Safety Harness Success
Wisconsin
First off, I always use a full HSS harness / vest along with life lines. I am strapped from the moment I leave the ground until I'm back down on terra firma. I started thinking about all the individuals in the other threads that have been killed or injured by falls and not wearing the proper safety harness and using life lines. It seems that there would be just as many people that have had a fall that were saved by proper use of this equipment. I would like to hear about these "saves". Did you impact the tree or your steps during the fall? Were there minor injuries? What did you do after the fall to recover or get back into the stand or to the ground. Instructions say after a fall the harness should be replaced due to the stresses, just like motorcycle helmets that have been impacted should be replaced. Did you replace your equipment?
Well, apparently no one on Wisconsin Bowsite was saved by a safety harness. That indicates to me, that with all the horror stories, there must be a lot more people "not using" this safety equipment. With all the horror stories you would think statistically there would a similar number of falls that were saved by the harness / life line.
I've been biting my tongue on this, since I'm not a harness fan I figured I'd be biased.
I can name many many times job site harness have created safety hazards and minor injuries. And I don't personally know anyone who was saved by one.
One thing the harness guys should consider. Is having a escape plan. I'm not telling anyone to not wear a harness but escaping the harness may be just as important. if I remember correctly, 10 Min of hang time can result in need for amputation, 15 min can kill you. This is based on job site type harnesses, not sure if they even fit the same as a tree harness as I have never wore one.
You didn't give you question much time Helgermite, it's not like people are sitting here on the Friday before Christmas waiting to pounce on a question posted on the Bowsite.
My harness has an additional strap that you attach near your butt that allows you to stand in and relieve some pressure while you are hanging. And even without it I guess I'd rather have 10-15 minutes of hangtime to figure out my escape than the 1-2 seconds it takes to hit the ground without one. And I'd rather take my chances with figuring out how to get out of a harness while I'm hanging than suddenly trying to learn how to fly...
Cheese, I realize I didn’t give this much time, so my choice of words “apparently” was not the best. I more wanted to bump the thread so it wouldn’t get buried. Still my guess is that there are far more people not using safety harnesses than those that do.
North, you bring up good points about suspension injuries and death. Most are not aware that toxins will settle in your lower legs during suspension in some period of time and when you are released from the suspension of the harness, those toxins can stop your heart. It is important to keep your heart above your legs after you are rescued to prevent cardiac arrest. Still, I’m with Cheese on this one. I would rather have a few minutes to recover from a fall with a harness than to have a second to experience something far worse.
late season I hunt in such crap, you have to be on the ground,,,,, I never had a harness fail on me, my tree spider, has an arrest system, a stirrup to put my foot on.... most stands are a hassle,,,,,, too much junk, so that is why I like the eye ball view,,,,,,
where I hunt, you have to spend half the day, clearing out a spot to shoot,,,,,,,
