Could You Survive This?

Diane Tipton, Montana Fish, Wildilfe & Parks Statewide Information Officer

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Six years ago, bow hunter Clint Thomas was in the remote Missouri Breaks, more than 50 miles from the nearest paved road, when he severed the femoral artery in his right leg with a broadhead arrow, a potentially fatal accident.

He and his nephew J.C. Taylor had set up a blind where they’d seen elk come to drink. After taking a few practice shots, Thomas tossed the arrows in the blind. Returning later, he slid down an embankment into the blind, landing on the feather end of an arrow. The arrow stood up and the momentum of his body ran the razor-sharp, four-bladed broadhead through his leg at an angle, cutting his femoral artery in two.

“I thought that was the end, there was blood everywhere,” Thomas said. The next seven and a half hours were a relay race to a Billings hospital.

Thomas was transported on a motorcycle and then a truck bed, fellow hunters helped, and first response medical technicians, and ground and air ambulances took over later in the trip.  

Near the end of this mad dash to a medical center in Lewistown, Thomas lost his pulse and blood pressure. First response medical technicians, directed over the phone by a doctor in Lewistown, worked hard to pull Thomas back from the edge.

“My vision was blurred and it was getting harder to hear,” he said.

Once in Lewistown, Thomas was treated and airlifted to Billings where amazed ER doctors said it was remarkable that he was alive.

A vein transplant, and several surgeries and skin grafts later, today Thomas has full use of his leg. How did he survive the un-survivable?

“Me and my companions kept our heads together,” Thomas said.

Thomas, who grew up in eastern Montana 100 miles from a doctor, knew his future rested with his 20-year old nephew, good luck, and good judgment. With the emergency medical training he’d had, he also knew that in some cases he couldn’t follow general medical advice.

First, he and Taylor removed the broadhead.

“A broadhead kills by producing massive blood loss,” Thomas said. “They say leave the arrow in until you get medical attention. But, with a severed artery, my bleeding couldn’t be worse and the arrow’s placement made it certain any muscle movement would cause further injury, so we pulled it out. It was a judgment thing.”

Avoiding fluids when seriously injured was also advice he couldn’t apply.

“I was bleeding so fast that dehydration was a serious issue. I needed to stay hydrated and drank over four gallons of water before I made it to Billings,” he said.

Also critical in his rescue was encountering a group of Minnesota hunters with a cell phone who called in the accident.

  “They couldn’t connect at first, but one guy drove until he could get a call out about what happened and where we were headed,” Thomas said.

Finally, there was the shock factor.

“I had to stay calm to slow my blood loss,” he said. Stress speeds up the heart rate, increasing bleeding and the chances of shock.

  “I was very aware I had three little kids and a wife at home. I was not ready to go,” Thomas said. “There is a lot of mind frame involved in survival. My advice is, never give up on life.”

Thomas runs the Hell Creek Marina at Fort Peck Reservoir and shares what he has learned about the importance of safe practices with bow hunters in Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Bow Hunter Education courses.

 

BOWHUNTING SAFETY TIPS Handling archery equipment safely while traveling or in the field is equally as important as following safe firearm practices. These reminders supplement archery safety rules.

* Exercise regularly and stay in good shape, especially before strenuous hunts.

* Let family or friends know exactly where you will be hunting.

* Transport equipment in protective cases to prevent damage or injury.

* For airline travel, use a protective hard-sided case that can be locked.

* Always carry broadheads in a sturdy quiver that fully covers razor-sharp blades.

* Dress properly for the worst weather conditions you expect to encounter.

* Carry basic survival gear every time you go afield, even for short hikes.

* Carry a flashlight, extra bulbs and batteries.

* Always turn on your flashlight while walking to or from a tree stand in low-light conditions.

* Make every effort to meet agreed-upon deadlines with your hunting companions.

* Identify the specific game animal you intend to shoot before releasing an arrow.

* Do not shoot at an animal standing on a ridge top where you can’t identify a safe backstop for your arrow.

* Place arrows in a covered quiver prior to moving around in the field.

* Carefully cross barriers or obstacles with arrows securely in the quiver.

Please practice safe bow hunting in Montana this fall and enjoy the hunt.