Hunters can now learn everything they need to know to survive their next hunting trip if the worst should happen. Christie Pisani, star of Heart of the Huntress, is one of the instructors of a new nationally recognised course designed specifically for hunters. Not only is Christie a phenomenal hunter, but she is also a paramedic and instructs groups on first aid with a focus on the outdoors. Participants of the course will receive an ‘Apply First Aid’ qualification and feel more confident next time they venture into the bush.
Christie said the course will benefit hunters when they are far away from help. “When we are hunting in remote areas, quite often it’s not as easy as calling an ambulance. Usually you will be with a patient for a long time before other help can arrive so it’s important to have a good idea about what you are doing,” she said.
Hypothermia and dehydration can be major risks for even well-prepared and seasoned hunters. “You generally won’t have expensive equipment with you when you go into the bush, so a lot of the course will be about learning how to use things hunters already have,” said Christie. “Learning to improvise and be able to make stints and other bandages is a crucial skill for every hunter.”
Soft tissue wounds and animal bites are common injuries to sustain while hunting because hunters often go off from the well-trodden tracks. On the other hand, one of the biggest dangers when hunting is the bush and the environment itself. “A lot of people go camping and hunting with family and friends, so knowing what to do to help them is very important,” said Christie. The course goes through scenarios involving ailments that are likely to affect hunters or situations which hunters often find themselves in.
Christie said if hunters could only take one piece of equipment with them on a hunt it should be a snake bite kit. “Snake bite kits are all-rounders. A snake bite kit will have a couple of different bandages which are versatile enough to treat just about anything,” she said.
Christie is starting the first-aid courses specifically for hunters as a trial. The first program is scheduled for April 1 and 2 in Jericho near Emerald in Queensland. Participants will stay in a hunting lodge in the bush so that the simulations feel more real. Australian Outfitters is hosting the accommodation and will be offering various hunting packages to participants. “The busy hunting period in Queensland is right around the corner and the course will coincide with the fallow deer and red deer season, so the timing of the course will be perfect for that,” said Christie.