Don't do dumb stuff

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Wild Bill Bucks

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Last Saturday, I shot a deer, on the side of a hill, and instead of dragging it to a flat spot to load it on my 4-wheeler, I elected to drive my 4-wheeler to it and load it where it was lying.

The first thing every instruction manuel tells you about your 4-wheeler, says to NEVER operate your wheeler on a sideways slant. But being quite a bit smarter than every manuel ever written, I parked on the slant, and proceeded to load my deer on the rack. It was at this point, that the weight of the deer, was just enough to bring the wheeler over on top of me, pinning my face and body under it, in a pretty good briar patch.

I spent about 20 minutes getting out from under it, and luckily only suffered a scratched up face, and some bad bruises to my chest and shoulders.
So I have decided that "I am not smarter than a fifth grader"

So if any of you have a thought about riding you 4-wheeler on a slant, remember this picture.:D
 

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"Scratched up face" you say... I'd say that's a bit of understatement.
OUCH!... Sorry 'bout that Bill... Thanks for the tip...
 
I too thought I knew better once upon a time. Rolled the wheeler and took the handle bars square in the face. This was 20 years ago, and I still remember pain lasting for weeks.
Hard to believe, but sometimes the instructions and warnings are worth looking at.
At least you didn't get seriously injured. :eek:
 
We get way too many calls for ATV roll overs!
Last one was where wife said no way to the incline her husband had just climbed and he didn't make the climb with her machine. He lost an eye and still needs several "more" facial reconstructive surgurys.
I guess by the looks of your face is why you didn't drag the deer!

Wishing you well with your healing!
Greg
 
Ouch! I've never done that but I have rolled a riding mower......backwards. Ain't no fun watching those spinning blades coming for you. You never know how fast you can move until you have to.
 
Chewed pretty good there Wild Bill Bucks. Pretty scary situation to be in all by yourself I'd say. But your here and not There. And that's what counts.:)
 
Sure glad it wasn't any worse than it was. There are too many bad endings very similar to your story every year. Similar to wearing a harness while hunting a tree stand, gravity is there as well, and the sudden stop is not your friend. Unfortunately there are many related stories about that every year as well.

I hunt is some pretty back woods areas where the closest ER is easily over an hour away if your driving over the speed limit. Cell phone service is also VERY spotty as well. When I leave the truck, barn, or house, I keep the thought of my friend or wife finding me in some unfortunate fashion, hours after I should have been home. This keeps me a bit more on my toes with things like this.

So far the worst thing I have had happen was herniating two disc while out hog hunting. I bent over to go under some low limbs, and it felt like I was pole axed right in the hips. It literally took my feet out from under me and my breath away. Luckily my friend and his wife had stopped where I had parked my 4 wheeler, knowing I should have already been there now some time after dark. Since they had no idea where I was they simply waited. When they saw my faint light down the road they came and got me.

It was the worst two hour drive I have ever made to get home, and I can honestly say, that Dodge puts a VERY stout steering wheel on their trucks, because I tried my best to bend mine into a pretzle during the trip several times. The DR at the ER said he was amazed I was able to still walk, and that I was lucky that neither of them had ruptured, or I would have been right where I went down, and had to have been brought out professionally to keep from being ruined for life. It sure shed a whole new light on getting back in the thick stuff where the big ones hang out for sure.

I think your story is another sound reminder to us all, that we owe it to ourselves, and especially our familes, and hunting friends, to think things through a bit more while out in the woods. Sometimes even the simplest of things can have grave consiquences.
 
Yup, these things happen faster than you can imagine. Glad it wasn't more serious.

Lost my pinky finger to a 4 wheeler accident when I misjudged the center of gravity.
 
Ouch, glad it isn't any worse. I have decided to buy a UTV after my last horrendous ATV crash in the summer of 2011. I still have the fourwheeler but I almost never ride it now. Back flipping off a small mountain is expensive and painful. I hobbled for two months and had to spend an additional $1500 to fix a brand new ATV (it had 25 hours on it). No good.
 
Good job hanging in there and getting out.

There are all sorts of things that don't mix well with slopes. I'm real careful around my ATV, riding mower and tractor.

Thanks for the reminder.
 
A lot of children and adults are killed or seriously hurt every year in my countries on farms riding ATVs.

They can handle the hills pretty well but always go straight up or straight down step hills and never ride along the side.
I know in practise this isn't always possible, but all the safety gear in the world can't protect you from being crushed by 600lbs of metal.
 
Holy cow, Bill! You look terrible! And you got scratched up a bit, too! ;) (Sorry, I just couldn't resist!)

Glad you're not hurt bad, probably mostly your pride.
 
Makes me hurt just to think about it.

I know you're more sore today then when it happened. Hope you heal up well and Thanks for the reminder.
 
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