Is there any time you can wear one while hunting, or are they always a no-no? Sorry to display my ignorance.
I wouldn’t 
Oh, they are officially frowned upon, but a long ago video about Melvin Poe revealed that he used one… Might be kind of fun to use one just to see if anyone notices!
The thing is if you need a stock tie for a rap or sling pre-tied will not help you at all!!! I would just go with a really one they do not cost much and after you learn how to tie it they are easy.
Doesn’t anyone carry a medical kit?
Some of us carry some supplies in our sandwich cases. But there isn’t enough room for lots of bandages - better to have a good long stock tie. It can also double as a rein if one breaks - and tack does break out hunting - usually in the middle of nowhere.
Why does one need a pre-tied stock. They just aren’t that hard to tie. (Except early in the morning if you have a raging hangover) Maybe there is a purpose for them afterall.
I wouldn’t.
Don’t forget the purpose of a correctly tied hunting stock is to give support to your neck in the event of an accident.
And also it can, if necessary, act as an an improvised bandage or sling.
Pretied stock ties are generally a no-no, for all the reasons listed above. I have a funny story about pretied stock ties…For some reason we have one at our house (maybe from my childhood?) and one morning I accidentally threw it into my purse instead of one of my real ones…to my great dismay when we arrived at the fixture! The most embarrassing part of the ordeal was that I could not figure out how to use it! No matter how I played with it I just could not get it to look like a real stock tie…I was so mortified!
Many years ago we had a member of the Field fall from their horse while jumping a ditch. She landed on a rock or stump and broke her left Femur right in half. At that particular time in my life I was a Paramedic. So I quickly dismounted and attended to the fallen rider. With a pocket knife in hand I began a “MacGyver” episode on how to create a Segar Traction splint from saplings and a pocket knife. The objective was to pull the leg a little longer than normal in order to prevent the broken ends of the Femur from grating together and thus alleviate immense pain. I gathered the saplings, whittled them down into the required lengths and then went about fastening the parts and pieces together. I collected as many stock ties from the Field as I could. A stick on each side of the leg and stock-tie webbing in between to cradle the leg. Then with one stock at the foot I fashioned a device to pull the leg a wee bit longer.
Well, a registered nurse came up to me and asked if she could help. I asked for her stock tie. Over my shoulder I heard the familiar sound of Velcro peeling apart as she handed me her pre-made stock. I stood there looking at this contraption wondering how I was going to use this thing to help the patient. Then it occurred to me how she could help. – I handed her my reins.
The moral of the story, pre-made stocks are available, but in a pinch if you are wearing one you may only be useful for holding someone’s reins!
Oh, and the ambulance crew left the splint on all the way to the hospital. I heard later that she wore the splint right into radiology and kept it on until they were ready to pin her leg and cast it. As a thank you, the “patient” bought all new stocks for everyone who graciously gave theirs up in the service of her well being.
As for a medical kit - it is called a cell phone and 911 
Gregory
Great story! Staying on subject a bit -this is my contention with the banning of field boots. Some hunts more restrictive than others-I see them as so much more functional. As a medical professional -it’s likely better to leave boots on in most cases-use them as a splint. However, it’s impossible to check circulation , etc. Zippered and/or field boots do allow for this and cutting them in the ED always seemed such pitty.
I also liked the idea of laces for broken tack and if needed a leash (I often used my whip for that ) at the end of a long glorious day of hunting when the humans were exhausted and those few hounds just didn’t want to give up .
Stock ties aren’t hard to tie and many are willing to help you out at a hunt if you can’t quite “get it” to go right. You can get the “pull through” type if you don’t like a lot of bulk behind your neck. Those are sold at most tack shops.
gkittredge- great story and first class “thank you” from the patient.
JSwan- something else that that doesn’t take much room but can patch together a bridle safely enough to get back to the trailers is a 36"-40" length of leather string, the kind of leather scraps cowboys keep around. This coils up flat and tight in your sandwich case. A leather or nylon dog leash would also work.
Even better IMO, just carry a piece of baling twine in your pocket. In a pinch it can be a bridle, rein, stirrup leather, lead or couple for hounds, fence repairer, gate repairer, lead rope, popper for a whip, and more.
Baling twine is just about as functional as duct tape. I’ve used it for all kinds of redneck repairs. Heck with baling twine and duct tape you could just about repair anything.
Nurse chimes in!
But the ULTIMATE stock tie bandage thingey is a 4 fold stock!!! Now THAT’S a useful piece of fabric!!! I made some of my own and made them extra long. I once splinted a broken clavicle out hunting with 2 stocks. Once was used as an arm splint and mine to wrap whole body/arm splint up against their body to prevent movement.
4 folds also work better as bandages on horses legs complete with stock pins!! But blood kinda shortens their life…the stocks! not the horses you goofs!!! :winkgrin: No obviously I’m not in the pre tied camp!!
[QUOTE=gkittredge;2670806]
Many years ago we had a member of the Field fall from their horse while jumping a ditch. She landed on a rock or stump and broke her left Femur right in half. At that particular time in my life I was a Paramedic. So I quickly dismounted and attended to the fallen rider. With a pocket knife in hand I began a “MacGyver” episode on how to create a Segar Traction splint from saplings and a pocket knife. The objective was to pull the leg a little longer than normal in order to prevent the broken ends of the Femur from grating together and thus alleviate immense pain. I gathered the saplings, whittled them down into the required lengths and then went about fastening the parts and pieces together. I collected as many stock ties from the Field as I could. A stick on each side of the leg and stock-tie webbing in between to cradle the leg. Then with one stock at the foot I fashioned a device to pull the leg a wee bit longer.
Well, a registered nurse came up to me and asked if she could help. I asked for her stock tie. Over my shoulder I heard the familiar sound of Velcro peeling apart as she handed me her pre-made stock. I stood there looking at this contraption wondering how I was going to use this thing to help the patient. Then it occurred to me how she could help. – I handed her my reins.
The moral of the story, pre-made stocks are available, but in a pinch if you are wearing one you may only be useful for holding someone’s reins!
Oh, and the ambulance crew left the splint on all the way to the hospital. I heard later that she wore the splint right into radiology and kept it on until they were ready to pin her leg and cast it. As a thank you, the “patient” bought all new stocks for everyone who graciously gave theirs up in the service of her well being.
As for a medical kit - it is called a cell phone and 911
Gregory[/QUOTE]
I know this post is Old… But THIS is a GREAT story.
I tried a pre-tied years ago
My problem with them is you can’t really wash them, at least the knot never looks the same afterwards. Certainly not when washed in a washing machine. I wash my stock tie after every hunt. I’m not into hand washing. I’d rather just tie the tie.
