Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Close calls you were fortunate or blessed to have survived.

I guess many who are smarter than me must have missed close calls like tripping and falling over a huge rattler one evening walking a stretch of RR track on my way back to the car after hunting one day. I guess it was just cool enough it couldnt get cranking until I got away.

Driving an old IH tank truck loaded with location water on the road and having the steering linkage come apart. Luckily, I thought at the time, high school summer job, the rains from a hurricane had filled the 5 ft deep highway ditches level banks and instead of ramming the tank load through the cab and me the truck barged through and out the other side and through the barbed wire fence and stopped on the hill in the pasture past it.

Oh, My!

I've had a few. I don't like to think about them.

Driving a 6 speed Mack with 2000 gallons of acid in a 6000 gallon front tank with the rear full of flush water.

Only going about 20 miles on some hair pin curves when the brakes went out and no trailer brakes.
The truck went up on the left side and when it level i went thru the pasture.

Made a shortcut to the well head.

Got back to the yard told the shop man no brakes and when he went out to check had a flat on the trailer.

He got a new driver to get it fixed while i was out to lunch.

Me and the treater stood out the front for him to come back.

It took him about 3 miles to slow it down.

all of drums were cracked and there was no brake shoe left.

Went off the outside of a curve on a motorcycle doing about 50 or 60 once, no helmet just leather jacket and jeans. Slid a ways in tall grass, got up without a scratch, bike was sorta bent and banged up tho.

Took a slide down the side of a mountain while mountain goat hunting. My buddy died the year after doing the exact same thing in the same area.

I know what you mean. Scarey.

In jr high i hiked a couple miles from town in south Texas brush country to hunt an oak timbered draw for squirrels in spring.

Stepped up to an oak and a freaking huge 5 foot rattler "jumped" out from the roots around the tree 2 feet away and was so pissed it was unreal. Ive never heard a snake buzz like that before or since, and ive heard many.
I was afraid to move my feet as it was raired back and ready to nail any movement. By the grace of GOD my 22 cal pellet caught it between the eyes.

A few minutes later i put the butt on its head and cut it off. The stump flew back and knocked heck out of the side of my foot, leaving a quarter sized blood stamp on the side of my off white tennis shoe.
No way i would have made it back to town.

We are glad you didnt, sir. PTL.

I'll just say this, I married the most wonderful woman in the world.

Fell asleep and sideswiped a tree. Another inch to the right I'd hit it head on at 70mph. Woke me up for sure. Ripped my ladder racks off!

You married my wife Wabi?!

Thank you Father for plainsman and Birdy.

Must be Jack.

PTL, JM. So glad you are here and made it.

I had a TC contender chambered in 357 Herrett. It went off while in my hand and the bullet went inches from my head. I had let the hammer down on a loaded chamber. The hammer extension caught on some brush. That was 39 years ago, and I remember it like yesterday.

I just finished popcorn, you good folks will have to make your own.

Been a volunteer firefighter since age 16. Gotten myself into situations that I didn't think I'd get out of. I was always able to complete the task at hand, no time to think about it. Afterwards, on the ride back to the station, that's when the shakes would sometimes set in.

God bless you, bro. Thanks. PTL you made it through.

Wabi, are you just almost worthless. Come on. We know you've had a few. No mad cows or husbands?