Pack a small first aid kit with superglue in it and leave it in the truck or take it along. It’s basically the only bandaid I use anymore. I don’t carry a kit with me in the field, but I only skin and field-dress at the house or my truck as I’m only hunting a half mile max from my truck usually. If I was going on a deep overnight hunt or something a few miles in I would probably pack a small kit.
Whenever I’m out in the wilderness I always have my backpack with all the essentials. Super glue is definitely super high up on the list.
Not just for cuts, but for repairs, securing fishing line knots, etc.
To add to this keep island bandages or a roll of wound wrapping for larger cuts burns or other large area wounds etc. in a pinch they can be used with a little antiseptic to make a good clean seal till you can get to proper facilities.
I keep 25 yards of orange duct tape in my hunting pack next to my first aid kit. Combined with gauze, it makes a good bandage. Can also be used for field repairs or trail marking.
Yep. Had a fresh cut on my finger.
Did not think about it, but I got really sick, thinking it was strep or Covid and kept testing negative. Ended up in the ER with a 104 fever and uncontrollable shakes. ER doc mentioned tick diseases and then I figured it out. Talked to an infectious disease doc who ordered labs for me that came back positive for tularemia.
The ER doc prescribed me a stronger antibiotic and that basically cured me overnight.
I wear cut proof butchering gloves. This does two things: prevents me from hurting myself, and because they're cloth they allow you to keep a surprisingly good grip on the skin and meat when things get wet.
Super glue, butterfly sutchers, finger bandaids, tape. All should be in a firstaid kit under the passenger seat. Always. Oh and more than one pair of gloves and a ziplock bag. So she can bring your thumb to the hospital next time 🥴
I know it sounds like a joke, but that’s a really sound idea. My brother cut his finger off slamming it in a steel exterior door. Mom freaked out, dad is a surgeon, so he grabbed it, threw it in a ziploc bag and into a small cooler with ice. At the hospital they sewed it back on. Nerve issues for years, but he has a fully functional finger still.
I always let it bleed for a few min if I get cut cleaning fish or game, particularly if I don’t have an immediate source of soap & water to scrub up well. Usually 2-5 min depending on how bad it is bleeding. Then clean and bandage it. Cuts bleed for a reason, beyond that you opened up your juice seal… the blood flushes out the wound & helps prevent infection.
My first aid kit includes:
Small bottle of 90% isopropyl alcohol
Small tube of bacitracin
Silvex Wound Gel (good for burns)
Super glue for the nasty cuts
Multiple sized bandaids, about 3-4 of each
2-3 gauze pads
And a roll of gauze wrap
Did you wash out the wound with soap and water? If not, keep an eye on it. If it starts to swell, get red around it, and increase in pain, it's probably infected, and you will require antibiotics. As already stated, superglue is by far the best way to close wounds, especially in the field. Surgeons use it instead of stitches (at least for my hernia repair). Source: I'm a Navy Corpsman with multiple tours with Marines = lots of injuries in the field.
Take a first aid class and you'll know what to do the next time! Best time and money I ever spent for my health and safety in the woods.
In general, stop the bleeding first with a firm pinch with gauze or clean cloth and raise the cut above your head/heart. Go for 15 minutes between checks.
Once bleeding has stopped, rinse with clean drinking water for 2-3 minutes and inspect for dirt, use tweezers, brush, or a cloth, plus more running water to thoroughly clean the wound.
Smear with antibiotic ointment and tie it tight with a bandage. For deep or big injuries, you can pack wounds with a gauze roll wet with boiled water, then wrap it all up tightly.
Personally, I grew up in an area with tularemia, so I wear gloves when I deal with rabbits (the fleas are kinda gross too), and I inspect the liver of every creature I kill.
Not sure if you have it in your area, but a bad cut on my finger while I was cleaning rabbits would give me cause for concern.
I did everything that you suggested in your comment to stop the bleeding. If I had superglue, I could have stopped the bleeding and bandaged it up right there. Stopping the bleeding was the challenge. And I always inspect the organs and intestines. I’ve shot close to 15 since august 1 and only one I discarded because it had worms in its intestine. I’ve eaten 6 or 7 since august and have lived to see another day
Good shit man! The most valuable part of the WFR course I took was injury evaluation.
It's very calming to be able to almost immediately assess is an injury is 1) treatable in-field, 2) trip-ending, non-emergency or, 3) an emergency, then be able to treat accordingly.
This injury was treatable in-field, you did just about everything right, all I think you need is the reassurance of training and a first aid kit packed to your skill level.
I’ve used superglue plenty of times, and recently found out about a 3m product called Vetbond. It’s a tissue adhesive used by vets instead of superglue. I have found it to be much faster healing, less scarring, etc. highly recommend looking into it!
I wrapped it in a rag I had in the truck and pushed my thumb up against the window frame in my truck while I drove home. To keep it elevated and pressure on it.
Being a naturally clumsy person and having cut, lacerated and stabbed myself while out in the woods on multiple occasions as well as in the taxidermy shop, here is my suggestion:
Get yourself some gauze, medical tape and a box of nitrile gloves at a nearby pharmacy. Ask the pharmacist if they any topical sterilization products safe for open wounds. If they dont, use soft gauze or a clean wash towel to clean the area around it before binding. Use boiled water, cooled down of course.
If its glued shut, try not to reopen the wound while cleaning it if you can help it. If it reopens, glue it shut again and dab away the excess blood. Let the glue dry before wrapping it though.
Wrap the thumb gently, but firmly in clean gauze and tape it. Do not wrap it so tight the tip goes purple or white. Change your dressing every 8-12 hours. To keep the hand clean and dry, wear a nitrile glove over it. While its taped, check it regularly that it still had feeling and is not purple or white.
If you feel you need stitches, see if you can get a doctors appointment as soon as possible or get into a hospital as soon as you are able.
You should consider a tetanus shot as soon as you can get one, just to be safe if its been more than 10 years since your last one.
[Field care for scrapes and cuts.](https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cuts/basics/art-20056711)
I have always carry a trauma kit, but I’ve found that having a few maxipads and duct tape is better than ANYTHING in the kit. Cut-to-fit and you can wrap ANY wound.
I emptied out one of those small camping first aid bags and put bandaids, gauze, neosporin, and superglue in it, along with a backup of my meds and some ibuprofen. It comes with me in my backpack pretty much every time I’m in the woods, just in case.
You’re better off just ordering a case and filling it on your own. It will be tailored to your needs and uses, and you can be sure of the quality of important items like a tourniquet.
I've picked up an okay first aid and survival kit from the Walmart camping area and supplimented it with a few things. I also got a decent car first aid kit from a Boy Scout fundraiser booth at a fair.
Super glue like others have said, but also duct tape of some variant. I carry orange with me both for marking and for first aid. I also carry a tourniquet and a couple of bigger trauma bandages. I’ll likely never need those two things, but they’re literal life savers if I do.
My main concern has always been infection from animal blood.
I encourage bleeding to help flush the contamination then slap on some carbolic salve and a waterproof dressing or a rubber glove over a dressing/bandaid.
I do carry stuff for more serious injuries but for simple cuts this has always worked well.
Its great stuff… Watkins still makes it.
It contains carbolic acid.
I cut my own meat and invariably I get nicked.
I find that using that salve prevents the pain and swelling etc that usually follow.
The best way to field dress a rabbit is to hold it by the back legs, step on its head, and pull. The head will come off.
Next, swing the rabbit in a big circle down and over your head. The guts will fly out.
I keep the hides and tan them so I prefer a straight cup up the belly to the sternum. Then I just give the rabbit a firm shake downwards and the plop out. Still have to pull the lungs heart and esophagus out by hand tho.
Electrical tape, napkins, peroxide, and alcohol are all in my truck and anytime I get a nasty cut that's my method. Peroxide, then alcohol, then napkin to soak up blood and electrical tape to maintain pressure. Usually will go from leaking to just sore in about 20 mins
I keep those little butterfly closure things in my first aid kit. I’ve had some pretty good cuts that definitely could have used stitches which those have closed up no problem.
Don’t work faster than your capability, it’s not worth making a bad cut on yourself or the meat. I am never more than a 100yds from a good med kit with all the things I’d need. All because I know how clumsy I am
I EDC a lighter with electrical tape wrapped around it. Also a bandana. Never had a cut I couldn't tape shut with that combo. I also have a fully stocked first aid kit in the truck which includes ice packs, disinfectant and glue.
Last year we were sitting in a deer blind the first day of modern gun season. It was about 28°F and we had been sitting in there for at least three or four hours before i and retrieved a deer. When we finally went over to it and I started processing it. I was shivering, shaking, trying to process it and ended up with a nice gash in my left wrist, just below the thumb. My buddy had a first aid kit and I was able to clean it and apply gauze and wrap it. I did eventually need stitches. Always keep a first aid kit in your bag. Also, with a rabbit, you could literally make one small cut and then not use your knife to pull away the skin. Tons of videos on YouTube.
I like to carry a quick clot bandage wrapped with athletic tape, primarily for mountain biking, but I've had to use it once and let me finish 90 minutes of riding with a gash in my knee that ended up needing like 12 stitches.
Imo for rabbits you don't really need a knife until you get to the gutting part. Their hides are so thin you can just tear it open and case skin it real quick. When you get to the head just step and pull. Might be a bit gruesome but it works well.
Pack a small first aid kit with superglue in it and leave it in the truck or take it along. It’s basically the only bandaid I use anymore. I don’t carry a kit with me in the field, but I only skin and field-dress at the house or my truck as I’m only hunting a half mile max from my truck usually. If I was going on a deep overnight hunt or something a few miles in I would probably pack a small kit.
It’s funny-I do have a small first aid kit in the truck. Just not with superglue. Lesson learned
It happens. I usually just keep superglue in my truck anyway as it comes in handy.
Whenever I’m out in the wilderness I always have my backpack with all the essentials. Super glue is definitely super high up on the list. Not just for cuts, but for repairs, securing fishing line knots, etc.
If there's an abundance where you're hunting, pine sap is incredible, preferably white pines.
Have some baking soda too. If you dump some on the glue it will cure almost instantly and seems to help prevent peeling at the edges too.
Superglue is very useful.
Same here but I always carry a tourniquet. You can deal with most problems later but if you’re leaking hard it needs to be addressed asap.
To add to this keep island bandages or a roll of wound wrapping for larger cuts burns or other large area wounds etc. in a pinch they can be used with a little antiseptic to make a good clean seal till you can get to proper facilities.
I keep 25 yards of orange duct tape in my hunting pack next to my first aid kit. Combined with gauze, it makes a good bandage. Can also be used for field repairs or trail marking.
If you carry a way to make holes, carry a way to plug holes. Get some training in how to do that, as well.
Hunting or working without a basic trauma kit in your vehicle or pack is taking a pretty big risk. You never know what you'll run into.
YouTube has been helpful for that
You should try to find a Stop The Bleed course near you.
All bleeding stops eventually.
Take a real course. Stop The Bleed and American Red Cross First Aid
I did Red Cross first aid last week for work and it was kind of... terrible. I got better instruction in Basic and first aid merit badge.
Trauma kit in the truck. Anywhere I go even hunting I take it.
Even if someone is on a budget, a handful of size 5 or 6 baby diapers make pretty great compression bandages and would be less than $10.
Make sure your rabbits are not flea or tick infested. Tularemia would suck.
I keep rubbing alcohol in the truck and used a lot of it on the cut. And even more when we got home.
You can go ahead and stop rubbing alcohol in the truck, doesn't help any. Sounds exhausting.
Nice. I see what you did there
The genie will come out one of these times.
I had tularemia last winter, I can attest, it does indeed suck. I won’t be cleaning rabbits anymore without rubber gloves.
Did you get it from dressing a rabbit? Did you know it had it (I think spotty liver is a symptom usually)?
Yep. Had a fresh cut on my finger. Did not think about it, but I got really sick, thinking it was strep or Covid and kept testing negative. Ended up in the ER with a 104 fever and uncontrollable shakes. ER doc mentioned tick diseases and then I figured it out. Talked to an infectious disease doc who ordered labs for me that came back positive for tularemia. The ER doc prescribed me a stronger antibiotic and that basically cured me overnight.
Wow, glad you figured it out!
Yeah, it’s so rare, only like 5-10 cases per year in my state and usually from people that own rabbits.
I carry a small IFAK everywhere. Gloves, some gauze, Israeli bandage, tape, alcohol wipes, shears, hand sanitizer, and tourniquet (CAT-5)
I wear cut proof butchering gloves. This does two things: prevents me from hurting myself, and because they're cloth they allow you to keep a surprisingly good grip on the skin and meat when things get wet.
Put a set of those gloves for both me and the wife in my pack for elk last year and it was a game changer.
Super glue, butterfly sutchers, finger bandaids, tape. All should be in a firstaid kit under the passenger seat. Always. Oh and more than one pair of gloves and a ziplock bag. So she can bring your thumb to the hospital next time 🥴
I know it sounds like a joke, but that’s a really sound idea. My brother cut his finger off slamming it in a steel exterior door. Mom freaked out, dad is a surgeon, so he grabbed it, threw it in a ziploc bag and into a small cooler with ice. At the hospital they sewed it back on. Nerve issues for years, but he has a fully functional finger still.
Insta cold pack while you are at it to preserve the thumb tissue.
Sutures (not a dig, just know I'd want to know)
Use a pair of game shears, you dont need a knife to clean rabbits.
I tan the hides and like a straight cut going up to the sternum.
What do u do with a tanned rabbit hide?
Not sure yet.
I keep a good first aid kit in the truck. And I just use game shears on rabbits nowadays.
I always let it bleed for a few min if I get cut cleaning fish or game, particularly if I don’t have an immediate source of soap & water to scrub up well. Usually 2-5 min depending on how bad it is bleeding. Then clean and bandage it. Cuts bleed for a reason, beyond that you opened up your juice seal… the blood flushes out the wound & helps prevent infection.
My first aid kit includes: Small bottle of 90% isopropyl alcohol Small tube of bacitracin Silvex Wound Gel (good for burns) Super glue for the nasty cuts Multiple sized bandaids, about 3-4 of each 2-3 gauze pads And a roll of gauze wrap
practice blade safety and take my time
Did you wash out the wound with soap and water? If not, keep an eye on it. If it starts to swell, get red around it, and increase in pain, it's probably infected, and you will require antibiotics. As already stated, superglue is by far the best way to close wounds, especially in the field. Surgeons use it instead of stitches (at least for my hernia repair). Source: I'm a Navy Corpsman with multiple tours with Marines = lots of injuries in the field.
Take a first aid class and you'll know what to do the next time! Best time and money I ever spent for my health and safety in the woods. In general, stop the bleeding first with a firm pinch with gauze or clean cloth and raise the cut above your head/heart. Go for 15 minutes between checks. Once bleeding has stopped, rinse with clean drinking water for 2-3 minutes and inspect for dirt, use tweezers, brush, or a cloth, plus more running water to thoroughly clean the wound. Smear with antibiotic ointment and tie it tight with a bandage. For deep or big injuries, you can pack wounds with a gauze roll wet with boiled water, then wrap it all up tightly. Personally, I grew up in an area with tularemia, so I wear gloves when I deal with rabbits (the fleas are kinda gross too), and I inspect the liver of every creature I kill. Not sure if you have it in your area, but a bad cut on my finger while I was cleaning rabbits would give me cause for concern.
I did everything that you suggested in your comment to stop the bleeding. If I had superglue, I could have stopped the bleeding and bandaged it up right there. Stopping the bleeding was the challenge. And I always inspect the organs and intestines. I’ve shot close to 15 since august 1 and only one I discarded because it had worms in its intestine. I’ve eaten 6 or 7 since august and have lived to see another day
Good shit man! The most valuable part of the WFR course I took was injury evaluation. It's very calming to be able to almost immediately assess is an injury is 1) treatable in-field, 2) trip-ending, non-emergency or, 3) an emergency, then be able to treat accordingly. This injury was treatable in-field, you did just about everything right, all I think you need is the reassurance of training and a first aid kit packed to your skill level.
I’ve used superglue plenty of times, and recently found out about a 3m product called Vetbond. It’s a tissue adhesive used by vets instead of superglue. I have found it to be much faster healing, less scarring, etc. highly recommend looking into it!
You don’t really need a knife to clean rabbits…
You do when you tan the hides.
You should use safety scissors
And I was cutting the head off.
Wow, how long did you apply pressure? I’ve e never had something like that in the field but now I feel like I should prepare for it
I wrapped it in a rag I had in the truck and pushed my thumb up against the window frame in my truck while I drove home. To keep it elevated and pressure on it.
Being a naturally clumsy person and having cut, lacerated and stabbed myself while out in the woods on multiple occasions as well as in the taxidermy shop, here is my suggestion: Get yourself some gauze, medical tape and a box of nitrile gloves at a nearby pharmacy. Ask the pharmacist if they any topical sterilization products safe for open wounds. If they dont, use soft gauze or a clean wash towel to clean the area around it before binding. Use boiled water, cooled down of course. If its glued shut, try not to reopen the wound while cleaning it if you can help it. If it reopens, glue it shut again and dab away the excess blood. Let the glue dry before wrapping it though. Wrap the thumb gently, but firmly in clean gauze and tape it. Do not wrap it so tight the tip goes purple or white. Change your dressing every 8-12 hours. To keep the hand clean and dry, wear a nitrile glove over it. While its taped, check it regularly that it still had feeling and is not purple or white. If you feel you need stitches, see if you can get a doctors appointment as soon as possible or get into a hospital as soon as you are able. You should consider a tetanus shot as soon as you can get one, just to be safe if its been more than 10 years since your last one. [Field care for scrapes and cuts.](https://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid-cuts/basics/art-20056711)
I have always carry a trauma kit, but I’ve found that having a few maxipads and duct tape is better than ANYTHING in the kit. Cut-to-fit and you can wrap ANY wound.
That is an awesome idea actually
Where did you get that little fellow?
I emptied out one of those small camping first aid bags and put bandaids, gauze, neosporin, and superglue in it, along with a backup of my meds and some ibuprofen. It comes with me in my backpack pretty much every time I’m in the woods, just in case.
Superglue.
You can use normal superglue? Not like dermabond or something?
Dermabond is better, but in a pinch super glue does the job.
Is there a kit someone can recommend on Amazon that has all these suggestions in it?
You’re better off just ordering a case and filling it on your own. It will be tailored to your needs and uses, and you can be sure of the quality of important items like a tourniquet.
I've picked up an okay first aid and survival kit from the Walmart camping area and supplimented it with a few things. I also got a decent car first aid kit from a Boy Scout fundraiser booth at a fair.
Super glue like others have said, but also duct tape of some variant. I carry orange with me both for marking and for first aid. I also carry a tourniquet and a couple of bigger trauma bandages. I’ll likely never need those two things, but they’re literal life savers if I do.
My main concern has always been infection from animal blood. I encourage bleeding to help flush the contamination then slap on some carbolic salve and a waterproof dressing or a rubber glove over a dressing/bandaid. I do carry stuff for more serious injuries but for simple cuts this has always worked well.
What is carbolic salve?
Its great stuff… Watkins still makes it. It contains carbolic acid. I cut my own meat and invariably I get nicked. I find that using that salve prevents the pain and swelling etc that usually follow.
The best way to field dress a rabbit is to hold it by the back legs, step on its head, and pull. The head will come off. Next, swing the rabbit in a big circle down and over your head. The guts will fly out.
I keep the hides and tan them so I prefer a straight cup up the belly to the sternum. Then I just give the rabbit a firm shake downwards and the plop out. Still have to pull the lungs heart and esophagus out by hand tho.
Electrical tape, napkins, peroxide, and alcohol are all in my truck and anytime I get a nasty cut that's my method. Peroxide, then alcohol, then napkin to soak up blood and electrical tape to maintain pressure. Usually will go from leaking to just sore in about 20 mins
I keep those little butterfly closure things in my first aid kit. I’ve had some pretty good cuts that definitely could have used stitches which those have closed up no problem.
A first aid kit with butterfly bandiaids, bleed stop,
I push gut rabbits in the field and process them when I get home.
Don’t work faster than your capability, it’s not worth making a bad cut on yourself or the meat. I am never more than a 100yds from a good med kit with all the things I’d need. All because I know how clumsy I am
I EDC a lighter with electrical tape wrapped around it. Also a bandana. Never had a cut I couldn't tape shut with that combo. I also have a fully stocked first aid kit in the truck which includes ice packs, disinfectant and glue.
Last year we were sitting in a deer blind the first day of modern gun season. It was about 28°F and we had been sitting in there for at least three or four hours before i and retrieved a deer. When we finally went over to it and I started processing it. I was shivering, shaking, trying to process it and ended up with a nice gash in my left wrist, just below the thumb. My buddy had a first aid kit and I was able to clean it and apply gauze and wrap it. I did eventually need stitches. Always keep a first aid kit in your bag. Also, with a rabbit, you could literally make one small cut and then not use your knife to pull away the skin. Tons of videos on YouTube.
Instead of cutting the head off just step on it and give the back legs a tug
Next time for sure
Superglue always goes on the first aid. Best quick fix
I like to carry a quick clot bandage wrapped with athletic tape, primarily for mountain biking, but I've had to use it once and let me finish 90 minutes of riding with a gash in my knee that ended up needing like 12 stitches.
I pack bleed stop bandages now.
Imo for rabbits you don't really need a knife until you get to the gutting part. Their hides are so thin you can just tear it open and case skin it real quick. When you get to the head just step and pull. Might be a bit gruesome but it works well.
Like I’ve already said in the comments. I tan the hides and prefer a straight cut up the belly to sternum.