03 January 2006, I was Coyote hunting. Temp was 32-degrees and we just had an ice storm the day before.

I'd spotted a pair and they went down into a pond area. I waited about half and hour and started after them. I made it to the back-end of my pickup, slipped on the ice and fell HARD on my left shoulder. That about 220 pounds with Feet-in-the-air and B-A-N-G

I was able to get up off the ground a few minutes later and get back in my pickup and drive home. I was in the hospital in less than 30 minutes after I'd fallen. Doc said I had a bad sprain/bruises etc & I'd be OK in about 6 to 8 weeks. That never happened! "Take two asprins and come back tomorrow - don't-cha know "!

Had surgery in March. 3 muscles across my back were completely severed which had to be drawn-out and re-anchored to pins placed in the bones on my shoulder.

The Biscep muscle completely detached had to be retracted and re-attached to a pin also.

Long re-coup on this one. I spent the first 5 to 6 months sleeping in a large chair. Couldn't take the pain when laying down. It's been over a year now and I still can't lift over 5 pounds, above my head, with my left arm. I went through all the Therapy my insurance company would allow. It still lets me know it isn't back to "normal" yet and it might never be. Only time-will-tell..

I feel sorry for anyone having troubles with their shoulder(s). Hopefully, no one will have to go through an ordeal like I did.

Good Luck
& GOD Bless......

Dont forget that as a NTA member you you can get affordable accident insurance for any injuries sustained on the trap line.

Greg: stuff happens. I don't see that you did anything very wrong, as evidenced by your seeming liveliness.

I pack a satellite phone around (I have no cell phone coverage anywhere near my trapline), and someone always knows roughly where I am. I also have a radio in the plane (but only for perhaps 30 minutes if the engine isn't running, and only if the battery is fairly warm). I'm suppose I'd have a long hard crawl if I busted something up a couple miles from the airplane at -50. I guess I'll keep taking my chances.....

For what it's worth, an aviation handheld radio might be a pretty good survival tool in those corners of the lower 48 that don't have cell phone coverage.

Well, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one injured in this trapping business. This year I went after beaver using two dozen new Belisle 330's. Second day into it, I was trying to place one and didn't realize that a tree branch had moved the safety latch off one of the springs. It was a tight spot and sure enough, without thinking, it snapped right across the wrist of my left hand. Boy I can't remember being in that much pain! It took me a good ten minutes to wade down the creek where I had stupidly left my setting tool before I was able to get my hand out. It did some nerve damage. I haven't been able to feel my thumb and three of my fingers for three months! The doctor told me it would take anywhere from 6 to 9 months for those nerves to grow back completely. I continued on with the trapping, though, and had a really good season. Those Belisles are worth their weight in gold!

My issues began in September 2003 when I was thrown off the back of a pick up truck while unloading an ATV. The safety hook on the ramps were not the good heavy S hooks you see now (or straps), they were an elongated piece of heavy wire hook. And they failed to do their job!

My ATV popped a wheelie as I tried to pull forward when the hook failed throwing me off on my head and shoulder on the pavement.

My wife was in her vehicle getting ready to leave when it happenned and said later she had never seen a body bounce before. When she got to me I was laying motionless with my eyes open. She thought I was dead until I tried to get up. I did not even realize I had lost conciesness.

Since that time I have gained 40+ pounds, had all kinds of treatment and finally neck surgery last May and shoulder surgery in December. When I slipped on the ice I was trying to protect my shoulder. I've probrably done more damnage to it from having to use crutches and a walker than the fall would have done.

We us all kinds of equiptment in what we do. We need to take all the safety prcautions we can and really look at the design of what we use for equiptment.

25 cents worth of S hooks instead of the cheap hooks that were on the ATV ramp's safety chains would have prevented a disability that has gone on over three years and cost almost $300,000 in medical, lost income, and lost assets. And it's not over yet!

Keep in mind that although what I've described may seem like a living hell (and it has been at times). I'm still alive and walking (finally a little). I know of two similar cases in my area, one was fatal and the other left the guy in a wheel chair for life!

Be smart, be prepared, be carefull. And have fun because no matter what happens you only live once.

While we have this "personal injury" thread going, I'll mention an incident that happened to one of my buddies. Hopefully no one else will do anything this foolish.

I came home from checking traps one day, noticed a blood trail leading to the back door of the store. (i live and work at the same address) It was a pretty good trail, nice big drops, fairly close together, too. Blood trails around here aren't anything special, I figured one of my guys caught a nice bobcat, or killed a big gobbler, and just wanted to weight the critter. Not this time.

One of my guys was skinning a coon, had it hanging above his head, so he could really get some weight on the thing. Long story short, he had both hands on the greasy hide, pulling hard. Knife in his right hand, right hand slipped, stabbed himself in his left forearm. Ouch. He was in his shed, it's 20 miles one way from his house to here, (driving a 5-speed) and he couldn't get the bleeding stopped. My wife said he was a mess, she did get the blood stopped, and patched him up. As bad as it was, it could have been a lot worse. You learn from mistakes, he won't do that again. Hope no one else does.

Redsnow, Been There-Did That
I know it slows my skin'n time down alot.Even so,now I lay my knife down before I pull on a hide. About 3 years ago I was pulling on a deer hide using both handsand giving it all I had. With the knife in my left hand. My left hand sliped,with the knife in it,came across the right hand. If it was'nt for the the bones in my thumb and first finger ,they would have fell on the floor.

Dated for search.