Our gun season opened here in NY today and I had everything ready last night and was up at 5:00 this morning. I didn't feel too good, but I wanted to hunt, so I pushed myself to go.

I got ready, grabbed my bow and quiver and a few other things and walked down the hill to a natural funnel and escape route that I like to hunt when the gun hunters hit the woods. It was cold and windy, so I thought I'd hunt a few hours and go back home if I wasn't seeing anything.

By 8:30 I was froze and feeling like crap, so I stood up to leave and when I did, I could feel all the strength drain out of me and I fell on my face in the snow. I didn't know what was going on, but something was bad wrong. I tried to get up, but I was so weak I could hardly move.

I was already cold and I knew I couldn't just lay there in the snow regardless of how I felt, so I grabbed a small tree and pulled myself up. I knew I wouldn't make it back up hill to the house, so I angled down hill to the west toward a road.

Even going down hill, I seemed to get weaker with every step and I didn't think I was going to make it, but with the Good Lord's help I eventually came out on the road.

I called Sharon and told her to pick me up and when she got there she had to help me from the ditch I was in, into the car. I couldn't even sit upright in the car at this point and kept bouncing my head off the dash and falling over on her. She called an ambulance and they met us at the house and took me to the hospital.

I've had some problems with my blood pressure lately and it turned out that when I stood up to go home it bottomed out and didn't come back up. I've never felt so weak. It was a constant struggle just to stay upright and keep putting one foot in front of the other. The walk to the road was the longest walk of my life and as I sit here tonight, I can't help but to think how close I came to laying in the woods until somebody found my body.

I see it mentioned here often to be safe out there and I had it impressed on me today that that doesn't just mean to watch where we step, to take care in tree stands and to be careful with our hunting heads.

I was foolish to go this morning when I'd been having problems with my blood pressure and I knew something wasn't right before I left the house and it almost cost me a lot more than it was worth. So please take some friendly advice and take care of your health and don't be stubborn like I was and push yourself for the sake of a deer. And like 9/10 Broke pointed out in a PM earlier tonight when we were talking about this, carry a cell phone. We don't always have service in the woods, but in the right situation, it could save your life. Good luck and be safe, my friends.

You were very fortunate. Glad you are well enough tonight to post this.

Very glad you made it out. Don't do that again until your BP is under control!

Thanks guys. Al, I promised the Dr. and Sharon both, that I'll stay out of the woods until this gets straightened out. I hate the thought of not hunting, but I hate the thought of the alternative more.

Hope you get to feeling better. Slow and easy brother and stay out of those trees.

Good thing is your doing good now. As I get older I am learning there is more to life than just hunting.

WOW! Glad it was a good ending. You very lucky you were close enough to the road. I hate taking my cell phone in the woods but I do just for reasons like this.

Yes, pay attention to your body. I hadn't been feeling right for a few months and shrugged it off. After passing out cold and whacking my head on a door frame on the way to the floor, the doctor informed me I was diabetic. Glad you made it out Bob!

Glad it wasn't worse. Us guys are pretty hard-headed it seems. )

Glad you made it out and got some help. I rarely have service, but I always have my cell phone in the woods. My wife likes me to take pics of he woods, and makes her feel more involved. It also encourages me to keep that device on me somewhere in case of an emergency.

-Bones

My brother in-law just got out of the hospital with the same exact issue. Bent over to rub his calf that felt like it had gone to sleep...and BONK!...DOWN he went. Blood pressure bottomed out! He actually had to have a pace-maker installed...after one stint. Hope things work out for you!

I don't even HAVE a cell phone. And I have been having issues of my own. Guess I need to stay out of the woods entirely.

Glad to hear you made it out and are at home.

Very happy you are ok. I know part of how you felt cause my bp drops sometimes and i feel like im not gonna make. Its such a wek sick feeling. God bless

I'd be better off if my BP DID drop!

throwback,

Glad to hear you survived. "I knew something wasn't right before I left the house", I've been there and understand that. I'll take your warning to heart, thank you.

A few weeks ago the wife had an emergency health episode. We were heading home from a dinner party and she was gripped with severe abdominal pain and other less interesting symptoms. "Just get me home and I'll be OK". We are such stubborn creatures. I floored the throttle, and rolled through a few full stops on the way to the ER, where she was admitted and got the help she needed.

FWIW, I'm about to give up on my cell phone. I can't count the number of times I've sent a message to my wife and either she didn't hear it ring,or,the message arrives hours later. They may be the best we've got these days, but there's no guarantee your message gets through to whomever. It's true, God only knows what a day may bring forth.

Wow Glad you made it home and to the Dr. No deer is worth a fright like that. God bless you

Glad you made it out hope you get that bp problem under control. I never hit the woods without my cell phone.

Thanks everybody and I'm sorry to take so long getting back. I didn't sleep too well last night and I've been making up for it today. Yeah, it was an experience and a wake up call, too. Things like this are real attention getters, aren't they?

I hope everybody else that's dealing with this and all the other medical issues that life can throw our way, is doing good.

Wild Bill, we used to have the same thing with texts here and I never understood it. Sometimes you'd get a text a couple days after they were sent. It seems to work good now. I hope your wife is feeling better.

SB, How's your brother in law making out since having the pace maker put in? Better, I hope.

Glad u made it out hope all is well

Thanks Anthony.

Glad you survived this serious event. Thanks for sharing the msg on being careful.

A few years ago I took a bad fall and while not life threatening I had a hard time getting back to my truck. Ripped my hamstring pretty bad and walking was nearly impossible. It was early December and cold.

That Christmas my wife bought me a SPOT GPS locator and told me I could not hunt by myself without it. I was initially sort of put off by that but when I started carrying it I had to admit it provided me with an increased sense of security. I never hunt without it even when I am with someone.

Cheap cell phone - go to the ATT store and get a basic pay-as-you-go phone. They're $50 or less. I buy 200 minutes for about $26. Every three months I have to buy another 200 minutes or whatever I have left expires. My yearly bill is what some folks spend in a *month* on their fancy smart phones.

Glad you made it out hope and pray you get your b.p. under control.These last couple of years I'm feeling like hunterbob.

Rick, That must have been rough, I'm glad you made it out, too.

I've never really worried about these kinds of things and When I get straightened out, I'm sure not going to stay out of the woods, but this episode showed me that It's not always the other guy that can run into problems.

Dana, that's what Sharon and I have. We got ours during a sale and they only cost us ten bucks. Good insurance.

Thanks everybody.

I skipped over this when posted a few days ago ..from the title I assumed it was a story about a guy who knew of a funnel used by bucks sneaking away from the gun hunting army and got lucky. I was right! Bob got lucky and I'm glad he shared the experience. I'm another stubborn old fart but I'm going to start carrying my phone in the future.

Well, that's exactly what I was doing. I've killed some deer there on the opener in the past, but most of the time they're spooky and moving at a pretty good clip when they come through, so more often than not I don't get a shot, but I generally see some deer. All I saw Saturday was stars, lol. Hopefully I'll get feeling better and get the ok to get back out in the woods before It's over. If not, small game season is open until the end of February.

I'm glad to hear you're going to start carrying your phone too, Mark. We never know what's going to happen out there.

Throwback.....Apparently he's doing much better. Already harassing the gals at the nursing home where he's at now until his therapy is done!

My brother in-law is 70. He has the old family farm and has been milking cows since he was a youngster. He had worked his you one what off his whole life running the farm. I don't know how he did it the arthritis in his hands was getting so bad. I told him for YEARS it was time to hang it up but he kept at it. I found out that ten days before his episode he had finally sold his herd and rented out the cropland. Figures.....

Glad to hear it SB. Yeah, if he's harassing the ladies, it sounds like he's feeling better.

I've always had a lot of respect for a farmer. That's a tough job with long hours and basically no time off, even when your sick. God bless him.

Glad to hear you got out alright an that you are feeling better.

Glad to hear your ok now. Funny how sometimes we just don't listen to our body.

Thank you both, I appreciate it.

Glad you are mending. I pray all is well. Jawge

Thanks Jawge.

Glad your doing well Throwback, and the woods will still be there when you're ready. I also have a cheap cell phone to take with me to the woods, and at least half the time I forget it. This upsets my wife as I am 82 and certainly have risks concerning health issues. A few weeks ago I fell in the woods and hit my head on a log and knocked out two teeth. I could buy several bows with the money it's going to cost me to get them replaced. Joel

Crikey, guys, be careful! Hope you're all okay... sheesh...

9/10 Broke,.....''WHAT DID YOU CALL ME" a curmud what!!!

Lucky fellow, everyone take care out there.

Dang Joel, that had to hurt and no doubt won't be cheap to fix. I'm glad it wasn't worse.

Us crotchety old curmudgeons and cantankerous old farts need to look out for each other. Take care everybody.

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