Tripping or Falling

Must be an age thing. I'm sure it'll happen to me at some point in 15 years.

Maybe walk slower, take more frequent breaks, and don't try to hunt all day long. Pushing yourself at an older age or when you aren't in decent shape seems like a recipe for disaster.
 
59 haven't fell this year, that I remember!!!! As far as a tracking device, no thank you. I go hunting to get away from technology and people. I miss the days when there were no cell phones and the rest of the technology nonsense. No better way to go than in the field.
 
I fell twice this year, Once a hole got me, and once in cattails. I dropped a rooster right in the middle of the cattails. Dog raced all around in them but nothing, so I walked in try to find it. Feet got tangled, tripping me, and down I go. GF can't see me so is yelling "Are you alright?" Fought my way back to my feet and walked out, only to discover the cord holding my dog controller had broken, so I had to go back in to look for it. Fortunately it is orange so I found it where I had fallen. GF and I repaired the cord/lanyard.

Dog, who we had not been paying any attention to, casually strolled out of the cats with the rooster in his mouth. :)

A few years ago when I hit 70 I noticed that every time I went to a doc they asked me the same question -- "Have you fallen lately?" Now I'm starting to see why, as I even find myself losing my balance for no apparent reason in my house.

But I am spending a lot of time conditioning, and especially my legs, to be ready for bird hunting season. Lot of knee-bends and 25 minutes on the elevated treadmill 3-4 times a week. I am also trying to pay attention to where every step is landing, to avoid holes and obstacles.

I also switched to a super-light mid-height boot, which helps avoid leg fatigue which causes falls.

But if you are going down, be careful about fighting it -- that can result in torn ligaments. Best to just relax and go down, only hurting your pride. ;)
 
Weird to read this, I'm only 32 but fell in the mud hard enough last weekend I was sore for 4 days after the hunt. I slid down into a creek that I would have jumped over a couple years ago.
 
So I am good for at least one fall a trip. In early November I stepped in a gopher hole not two hundred yards from the truck in the first field on the first day. I really thought I messed my leg up bad. I was in discomfort the rest of the trip but no biggie. Twenty some years ago I stepped in a small uneven patch and broke my 5th metatarsal bone in my foot with three days of hunting left. I never knew a small bone like that could hurt so badly. Hunted out the rest of the trip doing a lot of blocking out of a Utility vehicle. Spent 8 weeks in a cast after getting to experience a re break at the doctors office when I got back. Fun times
 
gps4 said:
two years ago i was working through some thick and tall grass and stepped into a gopher hole all the way up to my knee. i didn't fight it and fell all the way to the ground, which probably spared a nasty injury to my knee. i did, however, tweak my back that apparently has a bulgin disc and give sme fits from time to time.

i was about a mile and a half from my truck in the middle of nowhere. as it were, I went and left my phone in the truck on accident. as i lay on the ground trying to free my leg from the gopher hole, it occurred to me that if I had suffered a catastrohic injury (broken leg, broken hip, ruptured disc, stroke or hear attack) there's no telling how long I would have been out in the middle of the field before someone happened along to find me.
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They would have found what's left of you after the coyotes, racoons and other critters/birds had their way with you.
 
I was walking a fence line west of lake Kampeska 80 miles this fall. Boy we're there a ton of holes 🕳! I'm not sure if a gopher makes them or a badger. They were large. One my foot went right down. Then I slowed my pace but kept hunting because it was a good spot.
 
Bob Peters said:
I was walking a fence line west of lake Kampeska 80 miles this fall. Boy we're there a ton of holes 🕳! I'm not sure if a gopher makes them or a badger. They were large. One my foot went right down. Then I slowed my pace but kept hunting because it was a good spot.
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Possibly a gopher first and a badger second, to eat the gopher. So many badger holes lately. Maybe lots of gophers, so more badger activity?
 
I fall a few times each year. Sometimes it's an electric fence wire I didn't see, but usually it's uneven ground while my focus is elsewhere or gnarly cattails I'm trying to bust through. If there's a lot of snow, I'll get hung up on a drift. I did have both feet break through the ice earlier this year and ended up on my cheeks. Haven't noticed any significant uptick over the years. Falling down is part of my hunting, I guess.
 
My feet are apparently attracted to badger holes. Two seasons ago, after very successful knee surgery, on the first field of the season I stepped in a badger hole and went down hard on my nicely doctored knee. No problem at first but then it was a problem. Time put it back to normal but this year I've already gone down from a badger hole. Damn badgers!
 
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Opener of the 2023-2024 season, I fell with my left foot/ankle part way in a badger hole, twice. Each time, I was worried I was going to snap something, but as I fell, the foot managed to slip back out of the holes, with a bit of pressure, but not as bad as if the ankle remained vertical and my body was horizontal.

That ankle had been bad from jumping in 3-4 foot snow holes in SD with my snowshoes, and not getting enough knee bend when landing. After falling in the holes, which must have loosened it up, the ankle got better. So score one positive outcome for the darn badger holes. :)
 
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