It was a Good news, Bad news kinda day...

The good news...We got a nice snow on Wednesday so I called in sick and hit the hot spots I have not been able to get into until now with deer season finally over. See some tracks but no fur at the first stand. It was a beautiful still morning perfect day to hunt.

The Bad news -

I was walking back a trail for about 3/4 mile into stand #2...when it felt like I had been hit by lightning... A huge sheet of ice lay under about 3" of fresh powder snow. I went from walking up-right to flat on my back with no warning. I had my e-caller in a fanny pack and the R-25 .243 slung on my shoulder. I landed hard on both of them. The fall knocked every ounce of air out of my lungs. The E-caller jabbed into my lowest two ribs on the left side. At least the rifle was cushioned by the snow.

More good news - I was able to get my poop together after a few minutes of laying there begging for air and walk back to the truck. I grabbed another rifle just in case and finished the stand...walking around the ice patch. No fur or even tracks here either.

I checked the zero on the .243 after the fall by shooting at a playing card and it was still dead on. A testament to the Burris PEPR mount and a Millet TRS scope.

More bad news - I was so stiff and stoved up from the fall I had to call it a day and am still very sore and wrapped up in a big Ace wrap today. I hope I can get around tomorrow and Sunday to try again.

Dawgdad, Aleve works for me... Hope you get back up and running quickly!

Make me hurt all over just thinking about the fall.

Ouch...

I feel ya hurts DD. You have all my sympathy and them some mate. Take it real easy and let ya back heal fully. Consider visiting a Physiotherapist or a Chiropractor for some treatment. I found acupuncture works well with me...and I have a TENS Machine.

A few years back I did something similar, only it wasn't ice, it was a slippery rock when I was out rock fishing with my brother. I put my foot down onto a nice flat rock and the next thing that happened was a I dropped like a stone, flat on my ars3 ...a very slippery rock. I couldn't move...sat there for about three minutes and the only thing that got me going again was the incoming tide threw a wave across the flat section of rocks we had to cross. My butt was black with bruising; biggest and most painful bruising I've ever had. Took near on three years to settle down because I tweaked the sacroilliac joint on one side.

This may seem like a silly suggestion, but would it be worthwhile buying a set of crampons? Doing a little research, I found something that would be just the thing you could use mate...YAKTRAX Streamtrekkers Crampon. They look real easy to use, nice and light so easy to carry and would stop you slipping "base over apex" (that's ars3 over head for the uninitiated). Or maybe these ones, Ice Trekkers Diamond Grip Traction System (the second pic). Again, nice and light and easy to carry.

Hate to say this, but I have one better then those cleats. These even work on shear ice on steep slopes. And the cleats are replaceable with just a screw driver.

You just plain don't slip on ice even if you try. You end up on your nose instead of your arse.

Geeze Dawgdad, hope you are ok!

I fell llike that a couple years ago and actually broke my back in one spot (compression fracture). I literally couldn't move for 5 minutes... had to crawl back, no way I could stand.

Those ice cleats of bushy's look nice, wish I had seen that earlier. Couple weeks ago we ordered up a couple more sets of the rubber slip-on cleats when we go ice fishing.


-DallanC

Mr. Dallan...These do not slip on shear ice at all. They do tend to be a bit expensive. Run from $35 to $50. Depending where you buy them.

I like the look of the cleats you use Bushy. Which ever way mate, nice and cheap and as you say, easy to replace.

STABILicers™ Maxx

STABILicers Maxx are best in class – first in safety. Relied on by postal letter carriers, police, rescue teams, and ice fishermen everywhere.

$51.95

Good suggestions. Might need to invest in some of those Bushy.

I thought I was doing better until I sneezed on the way to work today... 'bout wet my pants. it hurt like I fell allover again.

Worst part was I crushed a nice howler and a distress call I have had for a long time that were in the bag.

Dawgdad wrote:

Worst part was I crushed a nice howler and a distress call I have had for a long time that were in the bag.

Dang, you really hit hard.


-DallanC

Doing the physics - my 200#'s falling about 3.5 feet from my center of gravity to my back.. 700 foot pounds on the call bag and the rib...

Wow, Dawgdad! Glad you are semi-ok. No ice down here. Do you think you cracked a rib?

I never thought about the force of your impact DD. Looking at those figures, you are damned lucky you didn't do yourself a real mischief mate.

slimjim wrote:

Wow, Dawgdad! Glad you are semi-ok. No ice down here. Do you think you cracked a rib?

Good chance it is cracked but not broken-poking into a lung bad. One week later the muscles still spasm if I turn wrong. Please don't make me laugh or sneeze.