Counting my blessings......
Yesterday my daughter & I went out to make the final preparations for youth season on an elevated box blind on the ground we hunt. The blind was built by another person that no longer hunts the property 10 years ago and I have since acquired the rights to hunt the property.
I carefully tested & inspected each rung of the ladder (the blind floor is at about 10-11') as I was climbing up and all was good. After getting the coon poop and a mouse nest out of the blind and stapling up some new camo burlap on the back of the blind to break up our outlines, we were ready to do a bit more scouting.
My daughter was already on the ground and off a hundred yards or so exploring. I had a few things in my hand and as I was standing on the ladder to pull the door shut (the door swings into the blind) and I must have had a little too much pressure on it and it came past center, swung out a little bit, I lost my balance, the door came off the hinges in my hand & I was airborne!
Somehow I landed on my feet & on a little bit of a backward incline and I rolled a few times, which I suppose took some of the shock away from the fall. I laid there for a minute & took a quick inventory of all my body movements. By God's grace, I was absolutely fine except for a slightly jammed thumb. I was a little afraid I'd be sore this morning, but I actually feel fine.
I think back on it and it scares the hell out of me to think of the hundred things that could have happened to make this outcome much different and it is making me tear up as I type this to think of my 7 year old daughter having to find her dad laying there hurt or worse a half mile from anywhere out there by herself, not to mention my wife & other 2 kids at home.
Please take extra time to inspect EVERYTHING on your stands and your all equipment when you're out this fall and don't get in a hurry getting into & out of your stands!
Have a safe season!!
Yesterday my daughter & I went out to make the final preparations for youth season on an elevated box blind on the ground we hunt. The blind was built by another person that no longer hunts the property 10 years ago and I have since acquired the rights to hunt the property.
I carefully tested & inspected each rung of the ladder (the blind floor is at about 10-11') as I was climbing up and all was good. After getting the coon poop and a mouse nest out of the blind and stapling up some new camo burlap on the back of the blind to break up our outlines, we were ready to do a bit more scouting.
My daughter was already on the ground and off a hundred yards or so exploring. I had a few things in my hand and as I was standing on the ladder to pull the door shut (the door swings into the blind) and I must have had a little too much pressure on it and it came past center, swung out a little bit, I lost my balance, the door came off the hinges in my hand & I was airborne!
Somehow I landed on my feet & on a little bit of a backward incline and I rolled a few times, which I suppose took some of the shock away from the fall. I laid there for a minute & took a quick inventory of all my body movements. By God's grace, I was absolutely fine except for a slightly jammed thumb. I was a little afraid I'd be sore this morning, but I actually feel fine.
I think back on it and it scares the hell out of me to think of the hundred things that could have happened to make this outcome much different and it is making me tear up as I type this to think of my 7 year old daughter having to find her dad laying there hurt or worse a half mile from anywhere out there by herself, not to mention my wife & other 2 kids at home.
Please take extra time to inspect EVERYTHING on your stands and your all equipment when you're out this fall and don't get in a hurry getting into & out of your stands!
Have a safe season!!
