Cut Yourself Skinning?

[SilkWWU]

I was skinning out my buddies Elk this last week and the knife slipped and I cut my leg, just a flesh wound, but it was close enough to my femoral artery that I'm kicking my own ass for being careless for that ONE second.  It didn't even bleed as it only punctured muscle and must have missed every vein in the area, but it opened about a one inch gash on my leg.  (I should have gotten stitches but didn't feel like driving an hour and a half to the hospital, and it's healing fine now) 


How many of you guys have cut yourself while skinning out an animal?

[andrew_12gauge]

seems i always manage to cut a finger or my hand but never anything too serious, cuttin open your leg is scary

[bobcat]

It seems I used to almost always cut myself at least once while gutting and/or skinning, but it hasn't happened for quite a while now. I guess getting old has its benefits. 

[Cylvertip]

Every time I handle big game. I carry a pair of hemostats with me when I'm chasing big critters.  There's always a set in the B.O.B. in the rig.  

[carpsniperg2]

during the gutting and skinin i always seem to knick myself but at least i get lots of practice

[gasman]

My son cut off the tip of his finger while cleaning the rib meat off the carcus.

[Swiftkid]

I cut myself alteast once a year guttin out a deer, i guess you could say i'm blood brothers with bucks!

[ICEMAN]

I often get small nicks from broken bones when cleaning ducks or grouse...they always seem to infect.

I also seem to get a cut on the fingertips when cutting meat, trimming the intricate little things out you dont want.

Usually when skinning, I am a bit more careful, heard horror stories...

[rasbo]

Not while skinning.Im pulling with the other hand and its pretty safe.I have nicked myself reaching up into the neck area and upper chest bring out windpipe lungs and so on,and releaving it.

[markts]

It seems I used to almost always cut myself at least once while gutting and/or skinning, but it hasn't happened for quite a while now. I guess getting old has its benefits. 

Same here, older and wiser or just lucky Mark

[Jason]

This was the first year that I did not nick my self while gutting or skinning , why did I say that? I still have late archery Deer 

[SilkWWU]

Not while skinning.Im pulling with the other hand and its pretty safe.I have nicked myself reaching up into the neck area and upper chest bring out windpipe lungs and so on,and releaving it.

I was pulling with the other hand too, except i was cutting down, I was trying to think of a different way to do it and while I was cutting down and away from my body, the full arc brought it right into my leg.  So I guess I technically wasn't cutting away from my body since it went right into it hahaha.  Glad I can laugh about it.  People die every year from that *censored*.

[C-Money]

When I was just opening up my elk a few years ago, I got my self good. I had the hind leg of the elk tucked behind my left leg. The knife was in my right hand. The elk leg slipped out from behind my leg and pushed my left hand  onto the point of my knife in my right hand. OUCH! The meaty part of my left thumb got harpooned badly.

[bow4elk]

always wind up with nicks and small cuts.  Only once did I mess up good.  I was caping a caribou and slipped, jamming my small caping knife into my ring finger.  Had I been married at the time, a ring may have saved me.  Then again, I may not have been able to go on that hunt 

I quickly rinsed out the gash with cold water and packed it with neosporin.  Then I wrapped it tightly with a long piece of a bandana.  Healed up fine but I learned to be more careful, especially so far from medical services.

[Little Dave]

No cuts yet.  Memory of a deep cut in my thumb when I was nine seems to keep me from putting my hand in the wrong place.

[Yak-NDN]

I have cut myself several times and when I think about all the times all I needed to do was slow down.

[vfilbert]

i sliped and cut my leg on my bull in 08, all alone and the cut was to close to an artery, i slowed down after that.

[saylean]

I get a few nicks here and there..but nothing major yet....knock on wood.

[KNOPHISH]

Bad subject for me, twice I've cut my knuckles down deep & severed the tendons requiring surgery. I know a good Doc if anyone wants a referral. heh heh. I think it's from going too fast. Have many other smaller cut just needing band-aids or tape. None this year yet, knock on wood.

[SilkWWU]

Think I need to go in for a tetnis shot?

[Caseyd]

Nicked myself butchering this year...we did 4 deers at once! No biggie though, didnt even really bleed, but im a pro with a blade 

[Axle]

Usually get a few nicks while working the meat up on the table. Fingernails have saved me many times.

I've read a few stories in the hunting magazines of guys who cut their femoral arteries while working up an elk. Scary! You only have about 45 seconds if you cut it and don't stop the bleeding.

I try to be very careful not to make the same mistake.

[furchaser]

hope you fellows cutting yourselves are disinfecting those cuts properly.

a good hunting friend of mine turned me on the wearing gloves many years ago. Offers some protection against nicks but still need to use caution when working with knives & game down.

[alanger]

Not yet for me.

[TrkyBob53]

always seem to nic myself pretty good. sliced my finger while cutting cheese last year.( a block of cheese that is)  band aid didnt work.  kept dripping blood.  pulled out the tube of super glue.  dabbed it on, ready to go

[Michelle_Nelson]

I always seam to cut myself working on everyone elses animals. LOL

[bobcat]

Think I need to go in for a tetnis shot?

Yes you should if you haven't had one within the last 10 years.

[WSU]

I often cut myself.  I cut myself this weekend while cutting meat for the grinder.  At least it sounds like I'm not the only one with issues...

[h2ofowlr]

My friend was trying to skin his deer and was pulling on the hide when the knife slipped and stuck him in the wrist.  It was squirting blood several feet.  Had to rush him to the hospital.

[the1rod]

i managed not to cut myself this year, but also managed to stab a nice hole in my boot, got lucky it dident go into my foot.

[ScottyG]

I got in too big a hurry a few years ago gutting a deer and, oops... I'm still missing the feeling in about a two inch area on the backside of my left thumb.  A quick stab severed a nerve.  It didn't bleed all that much, but it gives me a pretty regular reminder to take my time with the gutting work.   

[poohdog]

I cut myself a few years back getting the last few hairs around the base of the horns and it didn't bleed.  A few days later I notice a red line from my finger to my arm pit.  I went to the hospital and they told me a few more inches and I could have been dead.  Just a reminder to clean any cut good if it bleeds or not.

[SilkWWU]

I cut myself a few years back getting the last few hairs around the base of the horns and it didn't bleed.  A few days later I notice a red line from my finger to my arm pit.  I went to the hospital and they told me a few more inches and I could have been dead.  Just a reminder to clean any cut good if it bleeds or not.

What did you have?

[longstevo]

Holy S**t!   

You guys need to be careful!  Bleeding out all alone in the woods is nothing to take lightly.  Whenever I'm skinning something out, its always slow and careful. 

It wasn't too long ago that that one dude up in Alaska sliced his leg open and nearly died from blood loss while his buddy went for help.  They finally airlifted him out, but it was close. 

Sorry, I don't mean to come on here and harp and b!tch, but this is a serious risk.  I know that a lot of the posts are of knicked fingers and close calls, but like the topic creator's post of getting stabbed next to the femoral...

Damn...wow.  Scary. 

[SilkWWU]

Holy S**t!   

You guys need to be careful!  Bleeding out all alone in the woods is nothing to take lightly.  Whenever I'm skinning something out, its always slow and careful. 

It wasn't too long ago that that one dude up in Alaska sliced his leg open and nearly died from blood loss while his buddy went for help.  They finally airlifted him out, but it was close. 

Sorry, I don't mean to come on here and harp and b!tch, but this is a serious risk.  I know that a lot of the posts are of knicked fingers and close calls, but like the topic creator's post of getting stabbed next to the femoral...

Damn...wow.  Scary. 

Um, ya scary is an understatement...But thankfully, after going into the doctor and getting my tetanus, I asked him how close I was to any danger, and he told me I wasn't really close.  He said it's pretty tough to actually slice your femoral because it's down by your groin, my cut was more on the top inner thigh.  But still, I will be moving 100% slower for the rest of my life.  I was cutting safely, but I think I was moving to fast and that's what did me in.

[longstevo]

Um, ya scary is an understatement...But thankfully, after going into the doctor and getting my tetanus, I asked him how close I was to any danger, and he told me I wasn't really close.  He said it's pretty tough to actually slice your femoral because it's down by your groin, my cut was more on the top inner thigh.  But still, I will be moving 100% slower for the rest of my life.  I was cutting safely, but I think I was moving to fast and that's what did me in.

So glad to hear that you're alright.  Had to be pretty painful too, huh?
Did you get a good animal out of it at least?

[robb92]

Done it a couple of times gutting deer and also cutting them up. If I am out in the woods I carry my first aid kit with some super glue in it, I will clean the cut with iodine and then dry it and close it with super glue.

[poohdog]

I had blood poisoning and if the line makes it to your heart it can kill you.  You cant miss the line if you get it.