Hunting Injury Prevention

Hunting Injuries

Hunting is one of the most safe recreational activities and a person is more likely to be injured golfing than hunting, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Despite these stats, hunters are not completely “out of the woods” when it comes to injuries. Let’s talk about 3 phases of injury management to consider when planning a hunt: 1. Physical and mental preparation. 2. Awareness during the hunt. 3. Recovery post hunt. 

According to a study by C M Huiras et al, among a group of hunters whose median age was 32 who suffered injuries hunting, “soft tissue, maxillofacial and orthopedic injuries predominated.” In other words damage to muscle, ligaments, and joints are among the most common injuries, which is not surprising given the nature of hiking in uneven terrain, heavy packouts, and repeated days living in boots. Many other sources report falls from tree stands being the number one cause of injuries to hunters.

1. Physical and Mental Preparation

Western hunting has unique challenges different from any other sport or recreational activity, and preparation, in most cases, will make or break a hunt. Imagine the high school jock-turned couch quarterback showing up to the superbowl to play.  What is the chance of success? At least when hunting, if one day of hiking wears the hunter down, he can just road hunt the next day, right? I’m not disparaging road hunting, but the preparation should match the hunter’s style of hunting. Lack of preparation will not only lead to lack of success, but to increased likelihood of injuries. There is a theory regarding body tissue and stress referred to as Wolff's Law. The theory states that tissue, over time, will become adapted to the stress applied to the tissue. So if a hunter hikes, or does the equivalent exercise, 3 times a week (as an example) his tissue will become adapted to the stress, whereas if he goes out the weekend before the hunt to “get ready,” his tissue won’t have time to adapt and the likelihood of injury increases.

So, when applying for tags as yourself, what is my hunting style? Will I be in steep terrain? Will I be in thick timber where I’ll have to climb over downed logs?  Do I have help to pack gear and hopefully those elk quarters back to the truck? After asking these questions you will have a better idea how to prepare. If you plan to “run and gun” how’s your cardio and endurance? If your unit is full of steep terrain are you getting your legs accustomed to this type of stress? Will you be packing 70# of elk meat 5 miles? If so, you better start now to handle that weight. Preparing for a hunt, especially for people new to hunting can be daunting. We often make sure we acquire all the newest, nicest gear to ensure we’ll be comfortable when the thing that will actually make us the most comfortable will be preparing physically and mentally for the challenge.  

2. Awareness in the Field

 Most hunters have experienced blisters and should know that the best way to avoid them is to have a nice pair of boots that are BROKEN IN. This is the preparation aspect of blister avoidance. When in the field, management of “hot spots” can avoid a blister forming. This is the awareness phase of injury avoidance. Some people use a liner sock, others use mole skin. I prefer Leukotape.  Whatever the strategy, the important thing is to recognize the hot spot and take action to keep the situation from getting worse. How does this apply to soft tissue injury in the field? Have you ever been on steep terrain and feel the back of your legs knot up? If not addressed there is potential for this to lead to an achilles or calf strain. 2 minutes of “working out the knot” could be the difference between a strained calf and that trophy bull you’ve been watching on trail cam all Spring. When a hunter learns to be aware of these warning signs most injuries can be avoided or at least reduced in magnitude. If you tweaked your ankle on the pack-in, maybe find a path around the boulder field today. Be smart out there.

3. Recovery Post Hunt

Recovery could be referring to an injury sustained on a hunt as with the calf strain or ankle sprain examples above where C M Huiras found that 90% of these injuries required some outpatient follow-up. In most cases, even in lieu of a major injury, prolonged stress to tissue will cause some damage. People that lift at the gym are causing microtrauma to the muscles with allows them to recover stronger over time leading to increased ability to lift weights, it’s no different with hunting. The more miles, the steeper the terrain, the heavier the pack will all require additional recovery. This is especially important with those with long hunts planned, or for those with multiple tags. In phase 3 of our injury prevention think, healthy meals, adequate sleep, stretching, inflammation management. The better a hunter is able to recover the quicker they will be back on the mountain, and the better they will be able to sustain a high level of Mountain Performance.

If some of this seems foreign, you often return from hunts with lingering injuries, or you’re not able to hunt as hard as you would like. Reach out, we’re here to help.

Remember,

“It’s not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves.” -Edmund Hillary