Handsaw neck injury 12-05-06 Warning, graphic pics

[savageayape]

I do not work in the tree care industry and I just recently found this board and found it to be very informative. I'm sure I will learn a lot here. Now to my topic... The photographs I'm attaching are of me following my careless use of a handsaw while trimming limbs so I could climb higher in a tree for deer hunting. I used a small folding handsaw which I keep in a sheath attached to my climbing tree stand so I can use it as I climb the tree to hunt. For safety reasons I always climb without my weapon (my bow this time). It was attached to a rope and laying at the bottom of the tree. After cutting the limb, I kept ahold of it so it would not land on my bow. It was a bit longer than most limbs which need to be trimmed in order to climb a tree for deer hunting and as a result, it was a bit awkward, so I grabbed it with both hands so I could throw it away from my tree and the bow. Unfortunately, I failed to put the saw away before throwing the limb. It was carelessness on my part and I'm embarrassed to admit I did it, but maybe seeing the results of one more unnecessary mistake will help prevent someone else from making a more costly one.

I didn't mean to attach the images a .bmp. I will re-attach them now (should be just a couple posts down)

 

[polingspig]

Lovely pictures

I am sorry that happened!! Those are some pretty cool pictures though and will be fun to show your grandchildren; if you make it through enough hunting seasons to see your grandkids. BE CAREFUL MAN!

 

[savageayape]

The scarriest part to me was when I realized I had to climb 25 to 30 feet down the tree with my neck bleeding. You can't hold pressure on a wound when you need both hands to climb down.

 

[Haywire Haywood]

Man, you're lucky that wound didn't spurt blood with every heartbeat.

Here's 5 and 8 converted to jpg so they are a little more dialup friendly.

 

[savageayape]

better pics - easier to view

I appologize for making the first set of photographs .bmp. The pics below should be much easier to open.

Very graphic open wound pictures

 

[Tree Machine]

Oh, my Gawd. Did the Doc mention that a few more millimeters deeper and you'd have been spurting with each heartbeat, like Haywood says. Had that been the case, you coulda bled out before you got to the ground.


I say that like you hadn't already considered it.


We're really glad you made it out. Sharing with us is a very valuable contribution, so thank you ....for.....putting your neck out there for us???

(Booo, my bad )

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Those pictures need a gore warning.

 

[begleytree]

Those pictures need a gore warning.

agree. I'm putting one on this thread


glad you're ok!
-Ralph

 

[Manco]

Man, thats one nasty slice! Lucky to be telling the story yourself.

 

[gitrdun_climbr]

ouch, thanks for sharing

Yeah, thanks for sharing those, I think photos like that go a long way to remind us to beeee carrrefull! Glad you're o.k., looks like they stitched you up pretty well. I definitely respect that handsaw and am quick to reholster before I proceed to reposition, throw, whatever.

During a quiet night at home I recently jabbed the radial artery in my wrist cutting the shrink wrap off a package with my pocket knife. The hole was only as thin and long as a dime slot but a perfect jab into the artery which sent blood shooting into the ceiling and all over the kitchen before I could even get my other hand over it!

Good luck in your recovery...

 

[clearance]

B.s.

A handsaw huh? Think about guys, like use your heads. Right.

 

[046]

you are one lucky fella!

that's why I hunt deer from the ground, stalking deer is how I get a shot.

 

[l2edneck]

Definitly looks quite painful

Mfn Ouch !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Davey Dog]

You should be really really glad that you made it through that....

 

[Manco]

A handsaw huh? Think about guys, like use your heads. Right.

Are you thinking that maybe that wasn't caused by a handsaw? I bet he wasn't even using a Silky.

 

[SRT-Tech]

a Silky woulda killed him!

:biggrinbounce2:

nice gash there Savage, reminds me of a friday night outside the pub up the street form me.

 

[savageayape]

No, it wasn't a Silky. It was a typical Gerber folding handsaw marketed toward deer hunters. As I wrote in my first post, I'm new to this site. I never even heard of a Silky until after reading a few of your posts here. I may have to buy one of those, but I'll be sure to keep it away from my neck.

It happened at a special deer reduction hunt at a state park in Indiana. After answering some questions for the DNR and a Conservation Officer, I showed them the photographs. They were really surprised as well. I allowed them to download the pictures at their request. Maybe they'll use them in some hunter education courses.

 

[okietreedude1]

So did you go back and get ya a deer?

 

[Tree Machine]

Okie........ !

 

[okietreedude1]

Okie........ !

Im just trying to figure out how serious of a deer hunter he really is.

If I were out of town spending money for the hunt and it happened on the first day of several, I would have gone back. Maybe not up the tree, but I still would have been making a second attempt.

A trophy buck and a lifelong scar, now THATS a story.

(deer hunting trip - $500 ; 7" scar on the neck for trimming out a tree w/ handsaw = trip to ER - $2400; going back and killing trophy buck - PRICELESS)