Prepared or not prepared?

These Women in the Outdoors members won a Women’s Edition Outdoor Medical Kit, plus insect repellent/relief from Tender Corp, by sharing when a first-aid kit came in handy or when they wished they had one but didn’t.

My family gives me a hard time about the size of my pack and all the “stuff” I carry. During archery deer season, I harvested a deer. I used a Wyoming knife to field dress it, and while cutting through the hide I managed to get my index finger under the blade and made a very deep cut near the knuckle. I retreated to my pack for my homemade first-aid kit. The bleeding was pretty intense. My first attempt with an adhesive bandage did not work, so I went for the sanitary napkin, wrapped it around my finger, then taped it tightly. This slowed the bleeding until I could get to the emergency room for stitches.
Sharon Conley, Ionia, Mich.

My boyfriend and I went camping at Grayson Highlands State Park in Virginia. After a night under the stars, we woke early to hike up Mount Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia. We stopped to rest, and when I turned around, he was on his knee with a sparkling ring asking me to marry him! Of course, I said YES! My heart lept for joy for the rest of the hike — until a bee stung me on the side of my neck. Thankfully, my future husband was an Eagle Scout and was prepared for anything. He had a first-aid kit under the seat of his truck. It really helped ease the pain so we could enjoy the rest of our day together. We’ve been married for almost three years now and have a beautiful daughter. Now, I carry a small kit in my car, and he still has a handy kit in his truck.
Brandi P. Barnette, Pennington Gap, Va.x

A year ago, my brother, his friend and I went bowfishing at Stumpy Creek, which is part of Lake Norman. As we put the boat in the water and loaded it with our gear, waves from the other boats made ours float away. I grabbed the boat and pulled it back but had to stand on a piece of metal and hold on to a pole for leverage. My brother accidentally stepped on my little toe as he boarded the boat and smashed off my toe in the process. We had nothing to clean it or wrap it up, so my brother took off his shirt and put it around my foot. We rushed to the hospital to get my toe sewn back on. If we had a first-aid kit my brother would not have had to ruin his shirt.
Heather Sneed, e-mail

Cowboy mounted shooting: Not just for young fillies The “Shooting Star” feature in the summer issue of Women in the Outdoors was a hit at a recent Cowboy Mounted Shooting Association event, according to contributing photographer Tom Davenport. But one set of ladies had a complaint. It seems as if the young mounted shooters get all the press, and the “more mature” participants want their share. “One lady explained to me that if you’re over 50, you have to be in pretty darn good shape to ride and shoot,” said Davenport, who documented the younger set of “cowgals” for Women in the Outdoors. The women were complaining in jest, but raised our awareness that cowboy mounted shooting is an activity for all ages.

The Braces Gang (from left to right) includes Lynda White, Deanna Benson and Jamie Zueger.

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