# Yet another awful reminder for safety.



## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

Here is another unfortunate fatality from a tree stand fall that happened recently in my area.

http://www.mountvernonnews.com/local/10/11/10/hunter-dies-after-tree-stand-fall

Be safe out there guys!! And wear your harnesses!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

It took me a while to warm up to wearing a harness, but now I feel very uncomfortable until I&#8217;m hooked up. It also took me a while to find a harness I liked. All you see on TV are the HSS vests, but I personally dislike them. My next step is a lifeline. I said I would have them for this year on each stand, but I don&#8217;t. if I ever fall, it will likely be getting into or out of a stand.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I thought about putting a lifeline system on a few trees as well. Climbing in to lock-on stands can sometimes be the trickiest part of the whole ordeal.

I use the HSS vest and I really like it although i have not tried any other brands beyond the models that are made up of just the straps. Some of those are a major pain to even get untangled and put on. I can see why those will drive some guys away from even using them. I have one model of those that my boys use now that works pretty well. I believe it came with a Gorilla brand stand. It is stitched together at the crossover points and can not come completely apart on you like some others do. But I still use the HSS for myself all the time.

I have used a harness since almost the beginning of my hunting years. Actually the early years was just a belt until everyone started pushing the harnesses. I personally feel more at ease to shoot and move in the stand with one. Without it I would be holding on every time I moved or turned.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

I took a fall down a tree as I was climbing around 10 years ago when a tree step pulled out near the top of my climb. I was able to wrap my arms around the tree to slow my fall but not before taking a tree step under my rib cage and then up my chest and across my neck up to my ear. There was a lot of blood and plenty of pain. I really thought I would find a gaping hole under my rib cage but I was lucky to only have a long cut.

I had been bowhunting for 20 years at that point, in numerous states per year. It was standard procedure to just strap the Loc-On on my back, tie a rope to my bow and climb the trees with my stand as I installed the steps on the way up (Still hard to remember back to being in good enough physical shape to do that) I have climbed somewhere in excess of 100 trees over the years like that.

The day of the fall I was alone, no one knew where I was and I was a long way from my truck.

Since that day I have had two new rules for me. I either keep my big butt on the ground or I use a ladder stand. That was a very scary and two month long painful lesson for me.

I saw a hunting show on cable during the last year or so that focused on treestand safety. One of the featured stories was about Mike McCabe, an avid Ohio bowhunter, that was paralyzed from a fall while filming a black bear hunt in Canada. I shot a few IBO competitions with Mike back in the day. It is a very sad result for Mike and his family.

Some scary sobering stuff.


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## 7thcorpsFA (Mar 6, 2010)

I fell 15' while stepping onto a lock on about 30 years ago. Must have landed flat on my back and head. When I woke up my head was about 1" from a huge rock which would have split my head wide open. Don't know how I managed not to get seriously hurt or killed. Was in the middle of nowhere and all alone. Limped out of there. My whole body hurt for about a month. All I can do is thank God All Mighty that it wasn't my time to die. Now I am 53 and hunt out of sheds on stilts. I've had better luck by far hunting out of those sheds. Think about it boys, the shed hides your movement, your scent, is much warmer and you can use a comfortable swivel office chair like I do. You can build one for about $150.00 and stay alive.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I am going to look in to investing in a couple of lifeline systems for use on the lock-ons. As mentioned before that seems to be the most risk involved assuming you are harnessing while in the stand. The climb and getting in the stand are the only time that you are not tethered to the tree.


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## kprice (May 23, 2009)

I can't stress to you guys how important it should be for everyone to use a safety harness. My dad fell 25 feet about 15 years ago, and should not be alive. He had to be life flighted out of the woods. It is not something he ever talks about, nor do my uncles that were there and found him. It is a miracle he is still alive. Just remember it can happen to you. It is worth the money to buy a harness, and worth the time to put it on!


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## bigwalleye (Jun 21, 2006)

Agreed with what everyone else said. You can't be too careful. 

When I was about 20 years old I was shotgun hunting in a big, open platform-type stand (like 4' by 6') about 18 feet up. Well, I didn't wear a harness cause it was like a treehouse without the sides or roof. I was young and dumb and invincible for sure.

That afternoon I looked behind me to see the biggest buck of my life 15 yards behind me. I was able to sorta stand, turn and pull the trigger on him. As soon as I did that the recoil of my 12 ga. sent me off the front of the stand backwards and I landed on the small of my back next to a long pile of large rocks (that looked eerily like a grave - come to think of it). I was definitely seeing stars as I gathered myself on the ground, contemplating what had just happened and how much worse it could have turned out for me had I landed one foot further to my left. I never found that deer but I'm pretty sure someone else did...Lesson learned - it can happen to you even when you feel secure.

One other time I had climbed a tree and grabbed onto a rope to help pull myself up and through the crotch of this tree to the stand on the other side. Just as I'm pulling myself up with my right hand, the rope breaks, my fist comes flying back into my face and I hit myself square in the eye! Breaks the lens in my glasses, glasses fly off, etc, etc. Luckily I was still hanging on with my other hand when the rope broke. I did finally get into that stand and get settled (with one lens over my left eye) when here comes a nice buck. Well, I couldn't sight him in cause I couldn't see out of my right eye!

Nowadays I wear a harness and will only hunt out of ladder stands. Lesson(s) learned.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

Very tragic. I would love to have a copy of that You Tube video for our Hunter Education Classes. Anyone know how I can get a copy of it?


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## Muskynut13 (Dec 21, 2008)

Ill be the first to tell you that I never wore a harness. That was until 2005. All my friends were going to Athens to party and I asked my one buddy if he wanted to ride with me. he said he wasnt going because he just got a pic of a good buck and was going to hunt all weekend for it. We all left and went to party. We get a call about 10pm and said that my best friend had fallen out of his tree and passed away. It was the hardest thing that I had ever had to go through in my life. Just think I had been in a tree 1000 times without a harness and nothing happend to me. He had a linemans belt on trying to be safe. Not a full body harness but at least it was something. He fell asleep and fell to his death. From that day forward I told myself that I would always wear a harness. Everybody please wear your harness, because it is not just me that would suffer. It hurts your family, and friends.


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## bkr43050 (Apr 5, 2004)

I bought the rope to install lifeline systems to my lock-on tree stands and will be putting them up the next time I go to each one. It is a great way to ensure that you are protected from the time you leave the ground until you get back down after your hunt. For those of you interested in doing so I can tell you that it is a piece of cake to make these setups. The kits will run you $25 or more each but I bought enough rope and carabiners for 4 setups for about the price of one kit. If anyone needs to know how to tie these there are all kinds of links explaining how to tie the Prussic know that is used. And believe me this knot is extremely simple to do.


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