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Surviving a Medical Emergency During a Backcountry Hunt

Global Rescue Staff

| June 11, 2024

Global Rescue Staff
June 11, 2024

Jake was ten days into a springtime backcountry trip in northern British Columbia when he experienced the unexpected. With the trip wrapping up, he and his team were packing up camp. They piled gear onto pack horses, saddled up, and headed for a nearby lake where they planned to catch a plane back to the United States.

They crossed a river on horseback while leading their pack horses. A couple of saddle horses started making a commotion in the water and startled the pack horses.

A pack horse with the hard pantry box on its back hit a tree. That alarmed Jake’s horse, causing her to veer in another direction. He tried to pull up on the reins to control his violently bucking horse, but he began to lose his grip and slipped out of his saddle. Feeling trapped by the tension on her reins, his horse reared up on her hind legs. Then the unthinkable happened: Jake’s horse fell backward, landing on top of its rider!

“It sounded like tree limbs breaking,” Jake recalled. “I’ll never forget that.”

He landed on his backpack, which protected his back and head from serious injury. But the full weight of his horse’s body came crashing down on his leg.

His horse rolled over and ran away. But Jake knew immediately that his leg was severely damaged.

“My boot was still on, and all of my outer gear. I was scared to take anything off because I didn’t want to look at it. I just started screaming for help.”

As soon as his team could establish communication, Global Rescue was notified and a rescue helicopter was dispatched.

“We had a med kit with us and I took high doses of ibuprofen before the helicopter arrived.”

Global Rescue will rescue you from the point of injury or illness by any means necessary, including helicopters, jets, 4x4 vehicles, rescue teams on foot, and more, and bring you to the nearest hospital capable of delivering the needed level of medical care.

A rescue chopper arrived at the scene to transport Jake to the nearest medical facility equipped for trauma in Dease Lake, British Columbia, a small Native-Canadian reservation community.

The doctors administered pain medication and took x-rays of his injured limb. The x-rays showed multiple fractures. The doctors consulted with Global Rescue’s physicians and casted Jake’s leg. Global Rescue medical operations personnel immediately started planning to bring him back to the United States for surgery.

“I was told I needed to get back home as soon as possible,” Jake said.

A friend drove him to Whitehorse, Yukon where they met the Global Rescue critical care paramedic who had been deployed to assist in his medical care and transport him back to the U.S.

“When I got the call from one of the medical team saying that Global Rescue was going to take care of everything and escort me home, I just broke down. I was safe and I was hearing this good news after all of the bad news. That was the pivotal point in the whole situation.”

A Global Rescue membership includes medical transport back to your home or the hospital of choice near your home. No charge if you’re a member. Without it, medical evacuation can cost as much as $300,000, depending on where you are in the world and the distance you need to be transported.

Jake awaited Global Rescue’s arrival in Whitehorse and recuperated until his flight arrangements were booked and he felt well enough to travel.

Global Rescue’s medic arrived to meet him and coordinated the details for their early morning flight back to his home in Colorado.

“He carried everything for me, got me to the airport, got me a wheel chair, checked us both in, got us through customs in Vancouver, got us to Denver, got me all the way to my shuttle, jumped on the shuttle with me, rode to my house in Fort Collins, and literally tucked me in to bed.”

At Global Rescue, our experienced medical, security, and intel staff are in-house, always on standby, and fully deployable. We can arrange to have our doctors, nurses, and paramedics sent to your bedside to facilitate/oversee your care, as well as travel with you.

Global Rescue had arranged for a surgical evaluation and forwarded x-rays to the doctor. Shortly after arriving home, Jake underwent surgery. Two horizontal titanium screws were placed in the inner part of his ankle to fix the malleolus bones. Surgeons placed a 4-inch screw through his lateral malleolus bone into his tibia to repair the bone that was separated in the accident. He also had a straight fracture in his fibula, though doctors determined that it would heal on its own.

Following surgery, he continued to recover at home. He experienced some lingering swelling but was no longer in great pain. Once the cast was removed and replaced with a hard boot, he could began physical therapy.

Jake had been a Global Rescue member for years, but this was the first time he had ever experienced a medical emergency. “You buy Global Rescue hoping that you never have to use it. When it kicked in, it kicked in hard. I can’t even explain how grateful I am to Global Rescue.”

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Chasing Waterfowl from North to South

The Central Flyway is a waterfowl superhighway—a vital corridor for migrating ducks and geese—and for those of us lucky enough to be waterfowlers, it offers unmatched opportunities to hunt and experience the migration from September through January.

Over the past 40 years, I’ve had the privilege of chasing ducks around the world, but many of my favorite memories come from following this flyway, especially during those early years when my duck-obsessed father would pull my brother and me out of school every Fall to chase birds.

That’s right! We missed school every year for dedicated waterfowl trips. No regrets.

In the true north country, along the edges of Canada’s boreal forest, early-season hunts are nothing short of magical. The birds are just beginning their journey south—hungry, unpressured, and eager to settle into newly harvested grain fields. It’s a waterfowler’s paradise. The decoy spreads in these northern zones are often among the first the birds see, and their eager, uneducated responses can be absolutely breathtaking.

One of the most unforgettable sights is the famed swirling cyclone of Canada geese funneling down into a field. I can still hear my dad yelling over the deafening honks, his voice barely audible, “They can’t hear us!” The birds were so loud that those at the top of the funnel couldn’t even hear the gunfire below. If you’ve ever experienced it, you know exactly the kind of spine-tingling moment I’m talking about.

When the birds pushed south, so did we.

The prairie pothole regions of North Dakota are pure waterfowl gold. The right pothole on a cold morning—especially if you can find open water—can be magic. And if the water’s frozen? My dad had a fix: get there early, break trail through the skim ice, and push it under itself to create an opening. Voilà…open water.

I’ll never forget one frigid morning. After breaking ice, my hands were bright red and on the edge of frostbite. I looked at my dad for sympathy, but he just grinned as the puddle ducks cupped up and said, “Do you want warm hands, or do you want to shoot ducks?” Like I said, he was a fanatic. I grabbed the old Winchester pump and did my best. That day, I also learned the value of hand warmers and Gore-Tex gloves.

There are so many unforgettable moments:

Slipping and sliding at a Nebraska reservoir, laughing hysterically as we wondered if we’d ever get the old Suburban and trailer back up the icy boat ramp. After limiting out on greenheads.
Rowing across the Delta Marsh in the dark to find the perfect crescent-shaped bulrush island to set the decoys that the canvasbacks couldn’t resist.
Chasing snow geese in South Dakota and realizing we’d finally picked the perfect field, the one that made it worth all those hours spent spray-painting sheet-metal shell decoys in the garage.

These weren’t just hunting trips. They were memories shared with family, with friends, and with the great outdoors itself.

In the end, missing a week of school every year was worth every single minute.

The last duck hunt I shared with my admittedly duck-crazy father was a world away and half a lifetime ago. The hunt may be long over, but the memory will always stay with me.

At WTA, we’re proud to connect our clients with trusted partners so they can experience these same one-of-a-kind adventures.

We offer incredible destinations and outstanding outfitters all along the Central Flyway—from Alberta and Saskatchewan to North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma—so you can create your own lasting memories.

Call Worldwide Trophy Adventures at 1-800-346-8747 today to book your trip of a lifetime.

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Turkey season runs from early April through early May. You’ll typically fly into Phoenix, then catch a morning hop to Hermosillo, Mexico, arriving around 11:30 a.m. After customs, Sergio or Pedro will greet you with a cold drink and a van stocked with sandwiches for the scenic ride ahead. From Hermosillo’s 700 feet, you’ll climb through 5 hours of winding Sierra Madre roads to the ranch at 3,000 feet. The journey is half the fun—curves, vistas, and glimpses of the country you’ll be hunting. By about 7 p.m., you’ll be unpacking in your room. Open your window to the cool mountain air and let it lull you into one of the best nights of sleep you’ll ever experience.

The food is reason enough to make the trip. Muy Grande’s French chef has 20 years of experience with serving up everything from ribs to authentic Mexican dishes, hearty breakfasts, and appetizers. You’ll need the delicious calories for the long days in the open country chasing Toms. Mornings start early and you may spend up to two hours on ranch roads before reaching your spot. Dry mountains, steep valleys, and big country define the day. Want to call birds from a pop-up blind? They’ve got you covered. Prefer run-and-gun? This is prime terrain for it. With one-on-one guides, the hunt is tailored to your style.

The Gould’s turkey is the largest subspecies in North America, and in the field, they stand out as they strut down dusty trails, flashing their tall frames and bright white fan tips. They’re plentiful here. On my last trip, the group of five tagged six birds by the end of day one—some from blinds, others by stalking ridges. Gobbles echo through the canyons all morning, and the guides know every fold of the landscape and the flocks that roam it. The hunt package includes in-field transport, trophy care, lodging, meals, guide service, and a license waiting for you at camp—everything dialed in so you can focus solely on finding your big ol’ Tom.

Getting your bird back home is simple. The outfitter freezes it—whole or just the fan—and handles the paperwork. Flying back through Phoenix is smooth—customs deals with turkeys regularly. Just bring the address of a USDA-certified taxidermist and a sturdy suitcase big enough for your trophy.

The gear list for this trip is straightforward: good hiking boots, lightweight shirts, face mask, hat, gloves, and a jacket for the cool mornings. Days can hit 90° F in April, but the temp drops quickly at night, so pack for variety. After tagging out, you’ll head back to Hermosillo for a final night at the Fiesta Americana, a top-notch hotel, before flying home—though early successes can open the door to earlier flights.

Muy Grande is a place of raw beauty, from stone-fenced corrals to mountain views stretching for miles. Hermosillo itself might surprise you—not a rough frontier town, but a safe, vibrant city where families are out and about. If you’re looking for an authentic Gould’s turkey adventure in a spectacular setting with unmatched hospitality, this hunt should be on your wish list. Book through WTA and come chase the turkey that towers above the rest.

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Building a Quail Hunter’s Paradise: Habitat Improvements and Day Hunts at Stonewall Plantation Outfitters

Expanding into quail hunting was a natural fit to complement Salt River Outfitters’ already thriving deer hunting operation. With a clear vision and a commitment to quality, we set out to create a quail program that could stand among the best in the region. Drawing on the expertise of skilled dog handlers, seasoned habitat specialists, and our experienced guides and habitat managers, we’ve built something special.

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard: “My dad and I hunted quail when I was younger, but with quail numbers down, we haven’t hunted them in years.” Last season, a gentleman booked a hunt for his father, his son, and himself—three generations in the field. The stories they shared around the dinner table that night were moving and unforgettable. The joy in their eyes and the bond they rekindled through the hunt reminded me why we do this.

Being part of such an experience—where a grandfather and father can introduce a young man to something they’ve cherished for decades—is priceless. Our goal at Stonewall Plantation Outfitters is to continue creating new memories for many seasons to come.

The habitat is stronger. The lodge is more comfortable. The birds are flying better. And our program now has a proven track record of delivering exceptional hunts. Whether you’re coming for a full three-day experience or joining us for a day hunt, we can’t wait to share this quail hunting heaven with you.

Single Day Hunt Muli-Day Hunt with Lodging Watch…