Well it finally happened

[hogpatrol]

I hunt alone mostly and would be in big trouble if something happened to me. Some have service and some stands not on the ground, which is where I’d be....I’ve always considered that risk and accept it as part of hunting alone. A lot of ice and snow on the ladders this year and have been using the corners to climb up and down.

Out in the boonies either fishing or hunting in the U.S. I carry a PLB. Doesn't cost anything to register or subscribe, and in the event of an emergency, SAR can be alerted and locate you through GPS.

https://www.amazon.com/plb/s?page=1&rh=i:aps,klb&tag=accuratescom-20

Out of the country, I use Global Rescue. It performs a similar function and can be used worldwide. IIRC, a PLB can be tied in to the service. Besides hunting, some people and families subscribe to it while on vacation, not only foreign venues but remote locations in the U.S.
https://www.globalrescue.com/

 

[Bc'z]

I've looked at the garmin gps that let's you send messages back to base"wifes phone"
My understanding is she would get all waypoints and tracks with grid cordinance.

 

[Nature Boy]

I was hunting from a 20' tree stand one time and this huge buck comes out into the field about 500-600 yards away. As I go to draw a bead on him I lose my balance and fall right out. Well, because I'm a tough sonofabitch, I hit the ground and bounce 5' in the air and land on my feet. I shake it off and quickly re-acquire this buck who's been startled by the commotion and is now on a dead run. He's put more distance between us but even 1,000 yards ain't squat for my 6.5 CREED!

I pull the trigger and it's BANG FLOP DRT!

Oh, forgot to mention this was all in the middle of a giant snow storm and I had to fight off a pack of yotes who wanted my deer meat more that I did.....with my bare hands

Seriously though, Y'all be safe out there

 

[hogpatrol]

I've looked at the garmin gps that let's you send messages back to base"wifes phone"
My understanding is she would get all waypoints and tracks with grid cordinance.

That's another option. Good to have something in case of an emergency. Hypothermia can do you in even with an injury that prevents you from walking. Be safe.

 

[Immike]

I've looked at the garmin gps that let's you send messages back to base"wifes phone"
My understanding is she would get all waypoints and tracks with grid cordinance.

I just used one in the mountains, not sure about that thing working when you need it. Was coming down a steep slope and my guys below couldn’t locate me.
They had me carry it for that reason and after 3 days I handed it back to them

 

[Bc'z]

That's another option. Good to have something in case of an emergency. Hypothermia can do you in even with an injury that prevents you from walking. Be safe.

I've also thought about the gps signal that climbers and skiers use. Is this the same as you mentioned earlier?
Currently I put phone on vibrate,gps on and run my little garmin together.
Looking for the best options, cost is irrelevant compared to ones life.

 

[hogpatrol]

This is a good read on the capabilities of PLBs. Bottom line is if you're really in the lurch, these units can possibly save your life or at least make it less medically complicated.

https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/personal-locator-beacons.html

 

[ImBIllT]

That's another option. Good to have something in case of an emergency. Hypothermia can do you in even with an injury that prevents you from walking. Be safe.

Yep. An avid and experienced hiker died in a state park to hyperthermia after breaking a femur. He wouldn’t have fared all that well in the summer, but might have been found alive. With a method of contacting someone, or even just a check-in every evening, he most likely would have lived.

 

[284winner]

I was hunting from a 20' tree stand one time and this huge buck comes out into the field about 500-600 yards away. As I go to draw a bead on him I lose my balance and fall right out. Well, because I'm a tough sonofabitch, I hit the ground and bounce 5' in the air and land on my feet. I shake it off and quickly re-acquire this buck who's been startled by the commotion and is now on a dead run. He's put more distance between us but even 1,000 yards ain't squat for my 6.5 CREED!

I pull the trigger and it's BANG FLOP DRT!

Oh, forgot to mention this was all in the middle of a giant snow storm and I had to fight off a pack of yotes who wanted my deer meat more that I did.....with my bare hands

Seriously though, Y'all be safe out there

Wolves...should've went with wolves !!!

 

[284winner]

Good thing you had a quad and cell service. A lot places I hunt, no one would know till evening cause your phone ain’t gonna work, and then he’d just about have to be quartered up to get him out. Sure at 81 he probably wouldn’t be in that spot, but you don’t have to be 81 to fall out of a stand without a harness.

It's amazing that we do have such outstanding cell service where we hunt. 30+ miles from any big town or city. Obviously there are cell towers close enough and thankfully so. As bad, if his cell phone was lost in the fall with the deep snow, nobody would have got to him till well after dark. Temps we're roughly in the lower 20s all day and low teens to single digits in the mornings and nights. Likely he'd not have survived an all day stay laying in the snow on his back in those temps. He had an angel on his shoulder.

 

[284winner]

**UPDATE**
My friend James Robbins is home and on his way to recovery. Pneumonia has been treated and cured and his bones will take the better part of the next 6 months to mend. Other than that he said he's still gonna hunt from a tree but only about 4-6ft off the ground wearing a good safety harness and tether. All good news. Thanks for following and lending your support.

 

[Immike]

Glad to hear he’s going to be okay!!
Put a trampoline under his stand next year!

 

[hogpatrol]

Good to hear. That was a close call and could have gotten real ugly real fast.