Near-Miss

Inspired by 57jL post about his near death experience, I too had a close call in March this year with a hunting accident (call it a navigational slip-up if you like) that I thought I should share. I've been hunting North Island bush for about 20 years now, and this one really hit home as a "close call". I consider myself very safety conscious as its in my job description for the company I work for as a National H&S manager, but also I just think we can be more safety conscious and assess and mitigate potential hazards that we encounter while hunting (fark there's the H&S in me coming out already). My great grandfather had a hunting accident (fell off horse pig hunting and hit head) and died as a result. I for one don't want to repeat history within the family.

Moving on, the Kaimais to those familiar with it can be absolute shit to navigate through at the best of times with walls of supplejack and thick bush. I'm no stranger to having to push through shity stuff to get to areas that are worth exploring. This day was no different. Coming down what appeared to be a old logging track to a river was no issue. I assessed the river and opposite ridge and plotted my best route to navigate up the the opposing ridge.

Having crossed the river safely, I started walking the leading ridge in the hope that it would open up near the top which normally is the case. The bush was difficult to push through, and in one particular spot very thick to chest height. Rifle with an empty chamber, held in my right hand, I gingerly pushed ahead and upwards through the bush, placing 1 foot at a time. Some fern ahead gave me the confidence to go a bit quicker. This is when things got interesting. On placing my right foot down, I encountered emptiness (a small hole I thought) and the weight of my body moving in a forward motion was enough for me to commit to placing my other foot. Again nothing under me. Things slowed down, I was falling. "Why am I falling, what is happening, is this a cave?" Total confusion and disorientation. Only a few seconds had passed and I had already pivoted by body around and was falling backwards and down into darkness with the sunlight disappearing above. I hit the ground hard and flat on my back, my neck snapping back and hitting the earth below me. My body was in a state of shock, and the wind was knocked out of me. It took a few moments for me to get my breath back, and try compose myself. Self-assessment time as I lay on my back. Can I wiggle my toes, fingers, move my limbs. Yes. Is there blood/bone sticking out, no! I was then able to get up and look around thinking what a shit place for Land SAR to try find someone in.

Time to reflect. Looking up, left/right I had fallen about 5m or more into a small what appeared to be man made crevice (about 40m in length) from the old logging days. Looking above, vegetation towered over it making it the most perfect disguised fall hazard you could imagine. I have never seen anything quite like it in my time hunting the Kaimais or anywhere else for that matter. My rifle butt was embebed deep in the soft dirt next to me which I had held onto all the way to hitting the ground. If you look closely, a small pile of rocks covered in green moss about 1-2m away could have knocked me unconscious. I call this "luck".

Having assessed myself, I was sore but able to walk myself out (half hunting) back to the car. The neck muscles and back for the following month were treated by my physio and no long term injury sustained as a result.

I was equipped and had access to my inreach in my pocket (zipped up always). Back pack always secured to me and unable to be dislodged (waist/chest strap) with all the things you need to survive a night in bush (survival sleeping bag, food/water, pain relief, Israeli bandage, celox etc). If I hadn't come home, my wife would have been able to pass on my hunting details to Land SAR as I always leave my hunting location and direction of travel intentions on the fridge.

Lessons to be learned, make sure you have dirt under your feet when pushing through thick stuff. Sounds simple doesn't it. Safe hunting!

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In two words fuck that... Glad you made it ok

Thanks for sharing and glad you made it out as well as you did. Those Kaimai's can be shit at times , I had my share of adventures / misadventures in them.

Pretty lucky escape. Glad you made it out without too many injuries.

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Originally Posted by Rusky

Inspired by 57jL post about his near death experience, I too had a close call in March this year with a hunting accident (call it a navigational slip-up if you like) that I thought I should share. I've been hunting North Island bush for about 20 years now, and this one really hit home as a "close call". I consider myself very safety conscious as its in my job description for the company I work for as a National H&S manager, but also I just think we can be more safety conscious and assess and mitigate potential hazards that we encounter while hunting (fark there's the H&S in me coming out already). My great grandfather had a hunting accident (fell off horse pig hunting and hit head) and died as a result. I for one don't want to repeat history within the family.

Moving on, the Kaimais to those familiar with it can be absolute shit to navigate through at the best of times with walls of supplejack and thick bush. I'm no stranger to having to push through shity stuff to get to areas that are worth exploring. This day was no different. Coming down what appeared to be a old logging track to a river was no issue. I assessed the river and opposite ridge and plotted my best route to navigate up the the opposing ridge.

Having crossed the river safely, I started walking the leading ridge in the hope that it would open up near the top which normally is the case. The bush was difficult to push through, and in one particular spot very thick to chest height. Rifle with an empty chamber, held in my right hand, I gingerly pushed ahead and upwards through the bush, placing 1 foot at a time. Some fern ahead gave me the confidence to go a bit quicker. This is when things got interesting. On placing my right foot down, I encountered emptiness (a small hole I thought) and the weight of my body moving in a forward motion was enough for me to commit to placing my other foot. Again nothing under me. Things slowed down, I was falling. "Why am I falling, what is happening, is this a cave?" Total confusion and disorientation. Only a few seconds had passed and I had already pivoted by body around and was falling backwards and down into darkness with the sunlight disappearing above. I hit the ground hard and flat on my back, my neck snapping back and hitting the earth below me. My body was in a state of shock, and the wind was knocked out of me. It took a few moments for me to get my breath back, and try compose myself. Self-assessment time as I lay on my back. Can I wiggle my toes, fingers, move my limbs. Yes. Is there blood/bone sticking out, no! I was then able to get up and look around thinking what a shit place for Land SAR to try find someone in.

Time to reflect. Looking up, left/right I had fallen about 5m or more into a small what appeared to be man made crevice (about 40m in length) from the old logging days. Looking above, vegetation towered over it making it the most perfect disguised fall hazard you could imagine. I have never seen anything quite like it in my time hunting the Kaimais or anywhere else for that matter. My rifle butt was embebed deep in the soft dirt next to me which I had held onto all the way to hitting the ground. If you look closely, a small pile of rocks covered in green moss about 1-2m away could have knocked me unconscious. I call this "luck".

Having assessed myself, I was sore but able to walk myself out (half hunting) back to the car. The neck muscles and back for the following month were treated by my physio and no long term injury sustained as a result.

I was equipped and had access to my inreach in my pocket (zipped up always). Back pack always secured to me and unable to be dislodged (waist/chest strap) with all the things you need to survive a night in bush (survival sleeping bag, food/water, pain relief, Israeli bandage, celox etc). If I hadn't come home, my wife would have been able to pass on my hunting details to Land SAR as I always leave my hunting location and direction of travel intentions on the fridge.

Lessons to be learned, make sure you have dirt under your feet when pushing through thick stuff. Sounds simple doesn't it. Safe hunting!

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one thing I never go into bush without and have done for years one brand new cigarette lighter and glad wrapped - several pieces of push bike inner tube - in belt pack with a light survival blanket

Close call alright. Glad it turned out well for you

Not hunting but saw something very similar back about 1990 when I was doing a small stint at pruning. Been dropped off at the top of the hill and we all all made sure we were at the bottom at the end of the day for a little walk out of the cleared flat to the station wagon.
We had been warned by the DOC (ex NZFS) manager to look out for old Chinese workings.
Well big Dave found one about 10 minutes from the car. Just in front of me walking through some fern he disappeared in front of me through the fern.
Dropped into a man-made drain not quite a meter across. Went quite a bit in either direction.
Full of water to about 3 feet from the top.
And just deep enough that over 6ft Dave didn't touch the bottom as he fell in.
It was freezing cold (maybe June from memory) and we had a shit of a time getting him out.
If he had done that on his own it would've been very interesting.
It was just fortunate he did it at the end of the day and not earlier or he would've been soaking wet and cold all day

Oh and just to be a narc, being in OHS you should know these things are alled near hits now lol

just a add to smiffys wee tale -anyone hunting.exploring around ross hokitika /blackball etcetc be aware there are old goldmining shafts a lot very bloody deep and if you happen to go into freefall location would be a lottery at best !In my time traing as a nurse in hokitika we had a wee lass go AWOL cross country (area was riddled with the bloody things)to be picked up warmed up and fedby a NZPO line gang working up the blue spur road .how she survived(she was nueain in such cold weather ,and thinly dressed )I'll never know.Had a couple of mate inthe NZFS doing siml;ar wqork to smiffy description and one of them found a hole so thought it fun to stand over it on some rotting logs .a rock dropped down it tooka long 5-10secs to return a thunderous splash -yes fresh underpants were called for . shortly after this are a was declared off limits as too bloody dangerous!Myself Iwas was with a bloke and we ventured into the bush just off the hoki-ross road -seeing a small heap of dirt we got a little curious -Oh shit -that hole probably 50-70ft deep .a punga dropped down it exploded on impact!yep we marked it with a handkercheif then made like russiuan sprinters OFSKI Didnt kiwi jockey michael walker suffer serious head injuryfrom a fall down a tomo whilst out pig hunting a while ago., lOP survived ,thats important but cert ainly a statutory lesson for us all.

I recal walking through tangled supplejack with fella many years ago..I must have been 12-13 at the time...Phil got well ahead of me and then came back to find out why I was taking so long....he was 8 feet below me,when he got to me.....by scrambling along in the dark I had worked my way along on vines not knowing I was above ground...I got down and yip much easier going on solid ground....looking back that couldve got nasty rather quickly.

While dragging a large pig through heavy fern by a rope around snout, I turned around to check if I was going in the right direction when my white dog fell down a 2 metre square hole where my next backward drag step would have been. The hole was a square sided, dug hole about 4 metres deep. Then all hell broke loose as the dog scragged a possum in the hole and my other 2 dogs almost went in the hole as well. Lucky I had enough carrying cord to lasso the dog and drag her up.
My wife and I went back a few days later, nearly fell in another identical hole and dug the sides in so man or beast could get out. There were animal bones in the bottom of both holes but with no torch and poor light angle we had no idea what bones.
I never heard of anyone going missing in that area, but then I never asked.

I remember reading years back that NZ Forest Service never lost a culler.

True or false. I don't know.

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Originally Posted by csmiffy

Oh and just to be a narc, being in OHS you should know these things are alled near hits now lol

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Technically not even considered a near hit as no objects or moving parts were involved, but more of an "accident" if you refer to NZ's HSWA 2015 definitions. ;)

Just one more reason to carry a mustering stick and 'test' the ground ahead with it

I worked/tramped/hunted for 40 years in Auckland's Waitakere Ranges (60,000 acres of dense jungle) and many times came across (just in time!) square vertical shafts of about 7-800 mm diameter, and bloody deep. These were the wells of early settlers or mining exploration attempts. They were mostly surrounded by thick ferns or grasses so you had to be aware at all times. In very thick vegetation I used a walking pole as a probe- it saved my life a couple of times.

Came across something similar in Pureoras a few years back in an area where the native had been logged 50 or 60 years back. A long trench about 2-3 m deep, and deeper in places, and 3m or so wide. Thankfully it was not too over grown where we encountered it. It ran over a km or so. Tripping over it in the dark could be a nasty surprise

your Very lucky could have ended up deadly, good to hear you ok

Yep agreed, back of head on those small rocks and you'd be history. Thanks for sharing

Wow you got lucky, thanks for sharing your story. Yes kaimais are very treacherous at times!

I know of one similar to what you're describing. I'll take a photo next time I'm up that way. It's pretty gnarly

Looks like a section of old water race or tramway cutting. there is a bit of this sort of thing in the Kaimais esp toward the north end.

Following small creeks downstream can be a tricky proposition too. I almost went over a small water fall once that I didn't see due to vegetation and the infinity pool effect.

Always good to keep in mind that the vegetation that tends to grow in vertical areas often has a good way of disguising the vertical nature of the areas in which it grows.

Yeah the Kaimias those old tram lines can be a blessing and a bloody big curse!
I take it you were on the BOP side. I’ve seen a few of these out that way. Seems to be worse from between the train tunnel to H29.
Before it was closed to the public te tui track road had a lot of these of either side of the old straight track. They seemed to dig in hard on the clay down to the bed rock. I think the shallow ones like the one you came across were created by a short run of timber. The wider ones when they hit a good stand.
Not had anything like what happened to you. But did fall off a bluff over Gordon base way. The fall and landing was fine but the deer that I had been carrying that then hit me was not so much fun.
I do try to always hold onto a vine on the way through. Can’t always be done but it dose slow your fall.
Your case. Nar you hit a real man trap.
Good to see you’re ok.
Thanks for posting.

its not the fall that kills you..its the sudden stop at the bottom.

I recall one time about 30 years ago my brother in law and I were hunting pheasants around lake Otamangakau. It was a misty bitterly cold day and nothing doing. To the east of the lake was a rolling plateau type area thickly covered with low heather - spanish heath so we decided to sweep it with the dogs as a last resort. We traversed this large area about 200m apart. Siddenly I stepped into nothingness and hit water about 3feet below ground level in a narrow hole approximately 75cm diameter. I was very fortunate that I was carrying my shotgun across my body and as I fell into the hole it wedged across the rim and luckily I did not lose my grip on it. It took me about 15minutes to eventually haul myself out of there after my yells for help went unheard by my companion. Had it not been for the gun wedged across the top I have no doubt I would have succumbed to exposure and drowned. I didnt touch bottom with my feet. Took hours later on to warm up enough to stop shivering. Very lucky that time.

You dont have the aera marked on GPS by any chance? might be interested to figure out what tramline it is on the map, there are quite a few forgotten ones around.

holy shitballs! I know the feeling, was coming down a steep ridge in galatea country last winter when I slipped on an unseen tree root!, everything happened bloody quick after that!, I backflipped twice throught the air, coming to land upside down on a flax bush!... If I hadn,t stopped there it would,ve been another 30m drop to the river below! bloody sobering I tell ya! I called that "luck" . Glad I always carry an epirb and other essentials, things you take for granted in the big country can nail ya if your not careful.

Rusky, feel like spots like this should be pinned on Doc Maps or something as dangerous. You were on my mind my friend as you know when I took a tumble in the Kaimais a couple of weeks ago down a muddy bank. I had that 8.30am being going since 3am blur, and ignored the inner voice saying "don't climb down that damp, muddy face to green moss covered rocks you muppet" which I ignored. Bruised leg and pride, but could have been worse. Always obey the "go around" rule if facing a dodgey move.

Good thread.

I used to read the accident reports in the back of the FMC bulletin and think “Ive been there and he died and I didnt. Why ?” Most often it was because Id turned back.

But this one, the hidden tomo, I can t really see why it couldnt happen to me.

As an aside this is one advantage the inreach or similar services have over epirb.....if you are using tracking and have shared the link with someone. If you have a bad fall and are incapacitated, then at some point whoever is following your progress will figure it out and be able to give an approx location to Police/SAR.

Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk

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Originally Posted by Ned

As an aside this is one advantage the inreach or similar services have over epirb.....if you are using tracking and have shared the link with someone. If you have a bad fall and are incapacitated, then at some point whoever is following your progress will figure it out and be able to give an approx location to Police/SAR.

Sent from my SM-A528B using Tapatalk

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Good point re the tracking,
I was just wondering if a device like an InReach would work if you were in the bottom of a deep crevice?
At least with tracking there would be a clear path of where you were. I always use the 10 min track path when I’m in a more remote or new area.
Although not out of being safety conscious, more for the fact I enjoy looking back at where I’ve been.

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Originally Posted by Lauries Hut

Good point re the tracking,
I was just wondering if a device like an InReach would work if you were in the bottom of a deep crevice?
At least with tracking there would be a clear path of where you were. I always use the 10 min track path when I’m in a more remote or new area.
Although not out of being safety conscious, more for the fact I enjoy looking back at where I’ve been.

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Good points. I wonder if you fail to return from a trip and you did have an inreach, that Land SAR could access your tracking? I think an added safety feature allowing SAR to remotely access your registered inreach account for tracking could be a life saver.

I did inform DOC last week and they said Tauranga Heritage & Visitor team as well as our Biodiversity Rangers would be in touch if they need further information like GPS marks etc.

See map of fall hazard marked X for you Kaimai bush bashers.

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Had a close call in next hut area upstream from Kelly Knights 25 odd years ago , nearly stepped into thin air off a ledge in a side creek using torch light , 30 ft drop onto rocks , was a long cold night in my orange survival bag , it snowed as well , my 2 hunter mates came looking after dark , fired a shot and I replied 1 shot which was reassuring , stumbled back to the hut not long after 1st light cold but alive .

I have had the near exact same experience, but while carrying a heavy pack as well. While falling I knew that I was going to break bones. After impact (same distance as you at least) I found that boulders either side of me would probably have killed me outright as because of the pack weight I had turned over and landed headfirst, but luckily into a mud slope between them.
I was not hurt at all. I wasnt wearing contacts this trip and it took me half an hour to find my glasses

Good thread.
I was solo and trying to make it off a steep snowy face before dark with a tahr in my pack. I knew I didn't want to be on this face in the dark as there was a big bluff I had to navigate over the top of. I also hadn't eaten for a long time because I didn't want to slow down at any stage and loose light. I think this affected my decision making a bit.
I got to the final snow chute to cross above the 100m bluff and stupidly thought, I should get my ice axe now but I didn't and pushed on, I was on a mission. Two steps in I start sliding, can't reach my ice axe. Picking up speed with the edge approaching I managed to line my self up on a lone tussock sticking through the snow and hit it with one foot that brought me to an immediate stop. I got my ice axe out and crossed the rest. I took a long breather in the dark once I got off that face. I'm lucky and I can't beleive how dumb I was. Things happen fast.
I've got a young family at home. Heck of a wake up call.

I always carry an inreach on my chest rig and a plb in zip pant leg so i can always reach one in an emergency but I can't use them if I'm not concious. They are no good in your pack... just like an ice axe.