CACTUS AND RATTLESNAKES CAN BE HAZARDS for hunters. Pictured is a puncture wound inflicted upon my hunting partner by a Lechuguilla barb (also in the picture) during a mule deer hunt in the Big Bend. And without a flashlight one night, a rattlesnake held us captive in our canoe, helplessly unable to see where it was. Always have a flashlight … and first aid material. (Photo by John Jefferson)
by John Jefferson
Getting there can be half the fun, but …
The “but” in the opening sentence means “provided you get there and back safely.” Some don’t.
One friend died in a head-on enroute to a hunt. Two others, in separate accidents, were hospitalized for most of the season. Alcohol wasn’t a factor in those wrecks. Accidents happen. Fall weather fog can be treacherous.
Another friend made it there safely but drove into a half-open pipe gate in the dark where he hunted. With a punctured radiator, and not being a patient man, he and his Jeep sat there fuming until help arrived.
Another’s Jeep became unhitched as it “bumped” loose cresting a hill. It gained speed going downhill, and exited I-35 all by itself. At the stop sign, it rear-ended a car waiting to cross. That car lurched forward, striking another car.
A friend on our deer lease also arrived safely on opening day, but without the bolt to his bolt action rifle. Later, the same hunter arrived with his bolt, but no bullets. Hasty packing.
Getting safely into a blind can be a challenge. A woman told me she sensed something as she was about to enter her blind. Peering inside, she looked a bobcat in the eyes.
My son and I were in a blind and looked up at the ceiling. It was COVERED with red wasps. Yellow jackets and wasps often enter blinds in cold weather.
In South Texas, a friend’s daughter called her father to say there were people in the blind she was approaching. FOURTEEN illegal immigrants climbed down and left before the Border Patrol arrived.
Hazards aren’t confined to deer hunting. My first whitewing hunt was along a DUSTY road near the border. Visibility was about ten feet.
Then traffic stopped. Two pickups had collided in the dust. One had out of state plates.
On a duck hunt, a friend with us lost his balance stepping into a duck boat and fell into a frigid December bay with his shotgun in hand. Both went under. He hunted all morning anyway. Guess antifreeze in his system kept him from freezing.
On another duck hunt, four men were in a large duck blind. Just before daylight, one decided to answer Nature’s call before hunting time.
Standing, peering into the darkness, a duck flew into his forehead, knocking him out — and back into the blind on top of his friends. They had trouble moving him. He lost blood before they could get help.
On another waterfowl hunt, a hunter stayed up late. It was a “good day for ducks”, and we had to cross a small ditch full of rainwater going out. He slipped and fell, holding a nice shotgun. When he surfaced, marsh grass stuck out of its barrel. At the truck, we realized he had a shell in the chamber. It could have been worse!
Those are a few of the many hazards of hunting. Avoiding them might lead to another day of hunting for you!
JJ
