Question of the day ... Ever cut yourself dressing an animal?

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Question of the day......

Have you ever cut yourself while field dressing an animal?
How bad was it? Require hospital visit? Scared?


I don't know why, but cutting myself bad while taking care of an animal has always been a fear of mine. Crazy

Brian Latturner
MonsterMuleys.com
 
I have had the misfortune to cut myself twice while skinning and quartering an elk in the field. Both times I was working on the bull by myself. The first was the most serious, my razor sharp knife slipped and hit my knee. Luckily the cut did not bleed much as I was 4 miles into a wilderness area. When my partner got back with the horses and a first aid kit I was able to make a good bandage and we finished quartering the bull and loading him on the horses. I rode out with the meat, then made it to an ER about 8 hours after the injury for stitches. The second time was a not so serious cut to my thumb but it did bleed a bit. Be careful. I use knives and sharp instruments alot in my day to day activities but accidents can and do happen. I am going to order some of the celox (sp) coagulant powder and keep it in my daypack on wilderness type hunts.
 
I've nicked a finger a few times over six decades of doing a lot of game and thank goodness none even needed a stitch.
 
No. But I always carry a tube of super glue with me. I cut myself at home last week and it was close to needing stiches, put pressure on it for 45 minutes and got bleeding stopped. Put the super glue on cut and good to go.
 
Luckly never needed medical attention. Yes I have cut myself on occassions.

Happens really easy with the Havolon!!! Probably should use gloves all the time. However, I try to use them with bears.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-14 AT 12:46PM (MST)[p]My good friend Bob Grace made me a sweet custom knife, but it holds a razor sharp edge that almost took my thumb off while dressing a Colorado buck. I was alone with my, then 10 year old son. Was able to wrap it up with TP and duct tape.
The thumb survived and I am a little more careful.
 
I'm usually more careful in the field and escaped with only a few nicks....every year.... for the past 45 years of BG hunting. I'm pretty lucky, even with Bob's knives. Those blades are so sharp that they can jump a full inch just to bite you!

At home, butchering critters is a different story. I've been cut pretty badly but never had a hospital visit. Knock on wood! I need to use more care!

Zeke
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-14 AT 02:05PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-14 AT 01:52?PM (MST)

I only really cut myself once that required a trip in to the hospital to get stiches. That was 2011 whitetail hunting in Montana it was -20 degrees F actual with a 10-15 mph wind. I was so cold and I was hurrying dressing the deer. All his entrails were out and I looked down after wiping my hand in the snow and wondering why my hand was so brightly red in color. Happened to slice my index finger to the bone but I never felt it. You can see the bandage in the below picture once we made it in.

28502011_deer.jpg
 
I've never done more than a small nick here and there on a finger but my dad cut his thumb pretty bad while field dressing a moose by himself. He was able to stop the bleeding with a glove and pressure.
Once he got back into town the ER cut the glove off and gave him a dozen stitches.
 
LAST EDITED ON Jan-07-14 AT 03:16PM (MST)[p]Yessir! Last year with a Havalon. Stuck that darn thing into the palm of my left hand. Severed the nerve that runs up the left side of my birdie finger (palm up). I was in a hurry, left the knife in the body cavity while pulling the wind pipe, lungs an such out. Slippery hands came off the wind pipe and found where I placed the knife. I immediately knew something was not quite right. My whole finger tightened up and went numb. Two days later I was back under the knife...this time getting the nerve repaired. Now, a year later, only half the finger is numb. Coulda been worse. Slow down and be careful.

Oh yeah, upon butchering, I found that the deer had been previously shot in the shoulder with a .22, the meat was not so good! The infection had caused the meat to be inedible. About $4500.00 on a deer I didn't even get to eat.
 
I did once. Sliced my pinky finger bad from the nail down the outside. Had to get the small family doctor out of the bowling alley to stitch me up. He'd had a few beers and a few more with me while stitching. mtmuley
 
Too many times to count. Normally do it while severing head from the body but trying to make sure not to cut a hole in the cape. Very rarely do I go to Dr.. Usually seal it with superglue and keep working. Scars cleanly. My left hand is starting to look like something put together by Dr. Frankenstein.
 
Yeah the last two years while boning out elk. I have started using a filet knife to do a lot of the boning but damn if I don't find the fingers of my other hand. 2012 was my thumb and 2013 was the side of my index finger. Neither required stitches but a lot of direct pressure, paper towels wrapped with duct tape and super glue to get them under control.
 
Yep, more times than I can remember. Only three times this year, which might be about average. Nothing major. No stitches, but maybe should have once. Band aids usually do the trick.

I use a piranta too. Buggers are extra sharp.

And if anyone was going to be a blood brother to a muley, it's me. It's also a good test for CWD. Have cut myself near 100 times in deer, elk and antelope the last 30 years and so far I'm healthy and an easy keeper.
 
The thing to remember with the HAVALONS is to AWAYS cut
towards your buddy!
Cut a fellow guide in the dark 2 years ago. He is over it but I'm not.
 
I've been lucky only a couple small cuts in over 40+ years of hunt'n. I like that super glue idea. Never considered carrying SG. We always hunt way back in so we carry Quick Clot for nasty life threatening cuts or stabs from knifes or broad heads.

))))------->
 
A few nicks here and there, some from a knife and some from shattered bones. Worst one was about eight years ago. Had a heavy bodied buck hanging off a pole between two trees and was skinning him. Started pulling the hide down to peel it off and the pole broke under the pressure. The buck (and the pole) fell on top of me, knocking me to the ground. Left a knot and a cut on my scalp (not too bad) but the knife I had in my hand hit the back of my other hand and I didn't even feel it. When I sat up I noticed a little geyser of fresh blood coming out with each pump. Was able to stop it with pressure and some tape and avoided a trip to town.

Learned to be a little bit more particular using old hanging poles left by others at camp. After getting knocked in the head pretty hard and then the cut vein it was a good thing I had others with me at the time. Definitely need to be careful out there. Lots of stuff that can ruin your day in a hurry.
 
Only once and that was back on Oct 31, 1989 in northern Nevada on a deer hunt. It was snowing so bad that morning and not a sole out there except me looking for Deer. I finally shot a 4x4 running with a herd of does and he made it into of all places down in a ravine. I was all by myself that day and it was a tug-a-war to get him up to the top of ground but I did and then I started to finish gutting him. Got it almost done and reached up inside the cavity to cut the wind pipe out and since my hands were so cold I never felt it till I brought out my hands and the left thumb was bleeding a deep red. I tried to stop the bleeding with pressure and packing it with snow, but all I got was a large RED SNOW CONE on the tip of left thumb. I was finally able to stop it for a bit and got a bunch of bandades around the thumb and stopped it then.
Got the buck into the back of truck and headed back to Mtn City to Motel and hung it up in shed behind Motel and finished the job there. Still have a small scar below the thumb nail.
Yes, I have one of the Havalon knives and you really need to be careful using them for sure...this year my buddy stuck the tip of his into his palm and luckly it was no more than a prick of the skin, like a needle to test blood sugar BUT he felt it for sure.

Brian
http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]
 
every year I get a nick or two. One year I was deboning my elk and my buddy was helping out. He got too close and I sliced his thumb pretty good. He didn't go to the hospital though, we had a nurse in the wall tent next to ours who got him all fixed up :)

I also once stabbed myself on the inside of my thigh. Was on a steep hillside and slipped on the snow. Talk about a heart stopping moment, I was afraid to look at my leg... Turned out to be just a puncture wound, phew.

Mntman

"Hunting is where you prove yourself"


Let me guess, you drive a 1 ton with oak trees for smoke stacks, 12" lift kit and 40" tires to pull a single place lawn mower trailer?
 
I can pretty much figure on a "slip" at least once a year, especially on quartering out an elk. It is generally caused by my "hurry gene" and I get to going to fast. So far nothing serious, and have never had to go to the doctor for one, but I have stabbed myself pretty good a couple of times. As stated, I also keep some surgical super glue handy.

txhunter58

venor, ergo sum (I hunt, therefore I am)
 
Sounds like most of us get a "nick" or two every year or so. Let's all be more careful with the knives. I like the idea of carrying a clotting agent for the more serious wounds. I am going to order some for my pack and the truck.
 
When I first started deer hunting as a kid I would cut myself every time field dressing a buck. I was just too excited. I finally made myself slow down and get over the shakes before starting.

The one that gives me the creeps, even to this day, was the time I laid my leg open with a hand ax on a back packing trip. We were at a lake about 15 miles in.

We decided to make a raft out of a few downed trees. I was hewing out a paddle and a glancing blow sent the ax into my left leg above the knee. It was deep and eventually my buddy took three stitches with a needle and thread we just happened to have. I remember we boiled the needle in water for a few minutes to prevent infection, lol.

I laid around camp for about 3 days before I could walk without it bleeding. I pulled the stitches out myself about a week later.

Like my Dad said a thousand times "You damn kids!"

Eel
 
Did he smack you upside the head when you got home, if he did not, he should have......LOL

Brian
http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]
 
I have a close family friend that nearly bled to death on the mountain. His wife ended up finally dropping the elk she was shooting at on her very last round. She hit it in the spine so it was not dead.

Having no bullets left he decides he's going to try and cut its throat. He grabs it by the horn, takes a swipe and misses. All the while the bull is thrashing around. He takes another swipe and again misses. Deciding he needs to be a little faster and get in deeper he takes a quick swing. The bull jerks his head, the knife glances off the bulls neck and directly behind his kneecap hitting the artery.

They dropped everything, compressed the wound and hauled ass to the truck. Luckily he was only 30 minutes from town. He called my dad and had us go pack out the elk. We ended up following HIS blood trail to the elk.

Goes to show it pays to carry enough ammo. Knives are definitely the most dangerous and under respected aspect of hunting.

4afddbfa2842588e.jpg
 
+1 born_2
Definitely under-respected by many and at times we all get stupid!
Zeke
 
Watch out for broad heads when trying to speed gut an animal. Was trying to beat 29 secconds on a full gut clean on a hog and rAn into a beautiful montec broad head
"I've hunted almost every day of my life, The rest
have been wasted"
 
I had one where I stabbed myself in the leg just above the knee. I was deer hunting in the Minam here in Oregon. I ended up shooting a buck 6 miles back in. When I was skinning him I was holding his back legs apart with my legs, and the skin around the hock was giving me a tough time. I turned the knife around and pulled it down. when it went it kept going down into my leg. It was a quick in and out. It went 2 and a 1/2 inches into my leg. It took me about a half of a second to stand up and pull my pants down to see the damage. I was shocked to not see much blood. I had spandex shorts on and it looked like it was not to bad. I finished boning the buck out and loaded up my pack to the tune of 138 pounds. I then checked it out again and my boot was full of blood. So I bandaged it up and headed out. I got home after midnight, and had no super glue in the house. My wife ran and picked up some. Don't ever use "Quick drying". It burned me bad and after about a minute I couldn't take it any more and ripped it off. I ended up getting infected and was put on some terrible antibiotics, that about ruined my next hunt. Also had a deer hair come out of the bottom of my leg about two months later. Next time maybe I should go to see the Doc, as he hunts with me on occasion. He told me that I was within a quarter of an inch of two arteries. Lucky I guess.

DZ
 
I've knicked myself a few times over the years,some worse than others. I sharpen my own knives and they are razor sharp.
Biggest threat is trying to go too fast. I hunt alone so I've learned to slow down,take a break,reposition or secure the body and keep the knife sharp. And keep the first aid bag handy.
 

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