This Happened to me

[Sharp stick]

I remember many years ago waiting for the next issue of Outdoor Life Magazine I think. My favorite section was called ( This Happened to Me). There were some incredible true stories of adventures in the outdoors that went terribly wrong but the writer lived to tell about it. Some had a funny side to them as well but all were good for lessons learned. Im sure there are plenty of good stories out there so lets hear some of them, throw in some pics if you have them.

 

[mtmuley]

I remember that. I waited for the monthly issue too. Read it cover to cover. That was also one of my favorite parts. Long time ago. mtmuley

 

[EastTNHunter]

Always enjoyed that section, though towards the end it got way to “comic booky” and was difficult to read

 

[Hem]

Yep...Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, and Curt Gowdy.

 

[mtmuley]

Yep...Outdoor Life, Field and Stream, and Curt Gowdy.

And the JC Penny catalog. mtmuley

 

[Sharp stick]

I found a post on here with a lot of good stories titled ( Ever run into bad guys) or something like that. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s got some good stories that would fall into this category very well

 

[Corn king 60]

I remember many years ago waiting for the next issue of Outdoor Life Magazine I think. My favorite section was called ( This Happened to Me). There were some incredible true stories of adventures in the outdoors that went terribly wrong but the writer lived to tell about it. Some had a funny side to them as well but all were good for lessons learned. Im sure there are plenty of good stories out there so lets hear some of them, throw in some pics if you have them.

I still have volumes of them put away. Some think I’m a hoarder.

 

[F250]

I always read Jack O'Connor's column first, then This Happened to Me.

 

[BAKPAKR]

“The Last Laugh” by Patrick F. McManus was always the first thing I read. The story, “Trailer Trials,” always reminds me of the annual preparation of the camping trailer with my dad the day before elk season. Like Pat, most of my hunting attire/equipment in my early years had an army surplus flavor (and smell) to it.

 

[MTLabrador]

“The Last Laugh” by Patrick F. McManus was always the first thing I read. The story, “Trailer Trials,” always reminds me of the annual preparation of the camping trailer with my dad the day before elk season. Like Pat, most of my hunting attire/equipment in my early years had an army surplus flavor (and smell) to it.

McManus was great. I have most of his books.

 

[RobertD]

I still have volumes of them put away. Some think I’m a hoarder.

Hopefully one day that will allow your kids/grands to check out the old issues and how magazines are/were laid out and produced. That'd make it worth holding onto them.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I always read McManus first, then on to O'Connor
and finally, This Happened to Me.
I sure miss the issues arriving once a month, canceled
my subscription when they went to 3 issues a year.
Same with Field and Stream.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Yeah, the outdoors magazines have all been taken over by technocrap pushers. Very few stories and any that do show up are usually trying to sell something or someone's dude operation. It's the same thing with the outdoors shows but MUCH worse. Those TV programs have more advertising (overt and otherwise) than content ... literally! Ugh! In the old days the stories and the writing sold the magazines. Nowadays it's all product promotion or "how-to" stuff that's either redundant or product promotion in sheep's clothing or, most of the time, both. How many different ways can you stick a worm on the hook?

I also enjoyed the "This Happened to Me" page before the illustration became too Batmanish ("BOFF ... POW") and was hacked to four or five panes which usually meant the story of events was similarly hacked. Often it was obvious important details were missing. The attraction of that section was 1) stories of unusual harrowing events (novelty) and 2) learning how to avoid a similar disaster (education). When the editors went cheap, they lost on both counts.

Interesting that this would come up now. Yesterday I was talking to my brother in Montana and learned he'd never heard the whole story of my near death experience with hypothermia while hunting in 1971. He is still quite involved with local search and rescue so I told him everything and instructed him to pass it on to the crew. It may save someone's life ... one of the rescuers! Finding someone who's carrying a gun and in the final throws of ambient hypothermia can be extremely dangerous! How bad was I? The doctor who examined me the day after I was back home said I should have been dead in his office! The thing that kept me alive was having read a newspaper account the previous week about a girl in Oregon who watched her two friends die in a survival school exercise that went wrong. So I knew what was happening to me and could put a desperate plan in place while I still had some judgment faculties ... and stick to it as those faculties disappeared. Reality disappears. Nothing is what it appears ... and what appears is often terrifying. The ability to make decisions is out the window. It's interesting that the last of the senses to become impaired is auditory so if you find someone who may be hypothermic, shout out a warning and assurance from a safe distance. Ask if they are hallucinating and assure them you are real. Them hearing your voice may keep you from getting shot at. I'll write out the story when I have more time. It's worth passing on in detail. I've never been into the Batmanish brevity.

 

[hank4elk]

I got OL for many years and it was a favorite.

Hell, I could write the stories with myself in it monthly, I realize, now.
No ones gonna believe this, I would tell myself filling out my daily log.

 

[D_Walt]

Outdoor Life was my favorite growing up, and like many have said the first two items I would read were The Last Laugh and This Happened To Me. I always tried to read the whole magazine before it disappeared into Dad’s bathroom.

 

[D_Walt]

Yeah, the outdoors magazines have all been taken over by technocrap pushers. Very few stories and any that do show up are usually trying to sell something or someone's dude operation. It's the same thing with the outdoors shows but MUCH worse. Those TV programs have more advertising (overt and otherwise) than content ... literally! Ugh! In the old days the stories and the writing sold the magazines. Nowadays it's all product promotion or "how-to" stuff that's either redundant or product promotion in sheep's clothing or, most of the time, both. How many different ways can you stick a worm on the hook?

I also enjoyed the "This Happened to Me" page before the illustration became too Batmanish ("BOFF ... POW") and was hacked to four or five panes which usually meant the story of events was similarly hacked. Often it was obvious important details were missing. The attraction of that section was 1) stories of unusual harrowing events (novelty) and 2) learning how to avoid a similar disaster (education). When the editors went cheap, they lost on both counts.

Interesting that this would come up now. Yesterday I was talking to my brother in Montana and learned he'd never heard the whole story of my near death experience with hypothermia while hunting in 1971. He is still quite involved with local search and rescue so I told him everything and instructed him to pass it on to the crew. It may save someone's life ... one of the rescuers! Finding someone who's carrying a gun and in the final throws of ambient hypothermia can be extremely dangerous! How bad was I? The doctor who examined me the day after I was back home said I should have been dead in his office! The thing that kept me alive was having read a newspaper account the previous week about a girl in Oregon who watched her two friends die in a survival school exercise that went wrong. So I knew what was happening to me and could put a desperate plan in place while I still had some judgment faculties ... and stick to it as those faculties disappeared. Reality disappears. Nothing is what it appears ... and what appears is often terrifying. The ability to make decisions is out the window. It's interesting that the last of the senses to become impaired is auditory so if you find someone who may be hypothermic, shout out a warning and assurance from a safe distance. Ask if they are hallucinating and assure them you are real. Them hearing your voice may keep you from getting shot at. I'll write out the story when I have more time. It's worth passing on in detail. I've never been into the Batmanish brevity.

Sounds like a good story as long as it doesn’t end with warming up by a poop fire.

 

[morley.tyler]

“The Last Laugh” by Patrick F. McManus was always the first thing I read. The story, “Trailer Trials,” always reminds me of the annual preparation of the camping trailer with my dad the day before elk season. Like Pat, most of my hunting attire/equipment in my early years had an army surplus flavor (and smell) to it.

Pat McManus, was a Sandpoint Idaho guy. Years later (the 80's) he had a place on an island in the braids of the Clark Fork River, where it empties into Lake Pend Oreille. On the side of the county road, as you approached his driveway, was a sign that said: Troll Crossing. As many readers may recall, Troll was his nickname for his sister, in his stories...

​

 

[Sharp stick]

Yeah, the outdoors magazines have all been taken over by technocrap pushers. Very few stories and any that do show up are usually trying to sell something or someone's dude operation. It's the same thing with the outdoors shows but MUCH worse. Those TV programs have more advertising (overt and otherwise) than content ... literally! Ugh! In the old days the stories and the writing sold the magazines. Nowadays it's all product promotion or "how-to" stuff that's either redundant or product promotion in sheep's clothing or, most of the time, both. How many different ways can you stick a worm on the hook?

I also enjoyed the "This Happened to Me" page before the illustration became too Batmanish ("BOFF ... POW") and was hacked to four or five panes which usually meant the story of events was similarly hacked. Often it was obvious important details were missing. The attraction of that section was 1) stories of unusual harrowing events (novelty) and 2) learning how to avoid a similar disaster (education). When the editors went cheap, they lost on both counts.

Interesting that this would come up now. Yesterday I was talking to my brother in Montana and learned he'd never heard the whole story of my near death experience with hypothermia while hunting in 1971. He is still quite involved with local search and rescue so I told him everything and instructed him to pass it on to the crew. It may save someone's life ... one of the rescuers! Finding someone who's carrying a gun and in the final throws of ambient hypothermia can be extremely dangerous! How bad was I? The doctor who examined me the day after I was back home said I should have been dead in his office! The thing that kept me alive was having read a newspaper account the previous week about a girl in Oregon who watched her two friends die in a survival school exercise that went wrong. So I knew what was happening to me and could put a desperate plan in place while I still had some judgment faculties ... and stick to it as those faculties disappeared. Reality disappears. Nothing is what it appears ... and what appears is often terrifying. The ability to make decisions is out the window. It's interesting that the last of the senses to become impaired is auditory so if you find someone who may be hypothermic, shout out a warning and assurance from a safe distance. Ask if they are hallucinating and assure them you are real. Them hearing your voice may keep you from getting shot at. I'll write out the story when I have more time. It's worth passing on in detail. I've never been into the Batmanish brevity.

This is exactly the kind of stories I would love to read. Something we can all learn from. It may save a life some day. Can’t wait to read it. Thank you

 

[Sharp stick]

Sounds like a good story as long as it doesn’t end with warming up by a poop fire.

Even if it does end that way, sounds like a good read

 

[Sharp stick]

Maybe some outdoor magazine editor will read these posts and realize people like to read this kind of article and start it up again