Watch where you step

[300RUM]

I just got mail from the federal government that makes me think about watching where I step. That may sound a little crazy but it is very true. Seven years ago I drew an antelope tag in northern New Mexico. My hunting partner was supposed to come along but back surgery put him out of action. Off I went, alone. I got there a day early to scout. My hunt was assigned to a public land ranch tucked in behind an indian reservation. It was around 100 square miles, that may sound like a lot but when you are confined to that space it can seem rather small. Late in the afternoon I was sitting up on the wall of the valley at the south end of my area and spotted some goats. There were a couple decent little bucks. I had spoken to a NMDGF supervisor who had informed me there were generally not large trophy bucks in the area so these would become my prey in the morning. I was just happy to be hunting.

 

I got up early and was back in the same glassing position before the sun came up. About an hour after sunrise I spotted one of the bucks a long way out. I climbed down off my perch, the chase was on. Using the contour of the terrain I closed in to intercept them. When I arrived at my intended position I was about 450 yards out but the terrain contour now worked against me. If I was down in a sitting or prone position I did not have line of sight to the target. I was not going to take a standing shot at that range. The goats kept moving and this process kept repeating itself hour after hour and mile after mile. The heavy .300 RUM was becoming a pain in the shoulder. A lighter rifle would sure be nice. It was well into the afternoon when I crossed a small ridge and came to a fence that was close to the north boundary of my area. I was looking for a way to cross it when I spotted the buck. It was a 400 yard shot with a clear line of sight. Finally! I flopped on the ground, folded out the bi-pod, chambered a round, lined up the crosshairs and BOOM. The buck disappeared from sight. I dressed him, made the long hike back to my ATV and rode back to camp.

 

The buck was down out in an area without any roads. My best access was a 2 mile hike out of camp. I had an early dinner, grabbed my pack frame and other necessary gear and headed out to recover the goat. On the way I had to cross a couple of nasty ravines. They were about 10 feet across, 15 feet deep with nearly verticle sides. Crossing was accomplished by working down a side drainage that fed in to it, working along the bottom till you found another side drainage to climb up and exit. Going back through with a loaded pack would be a challenge. I reached the buck and without much daylight left I decided just to strap the whole animal to the pack and get back to camp. I was making good time. About halfway back to camp I approached the edge of the first large ravine and headed for the mouth of the side drainage I had used to cross it. The grass was well over knee deep. I took a step and my left foot fell into the ground up to my knee. There was a very loud snap accompanied by a feeling that would make you believe you just stepped on a lightning bolt. The quick release shoulder straps on the surplus ALICE frame came in very handy as I dumped the pack, stabilized myself and extracted my leg from what was probably the mouth of a burrow. My foot was hanging at a 45 degree angle off the end of my leg and even the lightest touch caused incredible pain.

 

There was no cell phone service anywhere in the area. I was on my own. Only about 30 minutes of daylight remained. After a short rest to recover from the shock I got the cable saw and light cord out of my little survival kit. I crawled over to a small tree, cut some branches with the right curve and splinted my ankle. At this point somebody with common sense would have dumped anything that was not absolutely necessary and started crawling. For some reason I found it necessary to unload my pack, butcher the antelope, reload the pack, put it back on and then start crawling. The next 5 hours were like nothing I had ever experienced or ever hope to again. Long, lonely, painful and extremely challenging both physically and mentally. Around midnight I finally drug myself into camp. Still no cell phone coverage but what a welcome sight. I was almost finished loading, all that was left was to put the ATV back on the trailer. It would not start. The feeling of despair was devastating. Do I just leave it behind? Well, the same stubborn fool that couldn’t leave the goat wasn’t going to leave the ATV. I unhooked the truck from the trailer and used it to drag the ATV on. With everything loaded I finally drove myself out.

 

The damage was severe. Most surgeons recommended removing parts and fusing the joint. My wife found one who was willing to attempt to repair the ankle. When we went to see him he asked how I had

injured the ankle. I told him my story. His first question “So you had to leave your antelope behind?” I told him “No, I brought it out with me”. His response was “Good man!” and he proceeded to take out his phone and show me pictures of deer, antelope and elk he had taken. I had a doctor that understood what I wanted to get back to doing and that inspired confidence. The surgery to repair the ankle was estimated at less than 5% chance of success. Fortunately I beat the odds. I drive a tractor trailer for a living so I was out of work for about 6 months. During this time I designed and built a nice light rifle.

 

How does mail from the federal government relate to all of this? It contains the registration renewal for a satellite relayed emergency beacon. My father bought one for me after this incident and I have since purchased a newer, more compact one to replace it. If you have not looked into them I urge you to do so. They are light, compact and not terribly expensive. I sure wish I had one with me on that hunt. Also, think about a compact emergency kit that you always carry. Mine really helped save me that day. We all have family and friends to go home to.

 

Below is a Garmin GPS 20 with an ACR Resqlink beacon and my emergency pouch. Also, the little buck that is a huge trophy to me.

[Big or Bust]

Great story. Great reminder. What happened to you is my worst fear in most of the places I hunt. I carry a Delorme in-reach.

 

Hope your ankle healed up.

[rossislider]

Wow crazy story! Glad you came out of it okay. It makes me grateful to have my little hunting partner now that is always more than eager and ready to head out with me. Stories like yours have caused me to give a lot of thought to this type of stuff before going into an area, and making sure my son knows the way back out to the vehicle and or road in case he should ever have to leave me behind to go for help. It is also a reason that I have made sure that while he is only 12 (almost 13) has practiced and knows how to drive my truck well enough to get help.

[IA Born]

Wow crazy story! Glad you came out of it okay. It makes me grateful to have my little hunting partner now that is always more than eager and ready to head out with me. Stories like yours have caused me to give a lot of thought to this type of stuff before going into an area, and making sure my son knows the way back out to the vehicle and or road in case he should ever have to leave me behind to go for help. It is also a reason that I have made sure that while he is only 12 (almost 13) he has practiced and knows how to drive my truck well enough to get help.

 

Exactly. I've been teaching our daughter (now 13) to drive since she was 10 for that very reason! Glad you got out ok and got your ankle fixed right!

[Jazz]

Yeah.. time to buy a Delorme.

[AZ8]

Great story. Most of my big game hunts are solo and this is my biggest fear.

 

Been putting it off, but I think you just convinced me to purchase the In-Reach.

[goinhuntn]

Wow you are very lucky. I have never really put much thought into one, but I am now!

[Curtis Reed]

i also have a ACR ResQlink. I love it.

[Snapshot]

Tough situation with an injury like that. I need to get one of those emergency locators. As I get older, my brain still likes to write checks, that my body can't cash.

 

Do you still have full mobility with the ankle?

[300RUM]

It is great to hear so many of you are teaching your young children to drive. At the age of 10 I was a fairly accomplished off-road driver in the manual transmission CJ-5 that my father and I went exploring in.

 

I do not have full mobility of the ankle but did recover a good range of motion. It is a little weaker and sometimes rolls to the side in the direction it was broken. I still get around fairly well and have no fear of heading out alone. I have not only a great surgeon but an incredible therapist to thank. My days of heading into the wilderness with a 100 lb pack to set-up a hunting camp are over, age contributing there also. The first tag drew after I recovered was 5B S archery bull. I had 5 months to get back in shape. It took me 10 days but I got my bull. I was real proud of myself that I was able to keep at it for 10 days so soon after recovering from that injury.

[Snapshot]

I was working with a guy recently, who busted up his ankle pretty bad, about a year ago. He wears a brace now,and will never be the same. He has to side step going up and down stairs.

[300RUM]

It really effects me now when I see someone like that. It is hard to describe the feeling but it is based in the realization that I was fortunate enough to beat incredible odds and not be in the same position. Some people make amazing recoveries and adapt well after serious injuries. This spring I took out an Army veteran who lost a leg just below the knee for a turkey hunt with Hunts for Heroes. Walking on a prosthetic leg he followed me around 4A and had very little trouble navigating the terrain. I was very impressed.