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Written by Kathleen Kalina
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Sunday, 15 November 2009 08:31 |
 The biggest killer in all dangerous situations is panic and fear. During hunting many really scary things can happen, but your control of fear is your safety valve.
It's dark and you're on your way to the tree stand and your flashlight goes dead (why didn’t you have a backup light?)....you hear a squealing noise right next to you.....hold still, ask God to protect you and feel for a tree until your eyes can adapt. Holding close to a tree can give you stability from falling into a hole. What was that noise though? Could it have been a fisher, raccoon or a bobcat? Being motionless next to a tree helps hide you. Motionless is the keyword. Breathe slowly.
Your foot falls through six inches of soft soil at the roots of a tree and are now lying with your head downhill. If you move your ankle you will break it. Hold calm for a while until you can reach you knife....remember to have a knife on the outside of your clothes. You are not in a hurry so don't panic and cut your foot. Get a grip of your faculties and work slowly to cut yourself free.
You are spring turkey hunting about 30 miles from anyone else when your truck sinks in a mud patch over the top of the wheel well. No cell coverage...you are on your own. Assess the situation. Do you have a cumalong winch? a chain or a 2x4? These would all help. But a bucksaw is crucial. You can start cutting down small trees and put them under the wheel. Jack up the wheels by placing enough wood under a jack and then put your truck in 4x4 low and rock it. Or if no 4x4, then put it in low and rock it on to the wood. Take your time, don't panic.
It's early morning and still dark during deer opener and you are sitting at your ground blind when you hear a deep purring from the large tree limb above you. You know it’s a mountain lion. Gradually get a light ready to turn on and have your gun ready to fire. The purring stops and now you know he's heard you. Flash the light in its eyes and point the gun ready to fire. (Hold the light under the rifle like police do). Mountain lions are ambush predators; it backs off since you have flashed the light on it.
You are checking out your hunting spot in August and stop to eat some high bush blueberries. You hear something on the other side of the bush and mistake it for your friend so you mention how lush the berries are. No answer from the friend makes you curious so you step around the bush to see a black bear standing up eating berries only 3 ft from your eyes as he stares at you. He already knows you are there since you have been talking to him as if he is your friend. Calm, soothing, talking as you back off will keep things okay. He just stares at you and sees you as no threat.
 But if a UFO lands in your back yard....you can freak out now!
All of these things have actually happened to me. Controlling fear takes practice and knowing God will protect you as you believe in Him.
Good planning for all emergencies is very empowering. Always carry a knife on the outside of the your clothes, two lights when walking in or out of the forest in the dark, carry water, gear for getting out of mud or snow, a compass and a lighter in case you are stuck in the woods all night.
What if darkness falls too quick and you are lost while tracking a deer? This is the most common situation that could get you lost. If you have no idea where you are, don’t move. You could go deeper in the woods. If it’s snowing too hard to see tracks or navigation points to the car, you should find cover under large pine trees. Deer often go under large pine limbs in heavy snow and bed down. If it’s dark and you can’t see anything, you could fall into a lake or hole, so don’t move. If you get under trees and stay dry, you can start a fire. This can keep you warm and the smell could alert anyone else to where you are. Think to yourself, that you are prepared to sleep all there night and go out during the morning. People, who are lost for days, make the mistake at this point by forcing themselves to push on in weather where they can’t see and ultimately get lost.
When faced with the fact that you may be staying there all night, control your fear by going through a series of checks. Check your equipment, make yourself warm and comfortable, and don’t struggle. Start a fire if you can. Once you are settled in, program your mind to appreciate your circumstances…think of the beauty of the woods, the quiet etc. This is a way of psychologically surviving and keeping your immune system high. Make yourself cozy. Try to think only positive thoughts and don’t worry about others at this point. You are in survival mode which takes a mental rearrangement. Don’t think about home, children or anything that makes you anxious. Concentrate on thinking about where you are and how to be comfortable for the night. As the night goes on, there will be noises in the forest that you should not be alarmed about because any predators will be bedded down in a storm. If it’s snowing hard, you may be able to create a snow shelter or a lean to with branches that will keep you warm. If you are warm, you will do fine. If it’s really cold out, you can always start a fire, by emptying out the gunpowder from one of your shells.
By pulling the bullet out of the shell (don’t hit the primer), you can access powder. With a lighter you can make a fire by lighting the gunpowder on top of sticks with logs underneath. Put the logs on top of snow.
If you don’t have a lighter, you can take two metal objects like knives and scrape them together making a spark.
When morning comes, it’s likely the snow will have stopped. You should be able to tell where the sun comes up and thus giving you an idea where your car is.
I have a friend who went into the woods to help his four friends’ quarter out an elk and drag it out. He quickly got separated on the way out and realized he didn’t have knife, compass, etc. because he thought he was with friends and just carrying elk quarters out. He was lost for hours walking in circles. In thick woods it’s very easy to get lost. Always be prepared and pack appropriately.
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