My worst hunting injury came when I was duck hunting in January of 1984 with one of my best friends. It was forecast to be very cold that day and it was in a big way (-9 F still stands as all time coldest day in North Carolina history). We were on our way to hunt a reservoir about a mile from where we parked, so the walk along with toting guns & decoys sort of warmed us up. In order to get to the area we planned to hunt, we had to walk through an area that had been clear cut. There was still a lot of tree tops and branches in the frost covered, head-high weeds we were working our way through to get to the lake. About 30 feet from the water's edge, there was a limb about the size of the base of a billiard cue stick blocking our path. I pushed the limb out of the way, so my buddy could pass. Just after he got the decoy bag beyond the limb, it broke just below my hand, then snapped back and cracked me in the face. The limb struck right where the roots of my upper teeth met my skull. I saw stars, could taste blood, and my face felt like it had immediately swollen up double the size . I don't know if the blood dried or froze first, but it was all down the front of my camo coat. We shot some ducks, but most had left for open water. By the time we got back to town, my eyes were bloodshot and I had to have the break wired back in place for a couple of months.
Jim