I'd have it looked at by a doctor.

 

My buddy sliced the base of his thumb to the bone when we were processing deer last week. Using one of those handheld sharpeners that you stroke the blade through. He was using it backwards and slipped. Few stitches and he’s fine.

I’ve nicked my hands dressing deer in really cold weather. Warm sticky blood and cold hands. Nothing serious though.

 

I was very fortunate this year and didn't cut myself and I did 4 deer this year. Now previous years are a different story

 

Was skinning around the tail on a doe, first day of rifle, 2021. Put the knife between by thighs while trying to use brute gorilla forces instead of the appropriate man tools. My grip slipped and I put a havalon blade through the meatiest part of my hand. A little bit of nerve damage, but luckily I missed the tendons. I should have gotten stitches, but I've passed those up a few times with no ill consequence yet. I cleaned it, super glued it myself and put a butterfly badage on it. I was hunting again a couple days later, climbing trees with one and a half hands. I can barely see the scar from that one, nice clean razor cut.

 

i quitusing my havalon because those things are so sharp i was afraid of really hurting myself and a couple times i punctured the stomach on deer while gutting, only needed the very lightest touch of the blade to put a hole where i didn't want one i use an outdoor edge with a blunt end on the gutting blade now heir blades are very sharp but do not hold an edge at all if you touch hair or bone they are worthless

 

I like Havalon knives, but they are scary. I ran a blade straight through the base of my thumb ten years ago. I was reaching up inside the chest to cut off the windpipe. Wrapped it up in a handkerchief with a gob of Neosporan and kept hunting. It healed up fine.

Im a big fan of the triple antibiotic ointments. I can get about any wound to heal with that stuff.

 

that was rxactly what i was afraid of doing those things are so sharp i thought you could cut your finger off and not even feel it i didn't like the idea of pulling my hand backout minus a finger didn't want to mix deer blood in with my blood eitheri like working with s sharp knife but those things are just scalpels

 

With a deep cut prefer keeping it covered in a glob of BEAR fat great natural healing agent Indians always used …

 

No infection risk?

 

Years ago in Va. at a camp I knock down a doe and started to field dress it. Trying to hold the back legs open to split the pelvic bone my knife went through it too easy. Stuck that blade into my leg just above the knee. Now a painful thought struck, had to remove the knife. That hurt! Cut up some pieces of material from my tee shirt and made a field bandage. After a trip to Winchester Hospital and eleven stiches later and back at camp. The ER doctor said to stay off that leg. I propped it up on a log trying to fill another tag. ER doctor said I missed the artery by an inch.

 

I cut my middle finger thru the nail to the bone on the first knuckle. Years ago skinning rabbits with a brand new knive. So sharp didn't even realize I did it to I left a blood trail across the garage floor. Cleaned it out good wrapped it tight till it quit bleeding. Got a ugly scar and my nail grows funky. Should have got stitches but young and dumb.

 

Holy mackeral.... I can hardly read these posts without getting woozy. I sliced my left ring finger this year lengthwise and I can still feel the blade of that knife. Bled like a stuck pig. I wrapped it and headed for the ER. Took six stitches and a tetanus shot. While the doc was sewing me up the nurse asked what type of knife I was using. The doctor, without looking up, told her it was a sharp one. It healed up nicely but feels a little weird rubbing over it.

 

Ugh...this stuff sounds scary. I've gotten a few very minor nicks over the years..but when I'm field dressing I really slow it down, maybe to the point of paranoia..but ill take that. I don't butcher my deer so that probably helps a lot.

 

I e been fortunate enough to not cut myself with a hunting knife yet… knock on wood.
I am very aware and cautious when using it. Always cut away from me, never pull a knife, always push. I field dress and butcher in slow motion to prevent injury

 

Never cut myself bad with a knife, but I put a double blade ax through my hand onetime between my thumb and forefinger. Still have the scar top and bottom, didn’t hit any tendon or ligaments. Doc, cleaned it out, and stitch it up. Healed up like nothing ever happened.

 

My daughter has a theory that demons live in stuff like new knives and power tools. She says the demon wont get ya when ya buy something brand new cause he knows you'll be careful. She says the demon waits until you become familiar cause that's when you get sloppy. She's right, the demon in my new Rapala filet knife waited four months for me to let my guard down. I layed the knife down to move some steaks and when I reached for it again he'd already turned it around 180 degrees and I grabbed it by the blade. They werent deep cuts but it was all four fingers on my smart hand.

 

A guy I worked with in the mine died after cutting himself with a knife. He was gutting a turkey, nicked himself with the blade. He got some kind of blood poisoning and was dead 24 hours later.

Back in 2006, I got a small cut on a finger while gutting an elk. A week later, it was badly infected. Took a couple different antibiotics to clear it up.

 

@Bowhunter 1188 ...dirty knife(skinning deer) and a bad cut...and you're trying to avoid going to Dr?
....just not smart.

 

It wasn't dirty yet. I am going to go this week.

 

I always have a couple bottles of Amoxicillin on hand in the refrigerator. If I get a bad cut, I’ll take them.

 

It’s a joke with the grandkids about me knlcking myself when gutting deer!🤣

 

Yes,and watch fir infection.If possible immediately wash with hot soapy water then finish the deal with a good rinse with rubbing alcohol.

 

Couple years ago in Montana. I was rushing in near zero temps just before dark. I was boning out a whitetail buck and making my initial cut from the back of the head down to the tail. For some dumb reason I was cutting towards myself and the knife hung up for a second in that patch just above the tail. I pulled and that Outdoor edge Razor pro zipped right through and into my calf. My gaiters, pants and layers didn't slow that blade down at all.

I held snow on it for a while and surprisingly it didn't bleed bad at first. It was deep enough that I figured I better make the long walk back to the rental car and get back to where we were staying. I had no service and my 2 buddies killed a Mulie in another spot. We reconvened and they convinced me that I was a 'sissy'. Headed back out and I boned out the buck, they helped pack it out. Once back we finally took a good look at my leg, there was a shocking amount of blood soaked in my layers, sock and boot and some weird looking stuff poking out of the cut. The next day I went to the closest urgent care. I was told I waiting to long so it couldn't be stitched? Tetanus shot, glued and butterflies.

 

Minor nicks while up the neck cavity cutting windpipe a few times. Found a folder with flat tip that I use just for that. Plenty of hand cuts and one on my thigh as a BoyScout from whittling. Got my Tote-N-Chip card (knife safety card) notched a few times for careless acts.

 

A long time ago, back in the far reaches of the ANF about half a mile the nearest logging road. I shot a doe and was cutting the tarsal gland off, when instead of poking through the hair and skin, it slipped up over the hair and slid right into my forefinger above the second knuckle and all the way to the bone. I cleaned it out with snow and wrapped it in a handkerchief and dragged the deer to truck. I showed my dad and the guys and no one thought I needed stitches. Well it was starting to heal and then broke open again and that time I bled like a stuck pig. Ended up at the doctor, but since the wound had been open for so long they wouldn't stitch it, fearing infection.

Second time, I was poking the tip of my knife through a deer's ear to make a slit for a zip tie for an ear tag. My middle finger which was on the back side of the ear got in the way and slit it straight through at the first knuckle. That one wasn't as bad. Some Neosporin and bandages.

I joke that I shouldn't be allowed to have anything sharper than a donut.

 

I read a few of these posts about getting cut while getting after the wind pipe.
I always try to split the sternum. I straddle the deer and put the blade under the sternum and lift/ push towards the neck. Only ever had 2 that I couldn’t get through. On those I open up the neck at the top of the sternum and cut the wind pipe that way unless it one I want to mount.

 

After I skin my deer I always take the fish and backstraps off right away and then hang it in the cooler. this year when I was cutting the fish out the knife slipped and cut my little finger from the nail past the middle of the finger. This was about 11 am on Saturday and I didn't get the bleeding stopped until Sunday afternoon. I am on Warfin, I put so much pressure on it that my finger ached that I couldn't sleep Saturday night. I have had a lot worse cut but that was before they put me on blood thinner. Even went a round with a chainsaw when I was still working.

 

WAIT....theres fish inside deer ? trout ?

 

some of these stories refusing to get medical help reminds me of the way i wrap presents...some are not wrapped to tight

to the O.P. get to a doctor, you have no idea what went into that wound.

 

I got a good nick on my thumb when cleaning my doe during archery this year. I left my headlamp charging in the truck so was trying to work by phone light. Now I keep a second emergency light and I bring one of those cut resistant filet gloves in my cleaning kit