Turkey hunting is a very physical sport. My personal injury list in pursuit of this majestic creature is as follows: Blown out ACL, (bolting to a turkey), knee surgery (I just went with my brace on and crutches), One year had a severe case of an in grown toe nail. I just wore a house slipper on the that foot and a turkey boot on the other. Severely sprained ankle (again bolting to a turkey) The worst was Good Friday 1994, I killed a turkey that morning. My uncle wanted me to go with him that afternoon (just to call). Around lunch I started hemorrhaging internally and did not tell anyone until I got back from hunting. Consequently ended up going to to the hospital that night, collapsed in the ER from loss of blood and spent 3 days in ICU receiving blood transfusions. Needless to say it was a few days before I was able to get back at it!
I've not missed any time because of injury. I've had four shoulder surgeries (each one twice), both elbows (left one twice), right knee meniscus and acl, both hands, reattached bicep, kidney stone surgery, and broke my nose one morning with a scope(10 stitches) and went the next morning and killed another one. Most of the surgeries were postponed until after turkey season. Out of all of that the only one that would probably have kept me from hunting was the kidney stones ordeal, luckily it was in the summer time. I'd have signed a contract on the spot that I'd never turkey hunt again as long as I live if they could have gotten rid of it immediately.
Fortunately I've had none that kept me from hunting. If I can walk and drive, I'm able to hunt. :icon_thumright:
39 seasons under the belt..A few major injuries due to sports. Did one season on crutches..and tagged out.
I make Kidney stones on the reg - and they are the DEVIL.. Hunted this year with kidney stone related pain.. just sucked it up and went.
Kokanee beer is a great thing to help stones.. LOL!! Killing two white tips on back to back mornings help.. On the second day in camp, I did walk into one of my friend's Pac Boot in the dark and bent my little toe to a 90 degree angle.. Just snatched it back into place ( somewhat) , taped it up and went .. fun morning.
I've hunted and worked through a buncha injuries.,to be honest men just do that. Two that I remember was one time I took some meds that I had an allergic reaction to.
As w poison ivy it attacked my crotch area n started n redness than numbness than the skin came off almost like blister skin., was a bit painful n I had to wear coveralls that didn't touch me.
One of our doe days I drove down to the farm, pants open alone.
Got into the woods n couldn't take sitting on the stand so I got down n held clothes off me. Looked up saw a deer n shot it.
Couple days later I was on opposite side, lying on my back trying to keep clothes from touching me. I was in a hedgerow, saw another deer n shot that.
Another instance I had an ulcer that was uncomfortable. It had burned a hole through my stomach n the acid was going onto my back muscles. I was sick but it thundered good n the next day I knew the birds would gobble. I called a bird for my buddy who body rolled em, ugh!
Getting older now, this year I had some issues that I had a harder time dealing with.
Lyme meds made me real sick n something really drained me. Called a bird one day that gobbled at me n I yelped than laid down til it got closer. Hey but I went.
Hopefully my other issues get resolved next week.
Forgot to add the torn shoulder that had my shoulder hanging n my than gf had to help me get off shirt. Went duck hunting n shot mostly one handed. Shot a few ducks too. God is good!
29 stitches in my left knee. Layed it open till I could see the kneecap and surrounding tissue. Watched them sew it up and was in the woods within 20 hours. Sucks to try and walk quietly when you can't bend your knee. It still gives me g it's from time to time but that's life. Other than broken ribs that's it.
Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk
Hunted this spring after having triple hernia surgery in late winter, first couple weeks were a little rough climbing ridges, but it improved some as it went on, was able to hunt the season on my favorite
ridges and hollows
2nd time out I overdid it going to a gobble, ended up getting turned around a little, and came out on a gravel road, knew where I was at then but still far from the truck, halfway to my truck I caught a most welcome tailgate ride from a kind hearted hunter. I was done in.
Shattered a femur and knee several years ago, that fall hunted bear on one crutch, hunted most of deer with a cane, and by spring turkey was pretty good.
That spring for going up a ridge and down in a bottom, like Toby Keith I was good Once as I ever was, but once was about all I could do
One of my pet peeves in this world are all the sissies. Thank God none are here. We all have dif pain tolerances I understand but we have an apprentice that cuts his hand w paper n freaks out. He hates paper cuts, another guy mid 40s cuts his hand w a razor knife n holds his hand over his head so it's above his heart n he don't bleed to death. Than he goes to hospital n takes a week off, all for a cut??
The world is too soft now
fractured my wrist when I fell carrying a turkey out of the woods, since I couldn't run calls in a brace or cast I finished turkey season before getting it in a brace
When I was 13 I had an appendectomy and all I carried about is if I could still go turkey hunting that opened two days later.. doctors told my mom No, But I went anyways with my dad hadn't even killed a bird yet and was hooked.
Try a stroke on for size if you want to try on a game changer. It ain't for the topwater.
Quote from: silvestris on June 12, 2017, 01:21:14 PM
Try a stroke on for size if you want to try on a game changer. It ain't for the topwater.
I'm glad your still here and wish you a full recovery
Had the flu one time that cause me to miss couple days. Have to take Tylenol or something for the old bones sometimes ... been pretty lucky myself nothing major ....
These posts brought back a lot of memories. What is it that drives us to the woods and fields to chase those birds when walking or even breathing is painful? Learning to live with pain seems to a part of the ageing process and I've learned we pay for the sins of our youth as well. Pushing our bodies when everything within us says "quit" and overcoming the pain and fatigue, allows us to go on when others might not.
I raced road bikes for 10 years. I did 6 day races, time trials, criteriums, 100 mile road races, point-to-point races and other devilish races that promoters devised. I've lost lots of skin, pretty much all over my body and destroyed several bikes but I never quit a race. I still remember an old coach who said. "The only hard race to quit is the first one, after that, they're all easy."
Just keep on keeping on until we hear that last gobble.
Thanks,
Clark
All my injuries came from hunting. 1999, I fractured 3 ribs while Turkey hunting.(fell on a boulder). 2005 I ran straight in to a dead hemlock limb. That may not sound bad, but when your eye is the part of your body you run into it with, it's real bad. Till this day I have reoccurring cornea erosion. 2006 I fell 13 feet out of a tree stand (I learn the hard way). Thankfully I got away with a cracked hip socket. I still hunted those years, although the eye injury set me back awhile.
Forgot one. A big one though it happened right before turkey season. I was in a wreck. The vehicle rolled three times and I was ejected out the drivers side window. The vehicle was totalled and I was found laying unconscious in the road. Layed in the hospital three days in a neck brace. They thought I had a broken neck and I had a lot of head trauma (that explains a lot). Once they realized my neck was not broken I was released. I didnt realize how powerful morphine is till i got off of it. I was stir crazy and turkey season was coming. It hurt just to walk but I hobbled out and patterned my gun anyways. Every shot hurt bad but I got through it. I was back at work exactly 10 days after the wreck and even though rehab sucked it was made better by meeting a lovely young lady and later on after I was cleared I started dating her and eventually she became my wife. The Lord works in mysterious ways. I should have died but I came out of it better than I was before it. It took almost a year to fully recover from that one.
Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk
Quote from: crow on June 12, 2017, 01:24:45 PM
Quote from: silvestris on June 12, 2017, 01:21:14 PM
Try a stroke on for size if you want to try on a game changer. It ain't for the topwater.
I'm glad your still here and wish you a full recovery
Thanx, getting better every day but rather be turkey hunting; sure hate missing most of last season.
Had a severe shoulder dislocation 2 days before season one year. Doc said my arm had to stay in a sling for 3 weeks min. It was my left shoulder and I shoot left handed. Borrowed a single shot 20 gauge and shot a bird the second day. It was a jake and I was probably prouder of that bird than of all the longbeards before or since!
Not me, but figured I'd share. This is pretty hard core. My Mom was battling breast cancer, just had a mastectomy and was going through chemo. Naturally the chemo drained her energy and kept her sick the majority of the time. She said she could be sick in the woods just as easy as in bed so she hunted as hard that year as any in the past. She managed to kill two while dealing with all of it. I've killed a few birds in my life but have never earned one as much as she earned those two.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/olesixbeards/Scan0001-1.jpg)
Quote from: guesswho on June 12, 2017, 08:15:26 PM
Not me, but figured I'd share. This is pretty hard core. My Mom was battling breast cancer, just had a mastectomy and was going through chemo. Naturally the chemo drained her energy and kept her sick the majority of the time. She said she could be sick in the woods just as easy as in bed so she hunted as hard that year as any in the past. She managed to kill two while dealing with all of it. I've killed a few birds in my life but have never earned one as much as she earned those two.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/olesixbeards/Scan0001-1.jpg)
What a great story and picture...
Quote from: guesswho on June 12, 2017, 08:15:26 PM
Not me, but figured I'd share. This is pretty hard core. My Mom was battling breast cancer, just had a mastectomy and was going through chemo. Naturally the chemo drained her energy and kept her sick the majority of the time. She said she could be sick in the woods just as easy as in bed so she hunted as hard that year as any in the past. She managed to kill two while dealing with all of it. I've killed a few birds in my life but have never earned one as much as she earned those two.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/olesixbeards/Scan0001-1.jpg)
That is an inspiration
Quote from: guesswho on June 12, 2017, 08:15:26 PM
Not me, but figured I'd share. This is pretty hard core. My Mom was battling breast cancer, just had a mastectomy and was going through chemo. Naturally the chemo drained her energy and kept her sick the majority of the time. She said she could be sick in the woods just as easy as in bed so she hunted as hard that year as any in the past. She managed to kill two while dealing with all of it. I've killed a few birds in my life but have never earned one as much as she earned those two.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/olesixbeards/Scan0001-1.jpg)
Dang. I suddenly feel like a big sissy!! Now that is absolutely hard core! Great story and definitely an unbelievably tough woman! I'm gonna be thinking of that next time I think I'm having a rough time and feel like staying in bed!!
Ruptured disc in back. Bought a turkey chair and kept on hunting.
Do the guys that get "butthurt" on this forum hunt when they get "butthurt " ?
Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
Well, I was born being me. That was a pretty big setback...
Guesswho, your mom definitely has some strong grit and determination,
it's encouraging seeing the pictures of her getting out and hunting just normally, but going thru what she did and still hunting is pure hardcore.
I had food poisoning this year and missed one day. The only reason I missed one is that my sister insisted I go to hospital. Got out just as the sun was rising...Decided to skip that morning...I guess, compared to some of you guys, I'm a real sis. I did go the next morning if that's small redemption...
Hunted the 2014 spring season with a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder. Killed one of my best gobblers that year. Had surgery after season went out. Hunted the 2016 spring season with a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder & a herniated disc in my neck. Had surgeries on both that summer. It's amazing how we can hunt with pain that would keep us out of work for sure.
In the Spring of 2013, I was still recovering from a pretty nasty foot injury (lisfranc fracture/dislocation) due to a treestand accident in October of 2012. After a surgery in October 2012 followed by 13 weeks of no weight bearing and another surgery in February 2013, I managed to limp my way through the woods that Spring. It was very memorable for me for many reasons! I only killed 1 turkey that year but it might be the one I cherish the most even to this day! God is good!
Ive woken up with the brown bottle flu a few times but still managed to soldier on into the turkey woods
Quote from: grayfox on June 12, 2017, 10:52:50 PM
Hunted the 2014 spring season with a torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder. Killed one of my best gobblers that year. Had surgery after season went out. Hunted the 2016 spring season with a torn rotator cuff in my left shoulder & a herniated disc in my neck. Had surgeries on both that summer. It's amazing how we can hunt with pain that would keep us out of work for sure.
Aint no workmens comp in the turkey woods! ;D
Quote from: guesswho on June 12, 2017, 08:15:26 PM
Not me, but figured I'd share. This is pretty hard core. My Mom was battling breast cancer, just had a mastectomy and was going through chemo. Naturally the chemo drained her energy and kept her sick the majority of the time. She said she could be sick in the woods just as easy as in bed so she hunted as hard that year as any in the past. She managed to kill two while dealing with all of it. I've killed a few birds in my life but have never earned one as much as she earned those two.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v395/olesixbeards/Scan0001-1.jpg)
God Bless your momma!
Some of you sound like you need to be more careful when you ain't in the turkey woods!
My son's first bird was the day after he had badly sprained his ankle- a jake when he was 12. He limped walking in more than he did toting that bird out for sure! When he had a torn meniscus and surgery right before the opener, we decided to see of we could repeat. I drove him close to spot and he strapped the gun on and walked on crutches the last half mile. We did hear some gobbling birds, but too far for him to try (and through a swamp).
My best was tripping in the swamp and taking a cypress knee to the face on a wood duck hunt. Thought I had knocked out a tooth at first, but i felt around and was fine so I kept hunting. Was cold that day, so my nose was running and I kept wiping it in the dark. Killed a couple and worked the dog. Walked out to meet my nephews and they looked at me and said "WTH happened to you" with shocked faces. I looked at myself in the truck mirror and that was not a runny nose, it was blood and I had wiped it all over the back of my gloves and face. It was not a bad cut really, in my moustache, but I bled like a stuck pig.
I missed October and November deer hunting 2 yrs ago when I got hit in the head by a pine tree. Fractured my skull in 7 places. Still dealing with headaches from that. This past turkey season dealt with a 16 mm kidney stone the entire season but didn't miss a day.
Missed a Gould's trip in 2006
Was supposed to go with a bunch of guys from our pro-staff. I ended up having lumbar surgery AS they were in Old Mexico killing Gould's birds................... VERY hard pill to swallow. But I basically lost an entire year of doing ANYTHING over that one.
FORTUNATELY, my buddy Manuel rolled my hunt over to 2007. Only thing was I had to re-buy were the 2007 license. Killed2 absolute SLAMMER Gould's toms in 2 days and spent the 3rd day in the hacienda sipping fine, FINE tequila.
I'm lucky to be on this side of the dirt.
On April 21, 2007 I was T-boned by a drunk driver who ran a red light at 70 MPH and hit my side of the vehicle. I was on the way home to get to bed so I could meet up to turkey hunt with a couple of buddies at my old lease the next morning. I ended up in a coma with a traumatic brain injury, broken pelvis in 2 places, shattered left shoulder, 5 broken ribs, and permanent injuries to the 4th cranial nerve in my left eye (I have permanent double vision in 25% of my field of view...it was 100% when I first came out of the coma). I did miss the remainder of that turkey season. I was in a coma for several days, then put in a medically induced coma for another week to allow the swelling in my brain to go down. The swelling went down the day they were prepping me to have some of my skull cut out to help relieve the pressure in my brain.
I was out of work for 9 months and had to re-learn to do many things. Some memories are just gone and I have trouble remembering the names of roads. I suffer from unexpected migraines and probably will for the rest of my life. I did not forget how to call or hunt turkeys, though my mobility has been slightly restricted. I learned that slowing down is not necessarily a bad thing in turkey hunting.
I've had multiple surgeries on my left shoulder and got clearance to hunt 4 days before the next opening day, though they wanted me to shoot right handed.
My first year back I killed a nice gobbler on opening day and another one to tag out in the last week of the season. Both left handed. The first one was easier than expected and the the second was pretty challenging. I am thankful for any day I get and especially happy to be able to hunt turkeys.
Jim
Not an injury but I lost about 3 days to lyme disease and the meds. to help me. I was too tired and sore to go for a few days.
In early March, 2015, I broke my right ankle at the fitness center. A month later, the opening day of the turkey season found me hobbling my way across a 20 acre picked soy bean field on a walker while my 110#wife of 50 years carried the decoys, ground lounger, and shotgun. After assisting with the decoy setup, she headed back to the truck for some shut eye. An hour later, my 12 gauge 870 woke her up. She carried the gobbler back to the truck while I now had the rest of the gear to manage along with my walker. While other turkey hunts have faded with the years, this one will be remembered forever.
That sounds like something my wife would do. Awesome. We are lucky.
Saverex...I met my wife-to-be in college and, when she revealed that she ate wild game, move to the top of my list and obviously has stayed there for over half a century now.
I had a chrohnes flair up almost keep me out of the woods a few years back. Between the pain and the needing to use the restroom 30+ times a day it made it tough, but I managed to still tag out. Littered the woods with TP that year!
Mine happened a few years back, me and 2 others had paid for a trip to Colorado to hunt elk with an outfitter, the month before the trip I was getting ready to bow hunt at home and got to feeling funny the night before, to make it short I ended up in a helicopter being flown to a heart center, went into surgery the next morning , a triple bypass. 5 days in hospital needless to say the trip was off for me, did find a friend that took my place. Eight days out of the hospital our muzzle load season came in ,my son came by and said it would be nice to hunt, I told him to get my muzzle loader and my contender pistol and to drive us to the farm ,he could sit in my stand and I would stay at the cabin . He did so and I got out of truck at the tractor shed ,laid my T/C on fender of the tractor fender ans sit back in truck. It wasn't about 30 minutes when a doe stepped out , I eased from truck and got the pistol and put crosshairs on her then decided not to shoot cause I thought my son would most likely take one also. He didn't and when we got home my wife was raising !!!! . The next week at dr appointment she told him what I did,he asked if I was using a long gun and that I would rip my chest open if I did. When I explained that I had a pistol he was ok with that, I finished our gun season with the pistol. The next year I got to go to Colorado , took a 5 X 5 .
2 years later I had broken my leg just below the knee , leg got bent back the wrong way, just before bow season .had to have surgery to put metal plate and rod in my leg. I was not to put any weight at all on it for 30 days, when the doc said I could start to put weight on it ,I went to woods with bow in hand and crutches that I wrapped in camo tape and took a doe. I just hate not being able to go to the woods
Heck I used to think I was pretty tough....after reading these stories I am a certified wimp. Although I did kill a gobbler 7 days after getting out of the hospital from being shot. My buddy called and asked if I'd like to get out and take a ride since I had spent so long laid up. I said sure but can we take a gun and wear our turkey gear, we might see some field birds and it's still season. So we passed a farm we hunt and the owner was coming out the drive and we stopped to ask if we could drive around the pastures. He said sure he had just seen some gobblers up in the high pasture. So we drove up there and my buddy pulled the truck up by a bulldozer pile and helped me out onto a log. He drove away and worked the birds close enough for me to shoot one. I called my wife at work and asked her to guess where I was and what I had done. After telling her she growled, "I married an idiot" and hung up. We're celebrating 38 yeas this fall, so I guess she's ok with being married to an idiot.
22 years ago I had a vasectomy and my wisdom teeth cut out in the same week. Day after teeth I went hunting. Still had stich es from both surgeries. Using my trusty mouth call and running were out of the question. BUT I went hunting.
Quoteso I guess she's ok with being married to an idiot.
Well, my wife and yours have something in common!
My dad hunted all deer season one year after breaking some ribs in a head on car crash. He could only use a pistol, but he got three that year.
Quote from: Brian Fahs on June 15, 2017, 06:29:47 PM
22 years ago I had a vasectomy and my wisdom teeth cut out in the same week. Day after teeth I went hunting. Still had stich es from both surgeries. Using my trusty mouth call and running were out of the question. BUT I went hunting.
Became a gelding to huh? When I had mine done I wanted to watch but the doctor said I couldn't sit up. Some of my buddies knew I was having the procedure and they were lighting my phone of the text messages. The nurse finally grabbed my phone and started reading the messages to me. There were some pretty good ones in there. This got us all laughing so hard the doc had to pause the operation for a few. When I got out the doctor was telling my wife how great I did and she just quipped "he had better handle that ok. I gave birth to his 9 lb kid without any medications." If you haven't noticed , sympathy is in short supply at our house.
Sent from my SM-G800R4 using Tapatalk
Last Spring very early- I hurt my right knee by stepping in a pothole. Still went out and hobbled far from the road.