Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Hunting hurt/sick.

One year I had the game warden show up at my camp the night before opening morning of elk season. He told me my wife had gone into labor early and I had better get my butt off the mountain because she sounded a little stressed out when he talked to her on the phone. Her due date wasn't for two weeks yet and my elk season was only a week long, so I figured I had a week to spare. That hunting season ended up being a bust though, turned out it was only false labor so after two days of contractions and nothing happening, I headed back to elk camp only to find out my buddies had broken camp because a huge snowstorm was rolling in.

17 - 18 years ago I was following elk tracks in the snow all day and caught up to them bedded in timber late in the afternoon. I was watching several cows and looking for a bull when I saw a small fir waving around off to the side. A nice bull was raking his antlers but moved off before I had a shot. He wasn't spooked so I was hoofing it trying to stay with him hoping for an opening. I rolled my ankle on a pecker pole under the snow and sprained the living chit out of it. I knew I was in trouble with limited daylight and a good hike off a mountain I'd never been on before. I wasn't sure I was going to make it out but knew if I stopped moving I'd be done. Down hill shale slopes covered in ice/snow with a bum foot are a real SOB... I made it out to the truck sometime after dark where two pards were waiting - swollen and black/blue from my knee to my toes, and hunting season was over. It got down to -10 that night...

Dudes! Really? Did someone also lose their nitting needles while hunting too??

Here, apply liberally and pass it on....

Three years ago, I had my heart rewired and 90 days later took a decent Dall ram. Probably my last at 69!

Last week I caught a lake trout so heavy I strained my lower back trying to weigh him so I'm laying low for a few days.

2012 was my year. Fought bronchitis during the whole of turkey season in the spring. I hunted about 2 miles up a mountain and those pre-dawn hikes were difficult not being able to breathe. After three rounds of antibiotics I finally got cleared up. Got a turkey too!

Then I went to Idaho on a solo backpack hunt with a torn medial meniscus in my left knee. I had a good idea what was wrong before I went as I had surgery for the same thing in the right knee the previous year. After training and planning all year, it happened while jogging Labor Day weekend. I didn't say much to my wife about what I thought was going on.

October 9 I hiked in 5+ miles with a loaded pack and hunted 4 days. By the time I hiked out, my knee was done. Thank goodness I didn't shoot a deer. I'm not sure I could have packed it out.

I had surgery within two weeks of retuning to NC.

Went hunting with full blown pneumonia six years ago. Killed a 210# ten pointer two weeks into the curse and the next day killed a 275 # eight pointer! both of which I had to load into my truck alone. I never knew it would make me so weak. I had to get a friend to help me with the second buck.

Elk hunted last year with the remnants of a horrific mold infection in my lungs.

Like the OP, I chose to hunt and won't stop for the minor aches and pains!

I've killed one or more ungulates since 1949. At 72 I'm now pretty much a box stand hunter and glad of it. I really couldn't do that absent my son and and my hunting buddy. It's hard to get the darn walker down those rough canyons, it's kinda nice to call one of em' and say "he's right down there in the bottom of that steep draw" and they go get him. Lord bless em' both.

My brother rode a ladder down the side of a house when he was doing some chimney work for a guy. Broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, lots of pulled chest muscles. Pennsylvania deer season rolled around, and he was determined to hunt. We're lucky to have good crossings right behind camp. He walked out about 200 yards behind the cabin and parked watching a trail. He had to find a spot where he could sit behind a log that was chest high, as he couldn't even raise his rifle. He rested the rifle on the log and proceeded to shoot a nice buck in about 20 minutes. No help showed up, so he spent about an hour gutting the deer with one hand, as his other arm was in a cast. The cavalry finally showed up when he had the job done in the form of one of our other guys who drug it in for him. It took him close to an hour to walk the 200 yards back to camp. He was in a lot of pain, and slept for about 12 hours after getting back.

We told him maybe he should get hurt more often.

in 91 broke ankle at a rodeo Dr. put screws and a pin in 2wks later went turkey hunting shot a jake at the family farm.

92 went dove hunting came home house empty wife gone .

last year antelope/deer hunt Wyoming had to go to hospital in casper found out I had a brain tumor. spent 2 days in bed, went back to camp shot an antelope caught some browns at miracle mile .got home had operation. 4wks later shot deer at bottom of my property carried it out a piece at a time .then rock chucker took me up for a late season muzzle loader hunt at his place.