Thread: Hunter rescued by helicopter after accidentally stabbing himself

Holy! I left on 5 pages hahaha!
I never used to have one, but seeing as I mostly hunt solo I thought it’s a good idea.
I also take it in my truck when I duck shoot. And my mates know it’s in the truck and how to use it.

From a professional point of view. There have been many activations of a plb that has been totally shit.
One guy near Nelson I think was running late so he set it off and got picked up. He was a very experienced outdoors guy. I didn’t get him but heard about it.
On the other end you get people that should set it off but don’t as they don’t want to be a nuisance.
I wouldn’t go without one now. But that’s me.

On a different note just for info/entertainment. A pilot in PNG got kidnapped years ago. A second pilot saw the first heli and landed only to be kidnapped also.
The company found both machines but couldn’t find the pilots for many hrs.
The company issues plbs now.

Originally Posted by WhistlingWings

Holy! I left on 5 pages hahaha!
I never used to have one, but seeing as I mostly hunt solo I thought it’s a good idea.
I also take it in my truck when I duck shoot. And my mates know it’s in the truck and how to use it.

From a professional point of view. There have been many activations of a plb that has been totally shit.
One guy near Nelson I think was running late so he set it off and got picked up. He was a very experienced outdoors guy. I didn’t get him but heard about it.
On the other end you get people that should set it off but don’t as they don’t want to be a nuisance.
I wouldn’t go without one now. But that’s me.

On a different note just for info/entertainment. A pilot in PNG got kidnapped years ago. A second pilot saw the first heli and landed only to be kidnapped also.
The company found both machines but couldn’t find the pilots for many hrs.
The company issues plbs now.

Thanks for this. It explains why Carlsen doesn't have one - because he is at no risk. I mean, who the hell would want to kidnap him?

https://www.rch.org.au/uploadedFiles...Resilience.pdf

Originally Posted by Carlsen Highway

I'm just happy I am still allowed to take part.

I don't stand behind any of these opinions at all mind. For christ's sake don't anyone follow my lead. I don't even read instructions. I have trouble driving a car and talking at the same time. If anyone needs a PLB it's probably me. Forget about mountains and rivers in bad weather -on a nice sunny day I once fell off a flat walking track. Twenty yards upside down into a crack in the ground.

I didn't have a plb though. SO OBVIOUSLY I DIED

CH the youngish oldish hunter,six foot high and bullet proof.Checked woollen shirt,woolen swani,Buller boots with insteps drilled.
An open sight fan,he will never get lost. He drinks from knife cuts in Fuscia trees,brews up and drinks from old tin cans swinging over an open fire under the shelter of a fern biv.
Life feels great,a leg of venison hangs above smothered in black pepper,flys not that concerned. Dark clouds with thunder rolling in grabs his attention, heavy droplets running along newborn wrinkles and rough burnt features as he reaches for the battered parka.
An hour later he arrives at the surging waters cold and miserable,knee deep the day before, now a raging death trap.
Sudden movment catches his trained eye,rifle slams into his shoulder as he swings to his left, adrenalin pumping through his veins.
That distinctive boom echoed down through the valley,the old stag twitched his last as CH reached for his knife.
CH had carried the old green river knife for close on twenty years,always kept an edge and was given to him by an old deer culler.
Just as the razer sharp steel bit into the thick skin the old stag gave a final kick. Shocked and bemused with one leg in the torrent, unimaginable pain shot through his well muscled thigh, TH knew he was in very deep trouble after landing heavily on his knife.
Tears instantly filled his eys,blurred visions of his family as a fountain of blood quickly covered the forest floor.
That old green river had gone almost to the handle severing everything on its way. CH began to imagine he had packed his PLB.
TH 's body was recovered 2 weeks later he was only four ks from help.

Strictly regarding the use of PLBs and those that choose to carry and have to use them.

From my own painful and personal experience I can advise that.

PLBs should be carried on your body when in the serious stuff.
I fell / slid / rolled over 100 vertical m and the day pack I had the PLB in was destroyed.
My hunting companion had to climb down to me via a different route. Urgently stop my bleeding and then climb back up the debris field to find the PLB.
If the PLB was on a belt or in a bum bag it might have also been lost or damaged, as during the fall All exterior parts of my body were damaged. Especially my buttocks, knees, shoulders, elbows and the backs of my hands.
In my opinion the best place for the PLB is around your neck or in a very secure shirt top pocket.

In a party of 2 hunters they should have one PLB each.
I placed my companion at considerable personal risk in getting to me and also climbing up to retrieve the PLB that had been in my pack.
For groups of 3 or more, 2 PLBs and make sure when you split up that each group has a PLB.

I was an early adopter of PLBs many many years ago and always considered that I would be most likely to use in the situation that I came upon a stranger somewhere in trouble and that it would wreck my own trip having to walk out and raise the alarm.

In my own emergency I'm a little unsure what happened. But clearly I got something horribly wrong despite having spent many years and very many hunts in this type of country.
I had multiple serious injuries. None of them alone were life threatening !
BUT if I had had to spend the night where I was it is fairly likely that the outcome would have been very different.
We were around 3 hours from our camp. So maybe a 5 hour round trip for my mate to get to the camp, make a mountain radio call and get back to me with warmer gear and supplies to get me through that night.
Shock was starting to get the better of me when the first paramedic got to me around 4 hours after the PLB activation.

Also please discuss with those on your PLB contact list persons how you would like things to be handled.
My wife was advised about the PLB activation very promptly. But NZ SAR Wellington did not communicate well after that point and with it being 4 hours before they got a status report from the rescue team it was a long harrowing wait.
Also they need to realize that the PLB activation could be for anyone at all and not the PLB owner.
They should ask for a name and number they can use as a single point of contact at SAR. So that they can get updates.

Once the police took over at triage in Franz Josef communications and updates were very efficient.
But to be fair prior to that there was not a lot of info.

ACC were great.
I guess when the issue is clear and apparent that there are no disputes about age and pre existing conditions.
But it does all take a long time to deal with specialists and rehab.
I spent 2 years on ACC working to get everything as good as it will ever be.
Lots of fishing and hunting as therapy.

GME replaced my activated PLB for free and also gave me a set of their top of the line 2 way radios.
I now have 2 PLBs as one of the tiny RescueMe ones has now been given to me also.
This is great when taking friends from Europe hunting with me.
I have had lots of help and support from family, friends and forum members.

I'm intending upgrading to the Garmin InReach Explorer plus some time soon. Looking forward to hearing from some of you guys how you find the mapping software on them ?

Whether you carry one or not is entirely your choice.
But I hope my experiences are of some assistance to those that do.

Originally Posted by doinit

CH the youngish oldish hunter,six foot high and bullet proof.Checked woollen shirt,woolen swani,Buller boots with insteps drilled.
An open sight fan,he will never get lost. He drinks from knife cuts in Fuscia trees,brews up and drinks from old tin cans swinging over an open fire under the shelter of a fern biv.
Life feels great,a leg of venison hangs above smothered in black pepper,flys not that concerned. Dark clouds with thunder rolling in grabs his attention, heavy droplets running along newborn wrinkles and rough burnt features as he reaches for the battered parka.
An hour later he arrives at the surging waters cold and miserable,knee deep the day before, now a raging death trap.
Sudden movment catches his trained eye,rifle slams into his shoulder as he swings to his left, adrenalin pumping through his veins.
That distinctive boom echoed down through the valley,the old stag twitched his last as CH reached for his knife.
CH had carried the old green river knife for close on twenty years,always kept an edge and was given to him by an old deer culler.
Just as the razer sharp steel bit into the thick skin the old stag gave a final kick. Shocked and bemused with one leg in the torrent, unimaginable pain shot through his well muscled thigh, TH knew he was in very deep trouble after landing heavily on his knife.
Tears instantly filled his eys,blurred visions of his family as a fountain of blood quickly covered the forest floor.
That old green river had gone almost to the handle severing everything on its way. CH began to imagine he had packed his PLB.
TH 's body was recovered 2 weeks later he was only four ks from help.

Ironically this post is entirely true except for one bit. Good luck trying to cut anything with a green river. Safe as houses in this scenario.

Originally Posted by Carlsen Highway

Ironically this post is entirely true except for one bit. Good luck trying to cut anything with a green river. Safe as houses in this scenario.

Isn't the greatest irony that you of all people have arguably had the greatest need for one on a number of occasions out of most people?

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Thank you for your stories gentlemen. I do not have a PLB, nor do I have much spare cash lying around. $350 is a lot of money for me, but I know now where my next paycheck is going. Have debated on the issue for a while, but now I see that I was being ignorant and selfish. The security and peace of mind that it would bring my family and relatives would be invaluable. At the end of the day, it doesnt matter what your skills or experience is, accidents happen to everyone and why not be prepared for the worst?

Originally Posted by erniec

I just do not know how we survived.
Didn't have cellphones.
When into the bush for a week or two without anybody really worrying about us.
Would get dropped off,pick us up on such and such day.
Worked all day without anybody knowing what we were up to.
Had my phoned disconnected because I hadn't paid my bill.
Still ran a business told the boys pick you up in the morning.
Picked them up in the morning.
In some ways it really was pretty simple then.
But I guess we subconsciously took responsibility for ourselves.

The thing about those old days is that when someone was late back they sent out many large teams of people to look over several days. That tied up huge resources. often the result was finding someone who died slowly. Now we have cell phones and PLB's that are pretty cheap and can be tracked, so I feel it shows personal responsibility on our part to minimise any likely costs (emotional/dollars/time) if we are in a situation where we need help or come across someone else that urgently requires the help.

I'm a pretty stubborn bugger and it would have to be a very dire situation for me to set mine off for myself.

Yes have one and take it everywhere, as well as for work. Have needed to call the rescue chopper on four occasions in my lifetime - none for myself but others. Fortunately two we had coverage for cell phone so could get out, the other I used a sat phone to get out and the fourth we hit the button straight away. I now encourage all of our contractors who frequently work outside of the coverage area to have at least one PLB on site with them. No brainer really. I also have a sat phone in my truck at all times, and take it if heading into the hills for an extended period. Great things.

Originally Posted by Carlsen Highway

Ironically this post is entirely true except for one bit. Good luck trying to cut anything with a green river. Safe as houses in this scenario.

When I bump into you on the next planet I'll swing the billy while you show me the PLB you got the day you hit 69 lol.

Originally Posted by Wildman

Isn't the greatest irony that you of all people have arguably had the greatest need for one on a number of occasions out of most people?

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My enduring survival illustrates something anyway

Originally Posted by Tahr

Personally, as an old bastard I'm hoping for a "hard attack". And if that happens while I'm in the hills I will be hitting that PLB button. They can either fly my wife into me, or me out to my wife. I won't be bothered either way. It will still be a rare treat.

Sounds like a Giant Panda breeding program.



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LOL