camps of people nearby, but everyone else was from out of state and not nearly as prepared. I remember him calling me to tell me, joyfully, that all of the other hunters had vacated the area and he had the spot to himself. It wasn't until the next morning that he woke up to see feet of snow had packed him in. Another day later and he was absolutely stranded up there alone. He tried a few times to get his truck moving and couldn't get more than 200yds (of the 4mi back). He ended up getting towed out of the area, which cost him $4k+ in fees. While being towed out, he became fully aware of how a couple inches of snow could turn into 12' covering the roadway at multiple avalanche locations along the drive out. Tough lesson learned!

[foxvalley]

Three years ago I slipped and fell into some sharp shale, and gashed my palm. It wasn't bleeding,but the fat was hanging out,and I just couldn't leave it open like that. Make sure that you have a three cornered needle and thread in your first aid kit, and a blood clotting packet. I stitched myself up,put on a glove, hunted out the rest of the day, then headed out for the long trip to the hospital.

[Lefty]

That is one of my wifes fears. Ths year I will have cell reception so she will feel better. Ive had some close expieriences trapping, that Im luckey to be here
Ive been stuck with a truck too many times. Most guys would walk out.
Nothing has happened to me elk hunting and I plan to keep it that way

[LckyTylr]

When I was stationed in Alaska, one of my supervisors invited me to join him when he checked and re-baited his traps in March, he told me while he was taking care of the traps, I could make myself useful shooting squirrels and rabbits as bait with my .22. That was fun, but he decided that he wanted to set a few more traps, which we had left at the truck. He asked me if I would mind going back and picking them up for him, and explained that his trapline followed the timber line at the top of ridge that we could see from the truck. He said that if I got to the tree line and didn't see his tracks, to just wait as he'd be along shortly. With plans made, we separated. I could see the truck from where we were, so I made a B line to it. A few hundred yards from the truck was a stream (about 20 feet wide and 3-4 feet deep, but as it was March, it was frozen over and had a foot or so of snow on top. I thought nothing about it and started walking across. Crunch . . Swoosh! Just like that, I fell completely through the crusted snow and the current swept my legs downstream before I could even think to get a breath in. I didn't even think about anything, I didn't have time, it was so quick that I was completely caught off guard. My gloved wands were pawing at the crusted-over snow searching for something solid to latch onto. After being dragged down stream for 10 - 15 feet, my hands hooked onto solid ice and with one desperate heave, I pulled half of my body out on top of the ice/snow and scrambled back on top. I crawled on my belly to the edge of the stream and then ran like hell to the truck. Thankfully, my supervisor was a seasoned woodsman and knew to leave the key at the truck. It took me a few minutes to get the gas flap open and retrieve the keys as my fingers had lost most of their dexterity. I started the truck, cranked the heater, stripped down to my underwear, jumped in and just waited.

My supervisor had continued on re-baiting traps until he reached the last one and then waited for about 10 minutes before coming out of the tree line to look for me. He couldn't see me anywhere on the flat and knew immediately that something was wrong. He backtracked to where we departed and raced along my tracks to where he saw the hole in the stream. He instantly thought I was dead and began to panic, but then he noticed that my .22 was laying in the snow on the other side of the stream where I had launched it as I fell through and saw my tracks a ways down stream headed toward the truck. He crossed several yards up stream and met me at the truck. Neither of us said a word until we made it back to base.

It turns out that there are some hot springs in the area and one of them happened to come out right in the middle of the stream. A guy from Alaska Fish and Game told my supervisor later that year that that particular hole almost never freezes over and it's rare for a snow bridge to form over it. Lucky me huh?

I have never been so fearful in all of my life as those few seconds as I was being dragged downstream, unable to see anything with all of the snow in my face. I thank God that the stream was only a few feet deep and I was able to keep my head above water by shuffling my feet with the current, and that I was able to pull myself out on the first try, I doubt there would have been a second.

I never told my parents about that little escapade, it still gives me chills to think about how close I was.

[elkaholic]

Most of the time I am in the woods by myself. When my hunting partner's schedule lines up with mine then we get to hunt together. But for the times I am by myself I carry a SPOT and send out messages noon and night signalling all is well. Gives the wife peace of mind as well as myself. Never been lost but once I was out and while it was pouring rain my Garmin 120 quit working. Wasn't quite waterproof I guess. It was crazy foggy so seeing landmarks was out of the question. Luckily I found my way back to the rig after a couple hours searching.

Do any of you carry a satellite phone with you in case of emergencies?

[Swede]

My son thinks I have a six sense that keeps me from getting lost. That is far from the truth. I know I can get lost, so I take extra precautions to avoid that uncomfortable situation. I have been out late and it was only because I kept the faith in my compass and map that I got out before dark. One time my brother in law and I were elk hunting in a heavy snow storm. We could not see more than a hundred feet at any time. He thought camp was in one direction, but according to my map and compass it was almost 180 degrees in the other. I convinced him, and myself, to to follow the compass, which within a couple hours, had us right back in camp.
On another hunt I hiked 6-7 miles back into the Wallowas and started following out a ridge and looking off different fingers. I was trying to spot and stalk elk hunt on a heavily overcast day. I suddenly realized the day was running out and I had a long way to hike still. Again I sat down with my map and compass then headed out. I was nervous, but within about an hour I hit a trail that led right back to camp.
My favorite compass is a Silva Ranger. They are still a great tool and hard to beat in many situations.

[foxvalley]

Last year there was a couple guys camped in the same drainage as me. After the mornings hunt in a new area,one of these guys drops into a nasty blowdown erea by accident as this all is new. He's standing there in chest high hell,when he hears what sounds like kittens meowing a few feet away.........Three little mtn. lion kittens in a little hole in the side of the mtn. Of coarse she is there,low to the ground and inching her way to him. Screaming and waving his hands had no effect, and he had no place to go. He didn't want to turn his back to her,and didn't have much choice as she is growling and still inching forward straight at him. His first shot went right over her back, and she leaped straight up in the air and came down,again, low to the ground and inching forward. His second shot hit the big cat center, and she ran a few yards an died.

[bearman da man]

This was my last year of rifle hunting before I picked up a bow. I was not alone, thank god, or perhaps I would not be here today.

Myself and two friends were out until it just started getting dark. My friends were behind me and we took the short-cut through the "Apple Orchard"....appled trees from the "homesteaders". These trees still have apples and as I was walking under one of the trees, I heard this "roar" and looked up and above me on a limb about 2 feet above my head was a mountain lion. Needless to say, I did a standing jump of about 20 feet and the hair was standing on my neck. You could see the lion run up the tree and was sihouetted against the sky that was getting dark. My friends said "should we shoot it?"...I said no unless it comes down the tree and is major pissed off.

I think the lion was hunting deer and I just happend to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. When it starts getting dark, I now use my Head Lamp...dahh.

[foxvalley]

There were 2 wallows on this little seep about 70 yds. apart. I had to walk up past the first to get to my tree stand next to the second.
About an hour before dark a mtn.lion and four yearlings, yes four,five total, stop at my wallow and get a drink. The yearlings were about 20lbs.,and moma was average size. They messed around by me,then went down to the other wallow.I could here them down there pretty good,as they were having a good time. An hour goes by,it's almost dark,and I can still here all those cats down there,and the only way I can get out is to walk right past them.
Now it's pitch black,they are still there, and wouldn't you know it,I forgot my flashlight. One mtn lion,whatever, moma with four, ah,don't know. The thing that kept running thru my mind as I walked past that wallow was: What great practice I would be, and a nice meal to boot.

[POk3s]

LckyTylr that is scary. Glad everyone has made it out safe.

Guess i'll tell story number 1. Always have my side arm and had never had to use it. The day before me and my buddy popped off a few shots out of the pistol, and of course forgot to reload it (Typical 18 year olds). It was just me and him on the mountain and it was the day after I had killed my elk. The next day was planned to go into a different area and to call in a bull for him. On our way out that morning right at camp he dropped his bow. Looked it over and nothing seemed out of the ordinary so we continued on. About 700 yards later he looks down and his peep site has popped out. I just said, well let's go fix it now. I had a spare so I tied it in and told him to shoot and make sure it's on. While he was shooting I was going to go behind camp and look over where we were going to head that morning. Sure enough about 1000 yards away I see 3 elk (2 cows and one rag bull) cross through a meadow. I run back and tell him as he tells me every things good and we sprint down the canyon. We get to the bottom of the meadow the elk were in and I let out a couple cow calls.....nothing. Walked up a little farther to a tiny group of trees in the middle of the meadow and looked to my right to see an elk. I drop down to a knee, look at it through the binoculars at about 125 and see that what I thought was an elk facing away from me is actually a grizzly bear facing at me. It had its head curled into it's chest as it was laying down asleep and what I thought was the tail of the elk was the ear of the bear. My heart starts pounding and I look at my buddy and say, "it's a bear....a grizzly bear". He doesn't have a side arm or anything so I told him to knock an arrow and I pull out my pistol. This is where I realize I only have 2 bullets and start to kind of go, "oh great....the perfect storm".

After the short conversation with my buddy I look up and the bear is walking right at us. I don't know how many of you have seen a grizzly in the wild but it is an extremely intimidating site....walking towards you with that sort of waddling gait is enough to get your blood pressure to an all time high. I look back down to my friend and say, "He's coming right at us". By the time I looked back up he had bedded back down. Just happened to be bad luck that he wanted a different bed right then and was simply just getting comfy. At the moment I didn't know whether he'd seen us, or smelled us and was curious or what. Regardless my buddy said he never wanted to see that look in my eyes again LOL. He told me I turned completely white and my eyes looked completely different. Later when talking about it I just kind of said, "yea well you didn't look so good either!"

We talked it over trying to decide whether we should let him see us or just back out. We elected to back out and not risk surprising him. We backed out, circled around and headed back up for the elk that had to have walked within 100 yards of the bear as well. We got to the top of the meadow, I'm still on edge as you can imagine, and 5 pine grouse erupt out of a pine bush about 3 feet from me. I jumped about 20 feet to my right and was about 4" away from being laying on the ground when I get snapped back to reality by the kind of laughter that can only be experienced in the elk woods. He was trying to laugh as quietly as possible but it just wasn't working. I stood up, said a couple of expletives and trudged on. About 30 seconds later a bugle erupted in our face which again scared me and resulted in more laughter, only this time not quite as loud.

We set up and I was able to call that bull back. Never did see him but I thought I heard something running away from my position and when I caught back up to my buddy he said he could never see him but could hear him moving back and forth across a little meadow he was set up on the edge of before he finally ran off.

To end the morning I went to the lip of the canyon and had a bugling match with SEVEN different bulls. I turned to my buddy and said, "well are we going in there" (it was quite a hole)....to which he replied, "well I didn't bring anything to eat and I only have one water bottle left." I looked at him in disgust and said, "you've got to be kidding me right, what do you think this is amateur hour!".....and back to camp we went.

[LckyTylr]

I have a storie from two years ago that wasn't even "Along", but we were in trouble. I took a work friend bow hunting for elk. I'm not even sure if I can call him a friend, as he's a Senior Construction Manager, I'm a lowly Project Engineer, but either way, we have hunted together numerous times. If he and I had ever been assigned on the same team, he'd be my boss, so we'd have to reevaluate our friendship. Anyway, he's been a upland/waterfowl hunter his whole life, but never big game. He was pretty excited about our hunt. He practiced several times per week, bought new gear, lost some weight, he was pumped. We took off after work on a friday and got into camp around 10 that night. The last hour of the drive he started complaining about stomach pains and thought he must have eaten something bad. I figured it was something really bad, because this guy does NOT complain about anything and he rarely lets you know how he's feeling or what he's really thinking, a very guarded personality I guess. The next morning, the stomach pains were still there, but he was pumped full of excitement and ready to go. We hiked about 3 miles in the dark and then sat down to wait for some bugles. Before legal shooting light, we heard a weak/sleepy bugle just down over the ridge we were on. I was worried about thermals messing things up, so we dropped down to what I thought was the same elevation as the bull (about 600 - 700 yards down the hill). It was really steep with loose footing. i set him up as the shooter as he didn't know how to call yet. Once we had enough light, I started calling and immediately got a response, and then another closer, then another closer. This boy was coming in. I figured the bull was still about 100 yards out but gaining fast, so I looked over to my buddy to ensure that he had an arrow knocked and to tell him to range some trees if he could. He was laying on his side, knees tucked to his chin with a face that said "I'm in trouble". He had a few dry heaves and I asked him what he wanted to do. He didn't respond, he looked so torn. I knew how excited he was about the hunt, and the fact that we had a bull coming in REALLY amped things up, but considering how much adrenaline he must have had in his body at that moment, for him to be hurting so much that he was incapacitated, I knew it was time to get he*# out of dodge. I packed up my stuff and his pack and bow, helped him to his feet, grabbed all of the gear and instructed let's go. It was odd Telling a superior what to do, especially considering that he wasn't sure of what he wanted to do. Anyway, he BARELY made it back up to the top of the ridge before collapsing in pain, doubled over and immobile. I took all of our gear on a jog that I knew I could maintain back towards camp and told him to stay put, that I'd be back to get him. I got back to camp in record time, hopped into my truck and started the slow process of navigating the jeep/4-wheeler trail back to where I left him. Did I mention that my truck was brand new and I'd only had it for a week. . . . . through a heavily wooded and NARROW jeep trail? I earned some racing stripes in the paint along the way. Anyway, made it back to him and picked him up, rushed him to a hospital. Turns out he had kidney stones, BIG ones. He had a total of 7, 5 of which had to be broken up with lasers (i think). The whole thing scared the hell out of me.

[8seconds]

Most of the time I am in the woods by myself. When my hunting partner's schedule lines up with mine then we get to hunt together. But for the times I am by myself I carry a SPOT and send out messages noon and night signalling all is well. Gives the wife peace of mind as well as myself. Never been lost but once I was out and while it was pouring rain my Garmin 120 quit working. Wasn't quite waterproof I guess. It was crazy foggy so seeing landmarks was out of the question. Luckily I found my way back to the rig after a couple hours searching.

Do any of you carry a satellite phone with you in case of emergencies?

I got into some trouble last season while solo hunting in the San Pedro Wilderness in NM. And over the years i have been in trouble a time or two including go under in a stream while it was sleeting and snowing in Nov in Washington State. At 68 i'm not as bullet proof as yesterday so with all of the SPOT comments on this forum I invested in one for this season and way forward. My phone won't catch signals where i go.

[tracker12]

I was in this bar last year in Steamboat Springs when this "HOT" c... Oh sorry wrong board. Be safe out there.

[easeup]

yes sir gentlemen.....elk country IS big country, at least in CO.

that is what stirs my heart about the whole deal.
Everyone be safe out there this year and enjoy the awesome country that holds the majestic elk.

[dreamhunter]

This is an excellent topic. Lots of good stories to learn from here. It just goes to show that you can't ever be to prepared.I'm on my way to work so I will have to post my story of getting turned around later this evening.Thanks guys,again good stuff here.

[Harmy]

My stories are not from Hunting but from climbing or mushroom hunting.

1) Had just soloed Lone Eagle Peak in Colorado. Was traversing the summit ridge and into a steep coular to descend. It was snow packed. I had the forethought to grab a rock (about a 10 inch long cylinder 2 inches in diameter). I was kicking steps to cross to the other side when I slipped. I started sliding down the snow face at huge speeds. I was bumping and launching several feet into the air. No idea how fast I was going (probably 30 mph at times). I was headed right for a refrigerator sized block of rock. At the last second I rolled and just missed it but did brush my shoulder (no injuries). I was then rocketing towards the talus below me. I tried desperately to jab my rock into the snow and as I was bouncing and jabbing I finally had purchase. I stopped with about 10 feet to go before smashing into the rocks.

2) About 3 years ago I was hiking through the High Uintas in Utah looking for procini mushrooms. Just like elk hunting actually. I was about 2 miles in and was crossing a dark fur forest. I was crossing a deadfall log when the branch I stepped on broke and I fell over the log. I landed on a sharp broken branch that impaled my back. Nearly punctured through my rib cage. Got very lucky on that one. It would have punctured my lungs.

3) Was traversing a ledge on a cliff face to seek out a new climbing area when several large boulders suddenly fell from above. Landed within 8 inches of my feet. Never even heard it. They fell from well over 100 feet up and were the size of footballs. Would have crushed me if they hit me even with my helmet on.

4) Was traversing the north face of a minor peak adjacent to Lone Peak in the Wasatch. Was ridge traversing Little Cotton Wood Canyon from SLC to Alta and climbing rock routes in between. I scrambled up onto a rock the size of a refrigerator and was crossing it. When I was centered the rock started to slide down the mountain. I rode this rock for probably 300 yards and was forced to jump off as it began to tumble. 2 minutes later the exact same thing happened to my wife. Neither of us was hurt but it scared the crap out of us.

5) Was ice climbing a free hanging ice pillar that was about 30 feet long and 10 feet in diameter at the attachment point. I was just at the attachment point when the whole thing failed and down I went. I landed on the ice below and smashed my leg pretty good. But did not break anything. Fell about 45 feet.

6) Went back country skiing with a buddy early season in 2002. It was a thin snow year. We realized the avalanche danger was high so we decided to get on the ridge and traverse all the way to Alta and then ski down the cat tracks. The ridge was the safest place as there was no snow on the ridge due to sun and wind removal. As we got to the resort it began to storm. The resort was not open yet so there had been no cat work. As we began the descent we got off track and found ourselves above the ski lift on a steep ridge with several steep chutes. We figured we had to go all the way back around and so sat down to have lunch. As we were eating I observed that the chute we were above had already slid out in an earlier avalanche as I could see the crown and the debris pile below. As we discussed the situation we thought that if we went down the chute it would likely be safer than the potential exposures we would face by traversing all the way back around. Also, we could see the ski lift and from the lift at that place there would be no more dangerous spots all the way back to the car. We decided to test out the chute. We knocked off several large chunks off the crown face and nothing happened. My partner jumped into the chute and did several jump turns. Nothing happened. He skied the chute. At about 2/3 of the way down he stopped where the chute did a sharp dogleg to the left. Suddenly a 25 foot diameter slab released and my partner went out of sight. I figured I had 5 minutes to get down and dig him out or he would be dead. I stepped into the chute and the entire ridge released to the ground taking me down the chute. I tumbled and hit rocks. As I turned the corner I was suddenly airborne as the chute went over a 20 foot cliff. I landed on the slope below and as I stopped I smashed my fist up and through to the surface. I was able to then dig my mouth free so I could breath and subsequently to dig myself out with my one hand. As I uncovered enough to lift my torso I looked up and could see my partner buried up to his neck with his head sticking out. He looked at me and said several non-repeatable sentences… We got ourselves out but I was in shock and had a huge hematoma on my leg and could not support my weight. We lost half our gear. What would normally take about 15 minutes to ski or 45 minutes to hike in the summer took us nearly 3 hours to get out of there…

7) Was climbing in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. We climbed one of the obscure routes and when we got to the last section it started to rain. We finished the last pitch as it was getting dark only to realize we were not on the top of the canyon but on the top of a spire separated from the true summit. We quickly descended the spire to the notch and began to climb the 150 feet to the true summit. By now it was raining super hard. The rock in this area was lichen covered and when wet is like the slipperiest river moss. We were stuck and it was fully dark now. We tried to climb out in several spots but just could not get a grip on the low angled rock. We had one flashlight with us. We finally spotted niche about 12 feet off the ground and so my partner stood on my shoulders and then head. He was able to jam a wobbly device into the niche and was able to finally pull himself up and we got to the top. By now it was nearly 2:00 am. It began to snow. We made it back to camp and went to bed. Woke up to 12 inches of snow on the ground. We would have frozen to death for sure.

As you can see I have used up nearly all 9 of my spare lives. I don’t really climb or back country ski anymore as now I have more than just myself to take care of with two young boys who are relying on me. I have learned a lot from my mistakes over the last 49 years.

So, would I then take the risk to go solo hunting for elk this year? Absolutely.

[Lefty]

I learned the folley of alone and in trouble a long time ago,.. Using my head and athleticism got me out of a few close ones.
I spend the extra time being careful now

Here is a short one: checking beaver traps, a legitiment -20 in Minnesota . Walking across the river in the early morning light and the ice spider webbed around me. Other than a quick prayer that ice should have never held me as I spread eagled, water so clear I could see the bottom of the river

[caperoll/Scott]

In all the years Ive been hunint and stomping around in the hills Ive had two close calls, and I blaim both of them on my girl friend at the time and now my wife. I had an afternoon Bow hunt planed by myself in one of my favorit spots, just me my bow and a couple of bigs bucks I had been watching. my girl friend asked me are you going with some one ?, my responce was I hunt better alone and I normallly do and have for a long time. Well we talked about it for a while I was on my way out the door and she stated BE CAREFULl, we all know thats the kiss of death. my bow and I went for a long hick up one of my favorit canyons deer hunting, I got to the creek crossing, I stopped looked at the rock I was going to jump on, missed judged it and rolled my ankle. Walking was not on the top of my list of things I wanted to do at that time. I soaked my foot in the creek for a while tring to get the swelling to go down put my boot back on and attempted to walk back to the truck. The next day in Doctors office he put me in a walking boot. Well as you all can see what happened next, my girl friend would not leave it alone I got the BIG I TOLD YOU SO speech. A few years later my hunting partner and I had a week elk hunt planed. We had been into the area a couple times scouting located where we were going to camp had it all planed out. The moring we were leaving my wife stated have fun, good luck gave me a kiss as I was walking out the door, then from some where behind me I heard and be CAREFULL, not agian the dreaded kiss of death. Well after geting to elk camp and short walk put the hill and a few hours of glassing we located Elk. We went back to camp put togeather a plan for opening moring. We woke up to several inches of freesh snow. We got into the area that we had seen the Elk the day before and started glassing I located a nice Bull on an open hill side and moved around to get a shot at about 200 yards. one pull of the triger and the Bull went down. Snow and gravity helped get the Bull to an area that was easyer to work on him. My hunting partner and I skined and quarter the Bull and cut of the antlers. I put on a hined quarter and the antlers on my pack and my partner took a hind quarter on his. We walked less than 70 yards to a small creek and stopped at the edge looking at witch way I wanted to go when the snow gave way under my right foot, I fell back wards, my left foot remained on the edge of the creek when I hit the ground my left knee made a very loud snapping noise followed by alot of instence pain. Ya you guessed it my ACL broken in half, and to add to my problem I was stuck, when I fell backwards the antlers struck in the ground. If my hunting partner had not been there with me I would have been in real trouble. Well that was my $15,000.00 elk hunt. So I have a couple of things in common 1) creeks and 2) my wife. MY wife is not allowed to tell me be carefull any more.