Where The Heck Are Ya? Survivor Friday
January 16, 2009
As an EMT one of the gut wrenching calls was responding to an area with someone most likely critically injured and you don’t know exactly where they are. You want to provide the care they need but time and manpower is being wasted because the exact location is not known. In my early days as an EMT in rural Western Massachusetts this most often involved motor vehicle accidents and cell phones were not as prevalent as they are today. 911 would get the call and dispatch us to an area around mile marker such and such. Most of the time we realized these were not often accurate and if we were lucky only a mile or two off. With mountainous terrain locating a vehicle off the road and down the embankment was challenging at times.
Well think about for a moment your favorite place to deer hunt does it have a street number if you need help? Or is it more likely you have to describe the area “ I’m on the River Road about 3 miles south of the intersection with Birch Rd and River Rd.” That may get them to your truck but if you’re a mile in the woods to your stand how do you describe the way in if you need help. Add to it the stress of the situation and any impairment the illness or injury may have caused. Here’s a little exercise try to tell someone how to get to your deer stand preferably someone who has never been there before. Not as easy as you might think. As hunters we like to keep our honey holes to ourselves but it’s important that we make sure somebody knows how to find us if we need help. So here is my plan for where I hunt;
· Get a cell phone that works in the area you hunt
· Make sure a few people know how to get to your stands
· When you hunt make sure someone knows your hunting and when they should expect to hear from you.
· Develop directions on how to get to where you hunt and practice verbalizing them.
Maps, GPS coordinates, how to use a compass, are other skills you may want to consider and will be topics we cover out here at some point. A fairly new product on the market is SPOT I have no experience with this device but from what I hear about it, friends & family can track your whereabouts, you can send out a text message as well as an emergency call. Sounds kind of like an advanced emergency beacon that I’m sure if you got into trouble it would more then pay for itself.
We often love to hunt to get “lost” and escape the everyday world we face but lets make sure we can be found if something should really happen.
Moose Droppings is a place that chronicles my journey, Ill explore new places and ideas Ill learn new things and Ill teach the things Ive learned to others. Join me on the adventure and hopefully it will help you in your outdoor endeavors.
I have used the SPOT Messenger pretty extensively over the past year and I can state clearly this is a tool that should be in every hunters Backpack. One of my good friends and hunting buddies fell from his tree Stand many years ago and he was on the ground for several hours before his buddies located him when he did not come in to camp. SPOT would of eliminated the several hours of agonizing pain as he laid on the ground waiting for help, hoping help would find him quickly.
I have a deal with SPOT that will allow hunters to pick up this product for $149.00 and if they use the promotional code HUNTINGLIFE23 they can get one free year of tracking which is an additional $50.00 savings.
http://www.findmespot.com/huntinglife
We often look the other way as hunters when thinking about safety because of the expense, but this product is worth every penny.
I recently did a post about this product. I have never tried it but after doing a bit of research I felt it would be a good item to invest in.
http://whitetailwoods.blogspot.com/2009/01/spot-satellite-gps-messenger.html
I think that all of the electronic gadgets are great. However, there is no substitute for the good ole’ compass and map. Out here in the West it is difficult to get cell coverage or to give exact directions as to were you will be hunting. Batteries in your GPS can go dead and weather can move in quickly. So knowing the basics of compass and map reading are still essential tools that everyone should know before hitting the woods.
Louis,
I agree with you 100% that there is absolutely no substitute for the ole’ compass and map. The SPOT Messenger is a great tool for safety use but it is not a full fledged GPS and will not tell you anything about where you are while you are in the woods. Having the SPOT just gives me the confidence to know if something happens out in the back country and I get hurt or I come across a hurt hunter, I can hit that switch and someone is coming to help. It will not help me if I am not prepared enough and know my maps or hunting area from getting lost.
Most hunters need to work harder on learning proper compass use, proper map use and old fashion woodsmanship skills. I never step into the back country without a great map and a plan and I always make sure someone knows where I am and when I will return. The SPOT is just in addition to those simple plans.
Thanks for the comments guys. I agree the new gadgets make our lives easier but we have to know how to use basic equipment like a compass for the time the gadgets die. I’m not sure that is necessarily a skill we are passing on to the younger generation. I was in a fast food place the other day and the kid had to call the manager over to help him make change. He rung in I was giving him a 10 when it was actually a 20. Neither him nor the manager could figure it out I told them to just add 10 to what the cash register said but they felt that was wrong so they ended up voiding the sale and reringing it up. I got my change but what a scary world when people are so tired to technology that they can’t do the simplest thing without it.,
-Moose-