2011 Deer Report

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2011 Deer Report

Postby Hoot » Wed Nov 09, 2011 10:14 pm

from my last night in deer camp

We had a huge low pressure system go through north of us causing gale force winds for three days. Then one day of calm and then the "aftershock" of two more days of howling cold winds. The one nice day, the deer weren't comfortable enough to get back into swing. Dad, who can walk all of 15-20 feet without resting to regain his breath was set up with a ground blind on a logging trail and on that still day, he saw 7 does. Shot at 4, hit none. His hunting days are pretty much past, but he comes out here 1200 miles to go with me. Not much of a vacation for me though, due to his lack of mobility. I have to help him dress, help him get his shoes on, help him into his coat, shove his obese butt up into the pickup, etc. Kind of like taking a mannequin hunting.

My luck that I'm the guy who can hit what he shoots at and all I saw was 2 scrawny yearlings wandering around my stand. Any other deer with a lick of sense was holed up in a thicket or cedar swamp until the system passed. We had a couple more days to go, then disaster struck.

We had all the gear stowed and were about to go back to the motel, when I remembered that I left my coffee mug and seat pad in my stand, so I went back and get them in the pitch dark due to heavy cloud cover obscuring the moon. Went up like a "monkey on barbed wire", but coming down, my hands were so cold and numb that my right hand slid out of the glove and I fell from about 10 feet. On the way down, I had the presence of mind to rotate towards the fall but did not know where the ground was. Landed on my outstretched right hand and dislocated three fingers, sprained my wrist and PO'd my right knee. Hobbled back to the truck and looked at my hand. It looked like a Dr. Seuss character's hand. the trigger finger was dislocated straight back the middle finger went left and my ring finger went right toward my pinky finger that emerged what appears to be a little sprained. I Almost freaked out, thinking they were broken, but settled down and thanks to them still being cold and numb, re-seated each one and than flexed them. You have no idea how relieved I was to see them flex in the right direction and with a little strength since I was 3.5 miles up a logging trail that it takes two hands to wrestle the truck down, followed by 2 miles of rough dirt road and 18 miles through deer infested two-lane back to the nearest emergency room. That was about 4 hours ago now. Obviously, I can still type, but they are swelled up and discolored once they warmed up and the feeling came back. I can still flex them despite a loss of range of motion with a little strength. Dad's pissed that he had to unload the gear into the motel room and his blood sugar plummeted from the shock of seeing my hand when I climbed into the truck. He ate something and seems to be okay, snoring away as I hunt and peck these words. My knee, I don't remember how I landed on it, being consumed with my hand, started out fine, but had a twinge by the time we got back. Now it's hard to walk across the hotel room. Should be an interesting morning. Dad had some hydrocodone, so my hand doesn't wake me while I move in my sleep, but it didn't do doodly squat for my knee.

If my fingers get all discolored, I don't know how I'll sneak them past Julie when I get home. She worries enough when I go hunting, especially with "Dead-Eye Dad" who told her once, "If it moves, I shoot it". Despite assuring her he meant just the brown stuff, she worries he'll shoot somebody. You may recall last year, he shot up both our licenses worth and had one get away, leaving me and my 450b unblooded. So, this year, for the first time in my life, I bought a couple of bonus tags. I'm guessing that PO'd mother nature, who visited this suck weather upon us. I have no one but myself to blame for the fall though. I was rushing to get out of the cold howling wind, knowing my hands were reduced to numb Gibbon hooks.

At least I'm alive to report on this year's season. Almost half a million Minnesotans go deer hunting each year and with 10 days remaining, last night I read 4 were already dead and a handfull seriously injured. I count my blessings. With my hand being all miserable, I'm probably not going to make it out again this season. Luckily, I'll live to hunt another day. :(

Hoot
Last edited by Hoot on Thu Nov 10, 2011 6:41 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby Siringo » Wed Nov 09, 2011 10:23 pm

OMG Hoot! Glad your OK!!!! Sounds like too much graphite on your hands! Ha!
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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby Jeepejeep » Wed Nov 09, 2011 10:27 pm

Damn, Hoot! I'm glad the fall wasn't worse but I was cringing when reading how you re-set your fingers! I hope you heal up quickly and get out there hunting again.
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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby Colohunter » Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:37 pm

Wow Hoot, I'm sorry to hear about that, I'm glad you were able to get them back in place.

I didn't make it to hunting camp this year because of surgery, but they had a pretty bad time too. While out on opening morning, their camp burned to the ground.
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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Wed Nov 09, 2011 11:57 pm

Dang it hoot. That's awful. Get that knee looked at. Those types of injuries sneak up later and bite you in the butt. But it's good that you are okay. Sent you an email earlier tonight.
Anyway, get some rest. That hydrocodone makes me have nightmares. I hate taking it.
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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby commander faschisto » Thu Nov 10, 2011 10:14 am

Geez, Louise!!! Thank God for numb fingers...you don't want to do that when you can feel it, trust me. Definitely time to schedule an appointment with the vet to get all that looked at, my lad. I'm guessing that will be a trip to remember... :shock:
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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby Indy Joe » Thu Nov 10, 2011 12:07 pm

Hoot.
Sorry to hear your bad luck. You are a real good'n for taking care os your father.
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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby Jim in Houston » Thu Nov 10, 2011 3:55 pm

My hands are hurting just reading your report, now my knee is acting up. Cut it out!!! Hope you fully recover with no lasting effects beyond missing this season.
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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby BillytheKid » Thu Nov 10, 2011 4:32 pm

Dude, you're one of the toughest guys I know! You're like; "Die Hard" meets "Rambo"!
I guess the contraction for that would be "Ram-Hard"...
But the point is, you are one tough dude!

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Re: 2011 Deer Report

Postby bushmeister » Thu Nov 10, 2011 5:19 pm

Glad you're somewhat ok. Take care of yourself. I find myself complaining sometimes that I don't have time to hunt because of soccer games, and cub scouts and such, but it's important to remember that you can always hunt later in life... provided you are still alive and take care of yourself. If the fingers and knee don't improve soon, get it checked out. It's much better hunting in the future with fingers and legs.
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