Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire The closest you've ever been to death?

On a sigh Merle Haggards wall, "Life is precious, handle it with Prayer."

Does probably having the Corona in early 2020, then start getting chest pains a few months later while walking the dogs 1/2 mile on a flat road when I had been running around chasing elk 8 months before with no symptoms, finally getting in to the cardiologist in 3-4 months, going through the stress test, being told that perhaps 15% of my heart isn't getting the blood it should be, being told they could treat it "medically' upon which I asked what other alternatives to some pills were there, going in for the scope job through my wrist, coming out 2 hours later and being told all is well I just had a "tortured" right coronary artery with a 92% blockage on the lower curve and a 99% blockage on the upper curve of the tortured section, does that count???

I'm the closest I've ever been to death right now....this very instant...scary.

High potential on a daily basis for an good number of years. Worked falling timber as a kid and later drove raises, stopes, and drift in hardrock underground mines. Almost had the potential of cashing in many many times and know others who went thru the same.

One time on an ice storm was up a pole that was back fed without me being aware of it and felt the hair on my neck stand on end from being way too close to the end of the fuse barrel while it was hanging down. 7620 volts.

Early 90’s. 3:30 am, Van Nuys Blvd. and Magnolia. I was living in an apt across from the Grosman Burn Center and was leaving in an old Benz to meet up with a crew to waterski.

Red light. Boulevard deserted.. Lowered impala pulls up to my left. 4 cholos, the two faces staring at me were 16-ish. Did I mention 3:30 am? I swivel my head to look forward, goosebumps and hair standing up back of my neck. Can’t begin to explain the vibe that came off those dudes.

Light takes forever. Finally green. I pump it out of there and they hang a uturn from the wrong lane and head south toward Ventura Blvd. Next day, they’re in the Daily News (Valley paper). Drive-by.

I think the waterski sticking out the back window might have helped. Never knew how close I came, but man did I catch an evil vibe from that crew.


Oh, and black ice on the 90 out of Bozeman one November night trying to make Billings. My 13-year old son was in the truck. Big climb. Steep and deep over the side. Hit the ice, and wheeeeeeeeee. Spin city. Anything could have happened. Jesus took the wheel.

Shoulda hunkered down in Bozeman that night

Took a walker down four flights of stairs when I was 18 months. It has gotten worse since then.
Big ones was falling into a frozen pond when it was -50F at 10 yo.
I almost drowned in the Tonsina when I was 13 years old. Tonsina is a river that doesn't fool around and I traveled about 3/4 of a mile. My dad was a big guy and that saved me.
I got into a gun fight when I was 16 years old with a Hells Angel's biker who was a big league pot grower. I had the drop on him and he backed out instead of drawing. I would have plugged him and it was on our property. The same year I DLPed my first Grizzly with a Ruger Single Action 44 Mag. I also fell into a beaver pond at night and swam across with 150 lb moose quarter on my back. Hypothermic as all get out.
When I was 19 I got into a fight with a bunch of black fellers in Flushing Ave, New York off of the subway at about 11 pm at night. One pulled a knife and I beat him up pretty good.
I also got stranded out moose hunting that year and it took 7 days for search and rescue come get me out of the Tyone Hills. I just was in blue jeans with a carhart jacket and a tarp. I got pretty frostbit as winter came early that year.

When I was 23 I fell into the Copper River near Chitina and floated about 2 miles down with my net and snagged the main channel. Soon as I was in I dumped my boots and clothing so it was pretty embarrassing getting back to my truck without pants after being in a freezing cold river. But I survived.

When I was 24 I was in an automobile accident on the Tok Cutoff running into a fuel truck in a whiteout while driving a chevy cavalier. They told my folks I wasn't going to make it and triaged all the other passengers but then I didn't die. I was in the hospital for a month but survived. Many people when they look at me figure I got it by a bear but it was a fuel truck. 1 6 inch shard of glass punctured my eye socket and was removed the day after the accident.

Two years later, I pulled a 243 Savage 99 off of a kid who was going to kill his 38 yo father at a school basketball game who was diddling the same 28 yo woman as him. That could have gone not so well.

When I was 31 I was stabbed 4 times by a 3 rd grader who was hopped up on ritalin. He missed but jabbed his home made wire shiv about 3/4 of an inch into my back. He met a trophy case at the end of the fireman's carry.


At 41 yo I took a 75 foot header while goat hunting and woke up in a pile of my blood. I am 2 inches shorter after that incident. It could have been fatal but I crawled back out.


At 45 yo I had a 12 ton boulder roll on to my foot 26 miles from the airstrip and had to limp and crawl to get back. I wasn't a happy camper then.


At 48 you I had two close encounters with bears where they thought about munching me and I barely made it.

I think that I have enjoyed good luck so far but you can ever tell how you will go.

Rolled in my buddy’s ‘69 Bronco and ended up upside down with it still running. I was in the back seat and kicked out glass to get out…..


As kids my best friend and I were into duck hunting and had CJ-5’s. After a cold morning hunt we headed back home with the dog between the seats, decoys, waders and guns in the back. Freeway doing 70

Heater on and I as the passenger fell asleep. Buddy driving evidently did too as I woke up with the Jeep trying to climb the car in front of us while we were doing 70. They started to spin and I’ll never forget the looks on the two occupant’s faces as their vehicle spun.

Buddy did a great job landing and controlling the vehicle to a safe stop. Others were fine too….


Went to the Seminole Cup in Florida. Always rent the cheapest POS car for transportation. Got to the airport to pick up the car and they fuqked Up the rezo. No car

I walked down the line of rental places and a guy behind the National counter mirrored me and basically badgered me. “We’ve got trucks for $35/day!!!”

I said great and rented one. Nissan Frontier

Next day got broadsided by a crack whore with two brothers as passengers T-Boning me in my driver’s door doing at least 40. Brothers ran down the street after putting two cranium dents in the windshield, crack whore jumps out with a broken leg.

My bell was seriously rung but no injuries.

That truck saved my life

Went back to the Seminole Cup the following year. While in the airport I went to the National counter. The same guy was there who basically forced me to rent the truck that saved my life. I thanked him.

He had no idea what I was talking about. I truly believe in Devine intervention. If I had been in the usual POS little car and T-Boned, I would be dead




🍀 🍀 🍀

Wow Geno. Glad you survived.
I must say though, the closest I have ever been to death was just now: getting through that run-on sentence.

Bottoms UP.

HOLY CHIT!!!

You oughta know better.

Puntuashun ain't a thing roundabout these parts.

Sounds like the anti-gunners.

Good Lord, you are lucky to be alive. Lucky, or maybe, just very good. I saw the film Dr. Strangelove, weren't you the guy who rode the A bomb down out of the sky? Rode it like a bucking bronco. would like to know how you survived that.

Too many to count and would take forever to type out. Have been brought back from completely dead once. No out of body experiences with any of them, just woke up in the hospital or navy medical facility wondering wtf.

I guess I’m a real sissy. The couple of times I’ve been very close to dead are not anything I need to brag on or even think about much.

This link has an interesting 2x in one day encounter with a Grizzly. Click on the "Who is Todd Orr" tab.........

https://www.skybladeknives.com/

Todd makes some very nice custom knives, too.

July,August 2019,Had a series of heart attacks, too stubborn to see a Doc. Finally Aug 18 I walked into an ER in Tennesee while on vacation they cut my chest open and did bypass surgery said I was lucky to be alive.