Trauma Kits: The Most Essential Gear for Big Game Hunting
Hunting Season is coming up and that means it’s time to start prepping gear, checking hunting rifle zero, and planning our next big hunt. I’ve hunted since I have been able to hold a gun and the amount of time I’ve spent in the great outdoors adventuring has taught me a few things. None of the lessons I have learned have been more important than taking medical gear with me into the back country.
My favorite way to hunt is on the move. I'm bored in tree stands so stalk hunting is my preferred method of taking game. On top of that, I like to hunt where there are few other people. The deeper I can get into the woods, the better. This is always a problem after taking an animal since it must then be cleaned out, quartered up and transported back to wherever you left your truck.
Because I love the stalk, weight is an important factor. Gear selection is key because, as every experienced soldier and outdoorsman knows, ounces equal pounds, and pounds equal pain.
The lighter our kit is, the further and faster we can go, and more comfortably. But there are certain essential items that cannot be forgotten. These are the things we need for a successful hike, and case we get stuck in the wild wilderness with only ourselves to rely on. A rifle to shoot the deer we’re after or protect us from a momma bear. And of course, a trauma kit, just in case we missed that first shot on the momma bear…
Being in the woods so much myself, and having many friends who do as well, I’m fully aware that few, if any hunters go into the wild without a bleeding control kit. This is why I felt it was important to develop the Track Trauma Kit from Mountain Man Medical.
I needed something for myself when I went out, and I needed something for my friends to carry on them. If everyone in the hunting party carries their own Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK), their medical supplies can be used on them, leaving yours safe and secure and ready for use should YOU need it.
However, the boy scouts in us always want to be sure we’re prepared for the worst possible scenario, so the small kit on your body, might not be enough, depending on the number and type of wounds. You may want to restock items as well, depending on the types of friends you’re hunting with.
Below are two trauma kits that will work well on their own but are designed to work in tandem with each other. The first is the Tracker. It’s designed to be either on your belt, or in your day pack wherever you go, not just for your own safety, but the safety of everyone in your hunting party.
The second is the Basecamp and intended to be left at camp were you can either restock, or get items that might improve your chances for survival. This has much more trauma gear and other medical items such as Band-Aids and over-the-counter meds to handle anything the mountains can throw at you.
This kit is designed to be as small and light weight as possible, while still holding essential items for bleeding control and other types of wounds you are likely to encounter in the wild. Part of keeping the weight down and the usefulness up means including lots of multipurpose items that can fill multiple roles. Items such as the Flat Folded Duct Tape are extremely handy to have due to the variety of uses, yet is impossible to improvise in the field.
- SWAT Tourniquet
- Wound Packing
- Shears
- Duct tape
- Survival Blanket
- Gloves
This kit is intended to be left at camp. It comes stocked with essential items for bleeding control and many other types of medical emergencies you may encounter while stalking big game this year.
- Two C-A-T North American Rescue Tourniquets WITH Soft Molle Tourniquet pouches designed to help you stage your tourniquets on the outside of the pouch as shown in the pictures on this page.
- 1 SWAT-T Tourniquet from H&H Medical
- 1 OLAES 4″ Pressure Bandage from Tactical Medical Solutions
- 4 Pairs of Blue Nitrile Gloves
- 1 Pair of Compact Trauma Shears
- 2 Hyfin Compact Chest Seals from North American Rescue
- 1 Mini Permanent Black Marker
- 1 Mylar Rescue Blanket
- 1 Pre-lubricated NPA
- 2 Elastic Bandages with hook/loop self-closure (compare to ACE Wrap)
- 2 ChitoGauze 3″ x 48″ (Hemostatic Bandages)
- 1 Dynarex Krinkle Compressed Gauze
- 1 Mountain Man Moldable Splint (Compare to SAM Splint)
- 1 North American Rescue 4″ Burntec Dressing
- 1 Triangle Bandage / Cravat
- 1 Roll of Cloth Medical Tape
- 1 First Aid Pack: 4 Packets Burn Cream, 4 Packets Triple Antibiotic Ointment, 8 tablets Ibuprofen, 8 tablets Acetaminophen, 2 Tablets Diphenhydramine, 2 Sting & Bite Wipes, 4 Antiseptic Wipes, 10 Adhesive bandages (compare to Band-aids) and 1 Pair of Tweezers
Learn how to use all the items in your trauma kit with the Emergency Trauma Response Course. This course is totally free and can be watched at the same time by everyone in your hunting party, so they know what to do if YOU are injured.