Thread: PLB saves hunter

I don't have one. Have spent two nights out unexpectedly over the years and it doesn't hurt you, just long boring nights. As for being injured, I always think your more likely to have a car crash on the way there. I think these news articles unintentionally emphasise the danger of it and make it sound worse than it is. But I make a point of not getting lost.

I have called the police and had a search and rescue operation for a friend of mine who got lost. He was out for two nights in winter. He was fine, mostly his trauma was mental. He told me a lot of what went on was between him and god. I said, you should learn how to read a fucking map and then you wont have to go to church.

Originally Posted by John Duxbury

I don't have one. Have spent two nights out unexpectedly over the years and it doesn't hurt you, just long boring nights. As for being injured, I always think your more likely to have a car crash on the way there. I think these news articles unintentionally emphasise the danger of it and make it sound worse than it is. But I make a point of not getting lost.

I have called the police and had a search and rescue operation for a friend of mine who got lost. He was out for two nights in winter. He was fine, mostly his trauma was mental. He told me a lot of what went on was between him and god. I said, you should learn how to read a fucking map and then you wont have to go to church.

Not getting lost isn't going to help you when you are at the bottom of cliff with a massive flap of your scalp torn off and both your shoulders dislocated.

It would also be pretty bloody useful at the car crash you are more likely to have on the way to your hunting trip.

Originally Posted by akaroa1

Not getting lost isn't going to help you when you are at the bottom of cliff with a massive flap of your scalp torn off and both your shoulders dislocated.

It would also be pretty bloody useful at the car crash you are more likely to have on the way to your hunting trip.

I knew there'd be one who just had to respond.

If I am falling off a cliff, then it means I went and got LOST. I dont own a parachute either, which would also be useful in that bit of conjecture.

Originally Posted by John Duxbury

I knew there'd be one who just had to respond.

If I am falling off a cliff, then it means I went and got LOST. I dont own a parachute either, which would also be useful in that bit of conjecture.

It was a true story
I wasn't responding to you
I was warning others against the stupidity of your statement

Originally Posted by akaroa1

It was a true story
I wasn't responding to you
I was warning others against the stupidity of your statement

Yeah, you were.
But, it didn't happen to me, it sounds like it happened to you. Stop falling off fucking cliffs.

Originally Posted by John Duxbury

I knew there'd be one who just had to respond.

If I am falling off a cliff, then it means I went and got LOST. I dont own a parachute either, which would also be useful in that bit of conjecture.

There are lots of cliffs to fall of that don't require being lost. I hunt in terrain that could result in a slip or fall constantly. Mountaineers do the same. I think your being a bit obtuse. Accidents happen and you can't avoid them completely.

Originally Posted by Stocky

There are lots of cliffs to fall of that don't require being lost. I hunt in terrain that could result in a slip or fall constantly. Mountaineers do the same. I think your being a bit obtuse. Accidents happen and you can't avoid them completely.

I'm not being obtuse, I am being sardonic. Meanwhile, I am not a mountaineer, no one said that I had to be in order to hunt deer, and I have avoided an accident for fifty years, and it wasnt hard. I even enjoy being outdoors, and am rarely anxious.

I maintain the risks of being in the bush are much lower than you clumsy types are making out it is. Reading articles like that do not concern me. 48 people died scuba diving last year. THats something to worry about.

Originally Posted by John Duxbury

I have called the police and had a search and rescue operation for a friend of mine who got lost. He was out for two nights in winter. He was fine, mostly his trauma was mental. He told me a lot of what went on was between him and god. I said, you should learn how to read a fucking map and then you wont have to go to church.

How many people involved in the search for him? The PLB is as much for them as for the person carrying it.

Another story about my dad, he was having some heart issues.
So me and my brother and sister were always joking with him and saying"if you even feel slightly dizzy, push the button so we can find your body".
Explaining that with no body recovered all his assets would be frozen and we wouldn't be able to get at them. I think he realised we were joking (sort of).

I very nearly pushed the button on mine a few years ago when we came onto a road accident in the Lewis pass area where the nearest cell signal was a substantial drive away still. Luckily the people were not hurt enough to need to push but it sure didn't look that way at first.

It's also not just for you. It could be argued it's part of being a responsible outdoors person. Ok you are well prepared and have all the gear to surviver a bad situation yourself. But what happens when you come across the unprepared tramper who has slipped and injured a leg? Or got caught on the Ruahine tops in shorts and singlet when the fog came in, creating directional confusion,and the temp dropped 10 degrees?
Both of those are situations Ive come across in the days before cell phones and PLBs.

There have been numerous situations on the Mt Robert ridge in Nelson Lakes where people have been caught out and not just tourists, some of these people died and others were lucky that LandSAR personnel were able to save them, which led to one team from Nelson receiving major recognition for saving lives a few years ago.

I was also party to an incident when I first moved here where a person was winched off Mt Angelus and spent a very cold night keeping cell contact with the Police in the only place at the time where you could get cell reception, a PLB would have been awesome to have that time, the person rescued still 23 years on cannot work full-time. I bought my first PLB soon after this incident and thankfully have not needed to use one so far. I carry it and have it in the car on long journeys for just those situations, I expect one day to have to use it for somebody else rather then myself.

Yes they may become obsolete in the future but not everyone wants to switch to OneNZ or give money to Starlink for whatever reasons and not everybody can afford (myself included) to have an InReach subscription. For me a PLB is still the cheapest and best option even though mine actually needs replacing next year. I have the KTI one with the 10 year battery and have worked out the yearly cost has been $55 a year to own it, far cheaper than anything else on the market.

Those saying they don't think they need one as they don't take risks are doing an Ostrich, its not just accidents that happen in the bush medical events happen too. Have already done a body recovery where the person had a heart attack on a local walking track, its not pleasant.

To be fair @Stocky did not say you were being obtuse. Which means-[QUOTE]annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand./QUOTE]

He said deliberately obtuse, which means-[QUOTE]Deliberately obtuse: This phrase emphasizes the intentional nature of pretending not to understand.
/QUOTE]

And that does fit I think.

[QUOTE=whanahuia;1667293]To be fair @Stocky did not say you were being obtuse. Which means-[QUOTE]annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand./QUOTE]

He said deliberately obtuse, which means-

Deliberately obtuse: This phrase emphasizes the intentional nature of pretending not to understand.
/QUOTE]

And that does fit I think.

Again, I know exactly what the phrase means; it's a cliche he is using to characterise my posts in a way that suits himself, to diminish my point of view. But, disagreeing with you is not the same thing as deliberately pretending to not understand you. I get you fine. I dont agree with you.

Jesus look, it's a recreational activity, no one is forcing you to do it dangerously. Deer hunting is not hazardous. Working in fishing, in logging, or on the waterfront is hazardous. Scuba diving is hazardous.

Id say if the point was to diminish your point of view, then there are far more direct words that would achieve that. That was pretty polite. Look you have said twice you knew you would get this type of reaction. There are words for that too. Some of them cross reference.

You have given an opinion. Its wrong. It's wrong because it is dismissive of others and how they chose to participate in the activities mentioned, Because the comparisons given are ill fitting, and because it is reductive.