What would you do in this situation - continue to bring a good friend along on a hunt or finally suggest it was time for him to take up something less strenuous like bird hunting?
My hunting buddy, Dave, has been hunting with me since 1999. He is diabetic, which has caused numerous complications and problems over the years. The first few years he refused to discuss his condition, insisting he could control it. That left me to research on my own what the problem symptoms were and what to do about them, something I'm still not real comfortable doing.
Unfortunately, Dave has not been very successful at controlling the diabetes. He is a great guy in general but for years refused to take enough water or food, which meant he was eating and drinking mine by day's end. I finally put my foot down a few years ago so now his standard load is 2 liters of water and more food, same as I carry.
The big problem is I just don't know if he is capable of the physical stress anymore. Even when at home he has been hospitalized a couple times because when he gets sick and starts vomiting his body chemistry gets all messed up with potentially fatal results. Here is his record since 2004:
2004 = Got very sick on 2nd day of season. Wanted me to drive him home (Craig to Denver). That meant going through multiple mountain passes and monster snowstorms in the high country. That seemed like a good way make things worse and the passes could be closed anyway. I offered to take him to the hospital in Craig instead but he refused. Day 3 (Monday) we met his wife in Wyoming and I returned to camp alone.
2005 = No elk but Dave got a doe and used our cart to pull it about a mile back to the trailer. Along the way he puked a couple times. Later during the drive from Meeker back to the trailer at Buford Dave didn't seem himself. At best he was just tired and sleepy, a normal state of affairs. (Put him in a car and start driving and he is usually out in minutes.) During the drive I kept asking if he was OK and he insisted he was just tired. We briefly discussed having leftovers for supper and the first indication I had that something more than normal was wrong was when were back at the trailer ready to eat and he asked me if I had just made all the food. The next morning he confessed he had been hallucinating and that when he stepped inside the trailer he thought he was in a cathedral.
2006 = A one day hunt at Three Forks RFW ranch. We both got our cows and the ranch guides helped pack them out. The next morning as we dressed to go deer hunting I got word my wife was in the hospital. We packed up and went home.
2007 = Dave got sick pulling a doe out 300 yards to the truck using our cart.
2008 = Dave was a new father and stayed home.
2009 = Dave was sick and stayed home.
2010 = Dave didn't hunt.
2011 = Dave didn't hunt.
2012 = An easy opening day but Dave got worn out and sprained his ankle badly as we walked back through the sage to the truck. It was so bad his wife had to come get him. Doc said a break would have been better.
2013 = Day one was an easy day as we hunted the migration routes in the sage early and spent most of the rest of the day driving to scout different areas. The second morning Dave got very sick. We left him at the truck while we hiked a mile into Oak Ridge SWA. I called him on the FRS radio ad it was clear we had to turn back and get him some help. Daughter #2 and SIL cut their planned 2-day hunt short to take Dave back to Denver and home.
Overall, not a good record. In seven planned hunts he got sick five times, going home twice and staying home once. Another time, after an easy day of walking, he got badly injured because he was too tired to pick his feet up.
Wife and I will be meeting Dave and his family later this afternoon. My son-in-law and I have already put in for Snake River Ranch and if that fails we will to try for leftover cow tags for Unit 12. I've decided to give Dave another chance but if he gets sick this year I think that will have to be the end of our elk hunting together.
