Frostbite describes the condition that occurs when skin and underlying body tissues freeze as a result of exposure to cold. When skin and body tissues freeze, the water contained in each cell expands. Healthy warm cells are very elastic, but freezing cells are rigid. The result? As body tissue fluid freezes and expands, the cells split open, much like an over-filled container placed in the freezer. The cellular damage that results from frostbite can lead to severe disfiguration and even death.

 Frostbite can occur anytime the environmental temperature or the wind chill drops below freezing, 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Uncovered areas of the body are most likely to suffer, with the nose, ears, cheeks, chin, fingers and toes most often affected. Frostbite can set in very slowly or very quickly depending on how long the skin is exposed to the cold and how cold and windy it is. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough that frostbite need not happen even at extremes of altitude, temperature and fatigue: frequently a degree of carelessness is the chief cause.

 Frostbite occurs in three stages; frostnip, superficial frostbite, and deep frostbite. The initial stage is called frostnip. The skin turns unusually white and soft and will have a pins and needles feeling. This can easily be treated by blowing warm breath on the frost-nipped area or soaking the area in warm water.

 Superficial frostbite occurs when the skin freezes and ice crystals form inside the skin cells, but the tissue underneath remains flexible. The skin turns yellow-grey, painless, numb and leathery or waxy to the touch. Upon warming, the area will turn red and painful as blood flow to the area returns to normal. A few hours after thawing, the tissue swells and during the first two days giant blisters form. Try not to break them. These blisters settle during the first week leaving tissue hideously discolored, and if gangrenous, shrunken and black. This carapace, or shell separates in several weeks. If the frostbite is superficial, pink new skin will appear beneath the carapace: if deep, the end of a toe or finger will gradually separate off - an unsightly but usually painless process.

 In deep frostbite the tissue is hard, white and obviously frozen, like a piece of chicken from a freezer. This is the most serious type of frostbite because it affects the blood vessels, muscles, nerves, tendons and even bone. It can lead to permanent damage, blood clots and sometimes gangrene, which is the death and decay of body tissues. In deep frostbite, the affected areas become completely numb to all feeling and remain cool and splotchy or blue after warming. The frost-bitten area will turn black and hard. The skin surrounding the area may swell up and stay swollen for a month or longer. If gangrene develops, amputation of the finger or limb may be necessary.

 If you suspect frostbite, seek shelter. Remove wet, constrictive clothing and place the frostbitten area in direct skin-to-skin contact with a warm area on the victim or a buddy. Seek immediate medical attention to prevent infection and possible loss of a limb. Even with deep frostbite, if medical treatment is prompt, most frozen limbs may be saved.

 NOTE: Do not re-warm a frostbite injury if it could refreeze during evacuation.
    Do not re-warm frostbitten feet if victim must walk for medical treatment.

 Frostbite can usually be prevented by using caution in extreme cold weather. Layer your clothing. Many layers of thin clothing are warmer than one bulky layer. Air spaces trap body warmth close to the skin, insulating the body against the cold. Wear two or three pairs of socks instead of one heavy pair, for example, and wear roomy shoes.

  Cover all possible body surfaces. Wear a hat, ear muffs, a scarf and mittens. Don't drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. Alcohol dilates blood vessels, causing the body to lose heat quickly. Smoking slows down blood circulation to the extremities. Keep dry. Wet clothing is 20 times less warm than dry clothing. If you know that you are going to be out in the cold for any length of time, it is always wise to carry extra clothing with you.

  Pay attention to the warning signs of frostbite so you can prevent or treat it promptly. Remember the lower the temperature, the greater the risk of injury. Even if it is not very cold outside, high winds can reduce temperatures to dangerously low levels, making frostbite more of a danger. Also, people who have experienced frostbite need to be even more careful because they are more likely to suffer from it again. Other factors that may make a person more likely to get frostbite include being wet, exhausted, intoxicated by alcohol, taking certain medicines or drugs, smoking, diabetes and poor circulation.

  Much like your Monday through Friday life, Backwoods Adventures carry risks. By learning about these risks and taking preventive measures, you can minimize your chance for trouble and get maximum pleasure out of your outdoor adventures. Until next time...Maggie B.

   My 2021 deer season started on a high note when I took a 9 point buck on my friend Steve’s place in central Missouri. It was my first ever crossbow kill and he weighed 190 pounds on the hoof. Not bad for my first archery deer since 2003. Could my luck hold out for the rest of the hunting season or would it come crashing down on me? I was anxious to find out as I headed down to Oklahoma to hunt my friend David Falconer’s ranch two weeks later.

 The weather was perfect when I arrived back in Haskell County Thursday afternoon but I knew from years past, that wouldn’t last. It always rained (usually a lot!) at some point and things could turn ugly. And the wind always seems to be blowing!

  The next day my son Josh and I loaded up the 4-wheelers and headed to our spots to trim limbs and brush, check stands, set blinds and get things ready for opening day the next morning.

  The area I hunt is called the Back Lot because it’s kind of back away from where everyone else hunts. It’s an old access road to an abandoned gas well. David annually discs it up and plants it with wheat or rye grass for the deer and turkeys and mows a lot of the area. A mineral block and sometimes a feeder add to the Back Lot’s charm. My stand is about 55 yards up from the middle of the plot on a hill on the opposite side from the block and feeder.

  There’s a pine tree between me and the plot and Josh and I had cut some limbs out of the middle of it a couple of years back giving us a shooting lane. Facing down the hill, the trees and brush on the right side had grown out real far really blocking my view up the road so we spent some time cutting stuff back with the pole saw. I was pleased with the work when I climbed into the stand to check the view. It was perfect. I could see a good distance up the road. It was a view I hadn’t had in years.

 We got Josh’s site all set too. He set up a new camera, dropped another block into the lick, set his chair in place while I trimmed some brush and saplings out of his way. One more spot to visit.

 I set my blind up at a spot David’s brother Ronnie set me on the previous year. I saw a lot of deer there and was hoping to turn my luck around after the lousy times I had there. The blind leaked, I shot through the side of it, missed two deer, and….well, let’s not relive the past. I was anxious to end my two year drought and we were pumped up for the hunt!

  Opening morning I was in my stand at the Back Lot with time to spare and had everything in place ready for them big fuzzy critters to come out and play.

 Things were pretty slow. A couple of raccoons wondered in around 8 and poked around a bit. One of them tried to climb a leg of the feeder. It would make it up about a foot then slide back down. After a couple of tries, it gave up and the two of them went about their way.

  A couple of minutes before nine I caught some movement up the road on the right side. It was a deer and a buck to boot. Getting my binoculars up I gave him a look and counted at least 8 points. If we hadn’t cut back that side back so well I wouldn’t have seen the deer until he was out in the open not giving me much time to prepare. The binoculars went down and the rifle came up.

  He came straight up the right side of the road and stopped directly across from the feeder then turned broadside to me. The buck was walking real slow as I watched him through the scope. He was in the open for the moment but would soon pass behind the pine tree so I took the shot.

  The cloud of smoke obscured the buck from my view. I tried to look over and around it hoping to catch a glimpse of which way he ran. Even though I couldn’t see him, I did hear him running and it was getting louder! To my surprise he popped out of the smoke around the pine tree coming up the hill directly toward me! He ran by me no more than 25 feet away. The way he was running I could tell he had been hit just not sure where as I tried to see any blood on him.

  The buck continued past me as I turned to my left as far as I could trying to watch him and listening intently. I heard him over my left shoulder busting through the weeds and brush. David doesn’t mow that area and it’s kind of open with tall grass, some brush and small trees but not far past that it gets real thick! Some years back a big ice storm broke off a lot of limbs and tree tops creating one helluva rough area. I was hoping he didn’t make it that far as I wasn’t looking forward to trekking through that mess but would have done so pissing and moaning the whole way, obliviously. With the noise he was making I couldn’t tell if he had crashed up or was hightailing through the thicket.

 I waited my customary 15 minutes before climbing down and starting the search.

  across the path he took as he ran past me I found a weak blood trail which confirmed that he was hit. Exactly where I wasn’t sure but started following the trail hoping for the best.

 I entered the grassy area walking between a sapling pine on my left and a 10 foot tall cedar to the right. The blood trail had petered out. I stood there on my tip-toes craning my neck trying to see down into the tall grass looking for any blood or sign of a downed deer. There wasn’t any so I figured I’d have to get down to the nitty gritty of locating the blood trail again when turning to the right something out of place caught the corner of my eye. I turned a little more and being startled there lay the buck no more than 6 feet from me! He was lying right behind the cedar tree I had just walked past! If I hadn’t been looking out to the left eyeing what looked like an impenetrable wall of brush and trees I would have seen him sooner.

  From where he been shot to where he now lay the 10 point buck had ran about 80 yards. It had been a heart shot and he had run on pure adrenaline. He was dead but just didn’t know it.

  I texted Josh that I had found the buck and sent a picture as proof. He volunteered to come help load the buck so I said come on over. I wasn’t going to turn down free help. While waiting for him I hiked back the 4-wheeler and brought it up to the buck. I had my pack and stuff strapped on by the time Josh arrived. We had the buck loaded and tied down in no time and headed to camp.

  As it turned out, mine was the only deer in camp that day and I casually pointed that out all evening as I retold the story over and over. I wish everyone hadn’t sat on the downwind side of the fire when there was plenty of room on my side. I was a little hoarse the next morning having to talk so loud.

 The next two days I spent in the ground blind hoping to fill a doe tag but never saw a deer. On Tuesday I went back to the Back Lot but no females came around. A 7 pointer and a fork horn ventured in as did a bobcat but that’s another story. The only does I saw were the ones I helped Josh track down on Monday and Tuesday evenings and the ones David, Billy, and Brentt shot. David’s cousin Cody was on his first ever deer hunt and scored a doe then a nice buck! It was a great way to start off his hunting career!

  It was raining on Wednesday morning so we didn’t go out. It rained on and off all day so Josh and I stayed at camp and processed our deer. In between showers we packed up a lot of stuff so there’d be less to do the following morning when we headed home.

  After this trip I was two for two. Two bucks in two different states, Missouri and Oklahoma, with two different weapons, crossbow and muzzleloader. Could I go three for three using three different weapons? Could I get a buck with the slug gun during the Illinois season in three weeks? Would this really be “The year of the buck”? It certainly was in the back of my mind but I didn’t want to point it out to anyone and jinx myself. Not that I believe in jinxes but I wasn’t taking any chances. I’ll conclude this story in the next chapter of My Series of Unfortunate Hunts. Until then, stay warm. - Jim Bob.

    Have you ever felt like you were alone...been overlooked...neglected...no one cares? These feelings all stem from the human race caused by someone in the human race. Take note! Do not allow these people to make you feel this way! Maybe they feel better or stronger by doing this.

   Wake Up! You are never alone. Look to nature and its creatures. They are always there and close by if you take the time to look. They will never desert you. I feel they are always glad that you are there and will put on a show for you. Notice what they are doing, how they do it; and it seems to me they know you are watching and will look at you.

   I really feel you can erase the alone feeling given to you by the human race and feel better within yourself by watching nature. I feel you and nature will be happier...so give it a try. Nature can bring a smile to you and change your life for the better. It just takes some quiet thought time and looking around. Gee, even on a quiet personal day on the lake one of nature’s creatures may visit you! You are never alone with nature.