A new Hog Blog reader, Brian, gave me the idea for today’s blog. Brian’s wife has some concerns about his hunting alone at the Tejon Ranch, and he was wondering just how safe it would be.
I offered an answer to Brian directly in the comments, and to sum it up quickly here, you’re seldom alone at Tejon Ranch. Even so, it’s easy to get way out in the middle of nowhere, even with 75 other hunters in the field. But it’s not like taking off into the wilderness by yourself. The ranch staff monitors everyone who goes in and makes sure they come out. If you don’t show up, they’ll be looking for you… and you can bet they know that property inside and out.
All that said, there are a lot of things to consider if you’re planning to go it alone, either at a place like Tejon, or out in the wilderness.
First and foremost, almost any hunter safety advocate would advise against going hunting alone. Hunting with a partner is a best practice. It’s sort of like the policy of redundant systems employed on aircraft and large ships… a second person is a second set of equipment, a second set of hands and feet, and a second opinion. Two heads are better than one, and even better, two sets of legs are better than one, both in an emergency, and in the event that there’s a big hog to carry out of the woods. It’s not all safety, sometimes it’s simple expediency.
But there are many hunters, like me, who enjoy hunting alone and do it often. If this describes you too, here are some things to think about.
Hunting presents a fairly wide array of unique safety issues. In no other sport do participants go afield with firearms and archery tackle… tools designed to kill. These tools are indiscriminate, and will kill a hunter as readily as a big boar. Tools don’t think and they don’t care. Safety is up to you, as the hunter.
Fortunately, statistics show that firearms and archery accidents are fairly rare… thanks in large part to the concerted efforts of state and private Hunter Safety educators. For the past couple of generations, every new hunter in almost every state has been required to complete a Hunter Education certification course and test. In combination with other measures, such as hunter orange requirements in many states, the accidental shooting rate has dropped significantly over the years.
Statistics aside, if you’re hunting alone it’s pretty critical that you observe the utmost discipline with your firearm or bow. There’s no one there to help you if you do accidentally injure yourself. Knowledge of first aid procedures is certainly important and useful, but bear in mind that if you hunt alone, you have to perform these procedures on yourself.
Safety considerations for the solo hunter don’t end with guns and arrows.
Think about your physical condition. It may seem obvious, but I’ll say anyway… hunters with heart or breathing problems, or other critical diseases, shouldn’t be in the field alone. It’s hard to administer first aid to yourself if you’re passed out, or convulsing in an epileptic seizure. You might think it’s just common sense, but I’m sometimes amazed at the things people do.
You’ll also want to be sure to carry any medications you need with you, and keep them where you can get them as quickly as you may need them. If you are allergic to bee stings, carry an epipen or something like it. If you’re asthmatic, keep your inhaler in a front pocket, so you won’t find yourself struggling to breathe and to remove a backpack at the same time. It’s simple forethought… easy for me to describe as I sit here, but sometimes the simplest things are overlooked in the real world. Making a little checklist seems trite, but it could save your life. How trivial is that?
How are your back, your neck, and your knees? Are you in condition for the environment you’ll be hunting? Tejon Ranch, for example, offers some lovely, rolling hills and oak flats. It’s easy walking, like a park. But the ranch also includes steep canyons and ridges, with rocky climbs and thickets of poison oak and chemise. If you’re chasing hogs, you’re more likely to find yourself in this adverse terrain. You’ll cover 500 to 1000 feet in elevation change, up and down. Can you manage this? Now imagine yourself with 50 or 75 pounds of dead pig on your back, or dragging a 200 pound hog. If you’re not up to it, get a partner (or two).
As a solo hunter, you also need to give a lot of thought to the situations you put yourself into. I’ve told this story once before, but on a deer hunt several years ago I found myself dangling by one hand, several hundred feet up a shale cliff. I was a few miles off the regular trail, and several miles from my truck. The whole reason for being there was because it was somewhere that no one else would go… and I realized as I hung there, that this very isolation would mean that no one would find me if I fell. I also realized that it was pretty stupid to put myself into that situation, but of course at that point it was too late to undo what I’d already done.
Lesson learned? Think about things before you do them. It’s bad enough to get yourself into a bind when you’re hunting with a partner. It’s potentially a whole world worse when you’re by yourself.
Even the safest, most thoughtful hunter can still get into trouble. Make sure someone knows where you’ll be when you’re in the field. Leave a plan with someone at home, and if the plan changes in the field, leave some kind of notification in your truck, or at camp. When I got hung up on that cliff, I was a long way from where I’d told anyone I would be. Even if someone found my truck, they’d have had a heck of a time figuring out where I was.
Modern technology has stepped in to help out where common sense may fail us. Hunters today have access to locator devices that can be used to summon help if things get desperate. (I did a blog post on these units a little while back if you’d like more detail.) These “Personal Locator Beacons” can do anything from sending out a radio signal, to sending a GPS location via satellite. Some units, like the SPOT Satellite Messenger, can even send messages back home to notify that you’ll be late, or just to check in to let everyone know you’re OK.
Of course these devices shouldn’t really serve as surrogates for common sense, but they can save your neck if you do get a little too far outside the envelope. They’re not cheap, but how much is your life worth? Solo hunters, particularly those who hunt the back country a lot, should definitely give them a look.
Finally, as one thought leads to another… and here’s a consideration that shouldn’t be discounted… It’s not just about you.
If you get into a bind in the outback, it’s going to create a problem for someone else. You may be alone out there, but there is a whole world of people out there who will be impacted by anything that happens to you. Whether it’s a search and rescue team that has to come out and find you (possibly at personal risk to themselves), the medical personnel who may have to patch you back together, or the poor sucker who stumbles over your corpse, rotting in the field… everything you do alone will impact someone else.
And of course there’s the thought of your family and loved ones, waiting and wondering where you are… or those who will have to take care of you if you come out infirm or crippled. Your actions have consequences, and not just to you. It’s just another reason to think safety in the field, particularly if you are hunting solo.
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Robin
All great tips Phillip. I seldom hunt alone, but when I do someone always knows where I am going to be at and what time I am expected to get home. I always carry a cell phone as well just in case.
All great tips though for the person who is thinking of going it alone.