First Aid Kit for hunters

mark-hunter

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So, boys,

Probably some of you take first aid kit, on your hunting trips to remote areas.

It also need to be light weight, with basic items, and covering wide variety of medical emeregencies.

So, what do you guys pack in first aid kit when going hunting?
 
So, boys,

Probably some of you take first aid kit, on your hunting trips to remote areas.

It also need to be light weight, with basic items, and covering wide variety of medical emeregencies.

So, what do you guys pack in first aid kit when going hunting?
I have super glue, duct tape, a suture kit and a CAT tourniquet
 
Field dressing or 'Israeli bandage'
snake bandages
steri-strips
 
tourniquet, Israeli bandage, guaze to pack a wound, band aids, space blanket, super glue, chem light, quick clot and a few routine medicines, etc... such as benadryl, neosporin. You can also include some trip specific stuff depending on where you are going.
 
Band-Aids
Triple antibiotic
Steri-strips
Super glue (I like the gel)
Tourniquet
4x4 gauze pads
Tape
Medical scissors
Maxi-pads
Clotting gauze
Eye drops or flushing rinse
Excederin and Alleve

There are a few more things but it all fits in a 4”x6”x2” zippered red bag that says FIRST AID. Gets carried in the backpack by either my wife or myself…whoever isn’t hunting.

It’s to address minor issues encountered along the way or an emergency until better medical care can be provided. I’ll not burden ourselves with a full medical duffel, although that would be nice.
 
Bleeding Kit:
Quickclot x 2
Field Dressing x 2
Long bandages x 2
Hemostat x 1

That's for being shot or badly punctured.

For a light first aid kit, just the usual stuff you find in most decent ones.
 
Some good stuff so far, @BeeMaa has a good list I would add 1 or 2 chest seals to his list. I also carry duct tape and mole skin, both are great for hot spots and blisters. I like to carry two handkerchiefs, so many uses for them including first aid.
 
Some good stuff so far, @BeeMaa has a good list I would add 1 or 2 chest seals to his list. I also carry duct tape and mole skin, both are great for hot spots and blisters. I like to carry two handkerchiefs, so many uses for them including first aid.
Yep, coreless duct tape and moleskin…in there but forgot to mention.
 
Add tweezers and magnifying glass. Medical gloves, prescription oral antibiotic, prescription antibiotic eye drops, qtips...

Double layered waterproof kit.

Global Rescue ID and phone number.
 
In the old days I packed first aid for my horses but don't recall ever bringing along anything for myself. Once had to sew up a gash on my right hand using curved needle and sterilized horse's mane hair. Fortunately, my Army disability severed the nerve to that part of my hand so it wasn't as painful as it sounds. But it was painful. A bit awkward managing with my left hand and teeth. A day and a half to get out so I really didn't have much choice. Steristrips would have been nice. Or superglue. But this was the olden days before that stuff.
 
mine is a combination "boo boo" kit and trauma kit...

boo boos are far more likely to happen.. and I want to be able to treat them fairly quickly so that they dont impact my hunt any more than they have to.. whether its something as simple as a small cut or a bee sting or a splinter that needs to be removed.. Ive got the stuff necessary to handle that (as well as antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment, etc)..

trauma gear includes a tourniquet, rolls of gauze, 4x4's, quick clot, an israeli bandage, trauma shears, and a few other items.. thankfully I have not had to use any of the trauma gear on any hunts or other outdoor events (hikes, camping, etc).. but its there in case I ever need it..

kits are in small, 6"x4" sized nylon pouches that are clearly marked "MEDICAL" on the outside.. each one really only contains enough supplies to deal with 1 significant trauma event.. but I keep pouches everywhere.. theres one in the glovebox of my UTV/Side by Side... theres one in the glove box of my truck.. theres one in my hunting pack thats with me everywhere I go.. I keep one in camp with my other gear.. and then there are several in my home as well (1 in every vehicle.. one in the master bathroom.. one in a drawer in my office.. one out in the shop where I am using power tools, making knives, etc..
 
I have one in my pack, regardless of if I'm hunting locally or out of state/country. You never know when an emergency will happen. My kit includes tourniquet, Israeli bandage, quick clot, gauze to pack a wound, and for the not severe injuries, band aids, space blanket, super glue, chem light.

This year on the final day of GA deer season, I was hunting at a friend's property, and I was in a box stand, about 12 ft high. As I was getting down at sunset, I place my right foot on the ladder rung, and when I shifted my weight to bring my left foot down, my right foot slipped. Next thing I see myself falling backwards and somehow, I turned and I'm heading headfirst to the ground. Miraculously, my right leg and boot got caught in the ladder rungs, and it was in an S shape. I'm hanging upside down in severe pain but didn't know if I had broken anything. I moved my right foot a bit, and felt no pain, so I managed to grab the ladder and with my left leg push from the stand frame to release pressure from my right leg so I could untangle myself. Luckily, I didn't break anything, but three days later had two big bruises, one on my hip and one by my knee.

Accidents can happen anywhere, so be prepared.
 
I'm similar to @mdwest.

I have an ouchie kit to cover things high probability / low impact annoyances and I have a trauma kit for low probability / high impact accidents.

What goes into each depends on the situation. I like moving light and so I don't want to carry more than necessary. That said, I base my kit on the likely concerns, along with the amount of time it would take to get help. If I'm on a trip in the deep back country and it would take a while to get medevaced, I'm going to have a more substantial kit.

On the ouchie side, I usually have the following:
-multiple sizes of bandaids
-neosporin
-medical tape
-bit of gauze
-tweezers / magnifying glass
-Aspirin
-anti-histamine
-anti-diarrheal
- Nuun or Liquid IV (for electrolytes)
-Hydrocortizone cream
-Antiseptic wipes
-Moleskin (Nothing ruins a good walk like blisters)
-Needle (For lancing blisters)

On the trauma side:
-CAT tourniquet
-Israeli bandage
-Quick Clot
-NAR compressed gauze

This is all the basic stuff. It packs up tight and doesn't require much space.

For a longer trip, I'm likely to throw in a Sam Splint, shears, extra gauze and tape, plus some extra medicines. Depending on the locale, I'm not against bringing just-in-case antibiotics or antimalarial.

Plus, most of it can be found at Walgreens. The rest can be bought on Amazon or through North American Rescue.
 
I was at Walmart and found some basic 1st aid kit for $7 , bought 4 with
Band-Aids
Triple antibiotic
Steri-strips
Super glue (I like the gel)
Tourniquet
4x4 gauze pads
Tape
Medical scissors
Maxi-pads
Clotting gauze
Eye drops or flushing rinse
Excederin and Alleve

and added
a eye flushing kit
eye gel
antibiotic ( levoquin )
roll of electrical tape
tweezers

this covers just the basics and fits in my day pack

my couple 14day trips to Alaska, BC , Yukon
required more extensive pain & antibiotics , diarrhea medication kits
but they didn’t have Garmin inreach or satellite phone

i would expect any camp in Africa to have a decent medical kit and flight service
 
I like to keep the emergency items separate.

Pouch 1 for serious stop the bleed
CAT tourniquet
Israeli Bandage
Quick Clot gauze
Chest seals

Small Pouch 2 for comforts
Bandaids assortment
100 mph tape on a pen
Mole skin
Ibuprofen
Benadryl
Antibiotic Ointment
Needle
Tweezers

Over the last 20+ years, I think splinters/thorns were #1 "medical" use case followed by bandaids. The pen and strips of 100mph tape have been used countless times.
 
So many of you guys pack super glue.
I saw on the movies they use it for quick dressing and closing the wound.
Is this the reason you are packing superglue? Or some other reason?

In my life I made quite a few first aid and medical care courses, nobody mentioned to me super glue, as a part of first aid kit and procedures.
So, if you could shed some light on the use of super glue in first aid kit?
 
So many of you guys pack super glue.
I saw on the movies they use it for quick dressing and closing the wound.
Is this the reason you are packing superglue? Or some other reason?

In my life I made quite a few first aid and medical care courses, nobody mentioned to me super glue, as a part of first aid kit and procedures.
So, if you could shed some light on the use of super glue in first aid kit?
Developed in the '40s as an emergency wound sealer.
 
Developed in the '40s as an emergency wound sealer.
I do recall super glue being used by dental surgeons during the Vietnam War. That's my earliest recollection of any sort of use for the stuff. For lay use it's tricky to keep the wound closed long enough for glue to set without gluing fingers to it. Steristrips are much more practical. Or use the two together, steristrips to pull the wound closed and glue to seal it.
 

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