GREAT post, skeet!
On my first trip "out west", I couldn't figure out why I had a headache every blasted day.....then it dawned on me: WE WERE UP IN THE MOUNTAINS!!!! Even though it didn't
look like we were in the mountains, the elevation was significantly higher than what I was used to at home, and the oxygen was thinner, hence, the headaches. After a few days, my body got used to it and the headaches disappeared, but I would have killed to have some aspirin, tylenol, motrin with me on the trail.
I think a
small (and I do mean
small!) personal first aid kit is a must! By small, I mean something that can fit neatly in your pack or on your belt that won't take up more space the size of a box of ammo or a couple of decks of playing cards. I've seen the ones that they sell that have the scalpel, suture holders, hemostats, ect. Here is a news flash for yah, Trapper John.....If you need that crap, then you really need to be medivacd out of the bush! First aid is just that.....
FIRST AID! Yah don't need to be doing brain surgery in the woods.
Items I would recommend: chapstick or lip balm, asprin or some other type of nonsteriodal antiinflammatory (motrin, tylenol), peptobismol tablets (cures a host of G.I. complaints), Lomotil, some triple antibiotic ointment, some band aids, cough drops, throat lozenges, some cold or sinus tablets, a couple of 4x4 and 2x2 gauze sheets, some tape, some steristips (butterfly dressings), a pair of tweezers, & moleskin. Nothing worse than being on a hunt only to have diarrhea or a bad head cold come on you while your on the trail.
And remember: These items (even the tape) have expiration dates....change them YEARLY!
I would also like to suggest that if you have any health problems, i.e. asthma, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, ect, that you
inform your outfitter ahead of time so that they can better plan and prepare for your hunt! You don't what to be an outfitter and have a huge buck be on the other side of the mountain, start off with hunter in tow, only to find 200 yards out that he is having an angina attack.
I would also like to suggest to hunters with angina who are taking nitroglycerin tabs: don't keep your pills in those little vials that hang around your neck. Heat will degrade the nitro in those tablets, and they will become useless. As you are working up a sweat chasing that buck of a lifetime, you could be destroying the meds that you might need to save your life.
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A good scope on the rifle is also a necessary.
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Almost lost a good mule deer because of poor glass. It was getting dark and I just had a real difficult time seeing that buck across the meadow (but I did get him). Afterwards, I noticed that all the guides in camp had Leouplds, to a man. I asked to take a look through one and WOW!!! What a difference! All my bolt actions now carry good quality glass.....if you are going to spend any money on an item for a trip, I would suggest a good scope rather than a new rifle or something else. It might be a once in a lifetime trip....you don't want to come home empty handed because the scope didn't hold it's zero or fogged up.
Good binos are a help, too....even though my guide had a good set (as well as a spotting scope), he told me "there's no reason you can't look, too. Who knows, you might spot something I didn't see". It also gave me something to do while the guide was glassing....I wasn't kicking rocks around waiting for him to 'find me something to shoot'.
I'll also add that if you're doing a fair amount of walking, a spare pair of socks in you pack can be a godsend, and I don't know how many times I have used my multitool to save the day tightening a loose screw or filing some sharp edge down, ect.
Again, skeet.....great post (timely, too!
