We were eating dinner at a remote deer camp when I realized that, despite the fact that I was several years past Social Security eligibility, I was the youngest guy at the table.
I was proud to see that the guys were still hunting hard in their 60s, 70s and even 80s. But some recent events had me thinking about safety in hunting as we age.
This wasn’t a tame camp where a town is close by, and these were not the kind of hunters who sit a few hours in a heated blind just out of sight of the truck. We were in remote country where the guys still-hunt and track, often going miles deep into some pretty wild country. There is no cell service, and professional help of any kind is hours away.
The civilized folk, those who don’t understand, would suggest that older men have no business putting ourselves into that situation. That may be true, but I pity the fool who tries to tell any of these hunters they can’t do it anymore.
There is no doubt the hunting population is aging and that folks today are active much deeper into their golden years than in generations past. Still, it simply makes sense to use a little self-sufficient practicality to try to head off any problems. Older hunters are more prone to falls and other accidents, and they are less able to physically deal with major issues and injuries. They may also experience cognitive issues more often. It could be something as simple as forgetting to take along some gear they need or they could become disoriented and lost. Regardless, a little pre-planned safety can go a long way to ensure a good outcome.
That got me thinking about my own experiences. But I also talked with a lot of older hunters and interviewed some medical professionals including doctors and pharmacists. I also talked with an EMT working for a large federal law enforcement agency in what they call austere conditions—that is when help is not immediately available because of the remoteness.
As result, here are a few suggestions to help protect aging hunters in wild country and get them home safely if something bad happens. No matter if it’s a remote deer camp or a true wilderness hunt, many of the issues are the same. The fact is, these suggestions can apply to any hunter, not just older guys. No matter your age, a lot of this stuff can improve your hunting experience and maybe help save your life or your buddy’s life. You may not suffer cognitive issues in your 20s, but you can still break your leg.
The buddy system is effective for most sports, so why not hunting? It’s good to know that you always have a pal looking out for you. A pal might save you a long walk in the dark if you wander too far and wind up on the wrong road. A pal might save your life if you are down with a broken leg deep in the woods. I have been in a remote camp where a hunter had not returned several hours past dark and nobody bothered to look for him. It’s better to have a buddy system so you know somebody is coming.
Double up the buddy system for getting ready. I ain’t naming names, but let’s look at some recent events on my hunts.
One of the hunters forgot his gear. He had a brain fart and forgot to move his duffel bag from his car to his buddy’s truck. The car went home with his wife and the truck went to hunting camp, eight hours away. He is a tall, long-limbed guy (so you know it isn’t me). None of us came close to being the same size as him, but luckily the outfitter was built the same and loaned the hunter some clothing. I had a spare knife, compass and other gear so his hunt was not a total bust.
Training pays dividends. Get together with hunting partners in the offseason for CPR classes and more.
Another time a diabetic forgot his insulin. Finding a replacement in the wilds of northern Maine turned out to be a big problem. The nearest place that carried it was many hours away. The problem was finally straightened out after multiple calls home and to the prescribing doctors, and after a lot of windshield time that should have been spent hunting.
We all forget things. I remember arriving in deer camp without ammo when I was still too young to shave. Even back then I was a gun guy and of course nobody else in camp had a rifle of the same caliber. Still, this sort of thing is a lot more common as we age. It’s one thing to forget extra socks, but it’s another thing, and it’s much worse, to forget things like essential medications.
Checklists help. It’s even better to have a two-tier checklist system so your buddy makes sure you have everything on the list and you make sure he has everything he needs. Draw up a checklist and give your designated buddy a copy. Then before you start the truck, go over both lists, yours and his. Don’t rely on memory, put your hands on each item before you check it off.
We hunters are independent people at heart and find it hard to depend on someone else. I get it, but it’s best to tuck away the pride and suck it up a bit. Double-checking each other might mean less lost hunting time.
Everyone in the group should take first-aid training including CPR. I have multiple personal experiences when training saved lives. CPR saved my grandfather after his heart stopped, and he lived many more good years. I have personally used the Heimlich maneuver twice to save a life. Once was in a hunting camp. It’s important to be trained in the latest techniques. The older we get, the more important this becomes. Get together with your buddies during the offseason and take a course or two.
Each truck should have a wilderness-appropriate first-aid kit. I also recommend adding a trauma kit for things like auto wrecks, bad falls or even gunshot wounds. The trauma kit should include, at a minimum, hemostatic gauze, a pressure bandage and a good tourniquet. Stopping any major bleeding is always the No. 1 issue and must be addressed first.
Tourniquets can help save your life. Their design and use have advanced over the years, due in part to their use by the military. Often it’s the only difference between life and death. Planning to use your belt is old guy thinking. Buy a good, proven, battle-tested unit.
It’s a good idea to also have a trauma kit in your backpack when hunting, the same one from your camp first-aid kit or a second. These have become popular in the tactical world and are small and lightweight enough to fit easily in your backpack or pocket. If you are bleeding out, the trauma kit is no good to you in the truck or at camp. Make sure you know how to use all the tools included with it. Get some training and buy an extra kit with which to practice. When your buddy is bleeding out is not the time to read directions or try to figure out how something works.
Make up a camp medical kit with things you might need. This is a good idea for any camp, but the more remote the more important it becomes. Simple things can be a problem. I remember one hunter who had to be evacuated from an Alaska camp, due to an infected tooth. With the right supplies he might have been able to complete his very expensive hunt. Another older guy was severely constipated during a recent hunt. It’s good for a joke, unless it happens to you. It was having a very bad effect on his hunting, yet the only medicine he could find was for diarrhea, which would have made things worse. Another hunter in camp had the medication he needed. But that was luck, not planning.
A trauma kit in your first-aid kit is always a good idea.
A lot of this stuff is available over-the-counter. Basics like pain and cold medications are things you don’t realize you need until you need them. Think about what you have used over the past five years and include some in the kit, like over-the-counter Imodium to help with Montezuma’s revenge, which is not isolated to Mexico. Add a dental kit to address tooth problems. These are inexpensive to buy, but worth more than your house if you need them.
Don’t forget moleskin for blisters. There are premade kits for blisters that include medicine as well as moleskin. I remember getting a large blister my first day on a Zimbabwe safari that was bad enough to be a hunt ender. But a couple of guys in camp pooled resources and I was able to keep hunting. My socks were often bloody and I was in pain, but I never missed a moment of the hunt. Ditto on an elastic Ace bandage. It may keep you able to hunt after a bad sprain.
A few prescription medicines beyond your normal everyday meds can be a good idea. For years, when I was traveling to remote areas around the globe, I worked with my primary doctor to get a few prescription medications to take with me just in case. I carried a broad-spectrum antibiotic to cover a wide range of potential infections. It probably would have helped my buddy with the bad tooth, but that was before I started taking medications. I am prone to ear infections due to an old injury, and the antibiotics I carry have bailed me out there a time or two. I use amoxicillin, but I know there may be some better meds out there now. Your doctor will know. I carry Flagyl in case of giardia, which has hit me more than once after drinking from the wrong water source, and Cipro for other serious stomach issues that can occur.
Talk to your doctor so he can customize the meds to your personal situation. He can instruct you on the proper use and application of each of them. Each hunter should talk with his or her own doctor and acquire a personal medical kit. Do not rely on anybody else. Older folks often take a lot of drugs, and it’s important to avoid serious interactions. Also, for anything you are prone to, as with my ear infections, your doctor will be aware and prescribe the correct medication.
As hunters get older, the risks are greater. Like an old car, we are subject to stuff wearing out and breaking without notice. Most public places these days have an AED, an automated external defibrillator. This little machine can restart a stopped heart. But, you must have one on site when you need it. Laws vary state to state, but it is a good idea for any older hunter to talk with his doctor about getting one. They are a bit expensive, but there are programs to help with the costs and in some cases insurance may pay for it. Training is very important. An AED in camp will probably never be needed … until it is. Having it there could keep you or your hunting buddy alive. Had one been available when my grandfather went down his recovery would have been easier.
Communication is important. Cell phones are great, but most wild places have no service. Radios are limited in reach, which means they cannot contact emergency services. The answer is to use the satellites. I always take a satellite phone on my most remote hunts, but they are expensive to buy and use and are a bit heavy to carry around all day so they are usually left in a camp.
A better option is one of the communication units that use the same satellites and can do texting and/or notify emergency services. The two I have used most are the Garmin inReach and the Zoleo Satellite Communicator. I have been messing with both of them for about a year now and think they should be part of any hunter’s safety plan. Although each has unique features and programs, they overlap in basic services. You probably only need one, so I recommend you check out both and decide which is best for you.
These devices allow the user to send text messages that will also share the sender’s location coordinates. They allow a one-button connection with emergency services that will include your location. Both require a subscription, but they can be activated during your hunt and turned off later when you don’t need them.
They work anyplace there is an open view of the sky, in just about any place on Earth. I use mine here in cell-free Vermont to let my wife know I’ll be late for dinner if the fish are biting or that I am fine on a remote hunting trip. I took them both to the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota last year for a five-day hunting trip by boat. I was able to sit by the campfire and have a text conversation with my wife each night. That eases our minds. I even complained when the fishing was slow and the bears were not moving!
InReach is available with a lot of Garmin devices. Mine is a Montana 700i GPS that I use for navigation as well as communication. You can even subscribe to a map service that will tell you things like the landowners of properties you encounter. This is a great GPS unit for everything from wilderness navigation to measuring the trolling speed of my boat. It’s a bit large and heavy if you are just using it as a communicator, but the inReach service is available on much smaller and less expensive Garmin devices.
Both the Garmin and the Zoleo have check-in buttons that send pre-written messages. Both of these work off the Iridium satellite system. There is another satellite system called Globalstar that works with a similar product called SPOT, which provides reliable, location-based tracking, messaging and SOS technology used by thousands worldwide. I don’t have any experience with SPOT. However, I have used both satellite systems in sat phones and found the Iridium to have much wider and more reliable coverage for world travel.
The Zoleo Satellite Communicator is a small device that fits in a shirt pocket. It links through Bluetooth to your smartphone for texting. SOS and check-in can be from the device alone. One feature that attracted me is Location Share. I think this can be indispensable for hunters’ safety. Location Share can be set up to send out a check-in message automatically to as many as five different addresses. Only the sender needs the device, but it does require the free app on each receiving phone.
Location Share will automatically send the location of the unit at regular intervals as set up by the user. So you can have up to five of your hunting buddies tracking where you are at any given time. This is a huge deal for older hunters. I have seen guys develop cognitive issues later in the day and become disoriented. This unit can save hours of looking for them. Or if they have an emergency and are unresponsive, they may not be able to ask for help. In this case, you know exactly where to find them. If there is a major problem, hit the SOS button and the device will summon professional help to that location.
Hunting is a solitary sport but it doesn’t mean that we are alone. These tips can help you to keep safely hunting well into your golden years.
