Ok, so maybe this post makes me "Mr. Over Prepared" and not my brother but I don't see any problem with being prepared for injuries. Imagine where you hunt, whether it be a spike camp in the middle of the rockies or in a tent during the opening weeks of white tail archery season. Now imagine how long it would take to get you to a nearby hospital if something bad happened. For most of us it should be a sobering thought. This is why I'm a big fan of having a first aid kit and knowing how to use it. Any first aid kit is better than none, so even if all you have is a small $10 car first aid kit at least you have something. For the do-it-yourselfers you can build a kit from scratch, there are many sites on the interwebz that have detailed lists of what makes up a good first aid kit. Here are a few,

• The Red Cross

• Country Consultant

• Disaster First Aid

You can also buy pre-made kits, I'll list some of the best and most interesting bellow. I'll also list some interesting and useful add-ons to your kit whether you built it yourself or you bought a pre-made kit.

• Adventure Medical Kits - This company makes nothing but first aid and survival products and they have a wide selection. I'm a fan of the kits listed under the "sportsmen" section because they are geared towards the hunter. with kit's starting at $38 you can't go wrong with them. Their larger kits actually come with a gun shot trauma kit along with materials teaching you the basics about caring for gun shot wounds. Their outfitter kit will be the one that replaces my home made first aid kit.

• Wilderness Medical - These are some hard core kits, and the price is a little hard core too, but if your willing to spend the money they seem to have a great product. I really like their flash cards that are designed so a person with no medical training who is under the stress of an emergency situation can look up information easily. These kits are more suited for someone who has a bit of medical training but could be useful to any hunting parties list of gear.

I also found an interesting tool that I will probably order to go with the new kit. Cabela's sells a disposible body stapler... Yea you heard that right, the same type of stapler used in hospitals to stitch you back up can be added to your first aid kit "just in case". This is one of those tools that if you need it your going to wish you had it, but I hope I never have to use it on myself.

So I hope this post might encourage a few people to add first aid kits to their supply list. I would also like to see people go out and get certified in CPR, I'm signing myself up for a class in the next two months, I think every hunting group could use at least one person trained in CPR. Also for those of you around the St. Louis area The Alpine Shop offers a wilderness first aid course that would be great for any one who spends times out in the field.