8 ways to die in elk country!

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Eastern Washington
Rolled a pack mule down the side of mountain one time, have had the lead rope to the pack string make it under my mules tail at inopportune moments, had a family friend get kicked and walked around on a broken femur for a couple of days until it really displaced.

There seems to be a running theme but I can't seem to make it out.
 

Beendare

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Corripe cervisiam
I had a mule throw me when I wasn't paying attention and his back right hoof missed my left cheek by about 3" when he kicked....that wouldn't have been good. As it was I had to ride about 12 miles after landing on a head sized rock.

Leading a horse across a stream he jumped to the same rock I was standing on....not deadly but it was not a fun 9 miles leading him out [he had loaded packsaddles with elk meat] with my foot throbbing to a rapid disco beat for 2 1/2 hours out.

Back when I used to rifle hunt......... I hated when I would glass another hunter looking at me through his scope....
 

Ucsdryder

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Had a flying squirrel try to land on my head while I was hiking alone in the middle of no where in the pitch black. He was attracted to the headlamp I think. I thought I was dead for sure when I saw something flying at my face. I sat down for about 30 minutes while my legs shook. Lol
 

Bar

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Saying a black bear is no more dangerous than a deer is just plain stupid. There's more black bear attacks than there are grizz. You can stop a grizz from mauling you by playing dead. That won't work with a black bear. It's going to eat you.

Articles like that are dangerous.
 

JP7

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Having the runs at 10,600 feet during a lightning and hail storm isn't fun.
 

Jon Boy

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Shut a bar down at 230 am drove to the trail head and hiked in several miles then hunted all day. Thought I was going to die on the way out. Came pretty damn close, I think.
 

Bar

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Shut a bar down at 230 am drove to the trail head and hiked in several miles then hunted all day. Thought I was going to die on the way out. Came pretty damn close, I think.

You're supposed to celebrate and get drunk after you get an elk. :)
 
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Followed a buddy to a trailhead on 4 wheelers. He smashed his up beyond repair on a hidden rock. We doubled up on mine, made it several miles, rolled mine, ripped two tires off of the bead and drained the radiator with a rock induced hole. Long walk out.
 

tttoadman

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OR Hunter back in Oregon
Last year in the frank we were packing an elk out at night. We were working along a trail on a very steep slope. We heard some rocks, so we stopped thinking we jumped some elk. As the noise got louder, we figured out it may be some rocks coming our way(we are really tired about now). Next thing I see is a rock fly 5ft in front of me about chest high so fast I could barely see it. I turned around and simply said "that would have sucked". We humped it a little harder for about a half mile to get off that steep slope.

My brother and I don't always have a lot of time. We do many miles hiking at night. We followed my GPS path to what we thought was a nice glassing spot for morning. The ridge line kept getting narrower. We slept for a couple hours. We woke up and realized we were on a spire about 15ft wide with 500ft straight down off both sides. We are now a little smarter about how glacier country is compared to the rolling hills close to home.
 
OP
ndbwhunter
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North Dakota
heart attacks

I suggest a physical before heading into elk country.

I agree that a physical is a good idea, but unfortunately, heart attacks can happen at any time with little to no warning. I know a few people in their 30s and 40s that are in excellent shape that had heart attacks. Just another reason to always have the Delorme.
 

5MilesBack

"DADDY"
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heart attacks

I suggest a physical before heading into elk country.

Is there something the doctor can give you to prevent them while hunting?

This guy was easing along a deadfall five feet above the ground. He slipped, with one leg coming down on each side of the log. A six-inch, up-thrusting snag nailed him through the crotch and buried nearly to his stomach. It makes my skin crawl to think about it, be-cause I’ve walked across hundreds of deadfalls myself.

This one is always a possibility. I've had those daggers go into my leg sliding down a slope and into deadfall. And I hunt deadfall a lot.
 
Last edited:

William Hanson (live2hunt)

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Had a flying squirrel try to land on my head while I was hiking alone in the middle of no where in the pitch black. He was attracted to the headlamp I think. I thought I was dead for sure when I saw something flying at my face. I sat down for about 30 minutes while my legs shook. Lol
Thats funny there

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

weaver

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Navigating cliffs in the dark has come closer to killing me than anything else.

Sent from my VS987 using Tapatalk
 

jmez

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Saying a black bear is no more dangerous than a deer is just plain stupid. There's more black bear attacks than there are grizz. You can stop a grizz from mauling you by playing dead. That won't work with a black bear. It's going to eat you.

Articles like that are dangerous.

Clearly, an average of <1 person per year die of black bear attacks. I may need to stay home.
 

Bar

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Clearly, an average of <1 person per year die of black bear attacks. I may need to stay home.

How many die from a deer attack? How many are attacked by blacks? The bear doesn't have to kill you to be dangerous.

Sarcasm never makes a good post.
 

jmez

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Actually the deer is considered the most dangerous mammal in the US. About 130 people a year die in car accidents caused by deer. You best be walking to your hunting area. 31 people are killed every year by pet dogs. Choose your walking route wisely. Don't go near any homes with pets!
 

Bar

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More sarcasm. Maybe you can bring donuts and feed the bears by hand. Let us know how it works out for you.
 

5MilesBack

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More sarcasm. Maybe you can bring donuts and feed the bears by hand. Let us know how it works out for you.

That would be considered baiting, and illegal in Colorado.

I'm a numbers, analytical, and logic guy. I'll stick with the probabilities. Considering I've seen less than 5 bears in 35+ years of hunting in CO, my odds are greater of getting attacked by a squirrel.
 
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