Hunter Survived Treestand Fall
Equipment
This guy was real lucky. I myself have been wearing a harness for quite awhile.
For the life of me, I can’t understand how anyone would think using a treestand without proper safety equipment is anything but an extremely stupid decision.
Whitetail deer far and away the most dangerous animal hunted in the world. Gravity is the reason why.
Wow he had best case scenario on that fall. Unreal luck
I guess after 50 years of never needing one, the odds are bound to catch up at some point….
As he noted, the next day, a different hunter was less fortunate.
Glad he's ok. Love the second comment. "I don't wear that BS, I just use common sense" What a dumbass!!!
Yea..We didn't use harness back in the 70s with the old Baker Climbers..not smart. If I climb a tree you can bet I will be using a lineman's belt and tether both. I'm glad the fella survived the fall. It's good that he sees the error of his ways.
Personally know someone that died from a fall when his climber broke at "only" 8 feet up.
That report is from right here in my home county. Seems shocking that there are still guys hunting out of trees without the proper safety gear. He was very lucky.
Glad he’s ok.
I remember climbing trees as a kid back in the 1960’s. It was part of growing up. Falling was not an option. When we went on family car trips we didn’t have seat belts and I never saw a kid riding a bike with a helmet. In the 80’s I stood on limbs while bow hunting. My my how things have changed. I guess it’s all for the better. With todays safety the gene pool is a bit weaker:)
A good buddy of mine recently fell from a treestand. He's pretty busted up but not paralyzed or dead, thankfully. He's got a long road to recovery. :-(
Great safety reminder! I was foolish for nearly 40 years and it took a balance issue last year to convince me that a harness and tether are must haves.
I don’t do trees anymore, but I remember when I first started using climbers and the bottom was not attached to the top on my homemade model. When that sucker went down that pine tree like bumper jack I was lucky enough that I could barely reach it with my toes and pull it back up. I tied them together after that !
I’m glad the guy wasn’t seriously hurt, he may have been like I usually was, alone and nobody knew where I was. You could lay at the bottom of a tree a long time like that. I still know people who don’t use safety equipment in tree stands, and I’ve discussed this with them to no avail.
Must have done some rails of coke…
Oh wrong Hunter my bad
Glad he is okay. We were very lucky in my early years of hunting. Used to tie a rope around the tree and then to my waist. Not sure if a fall with a thin rope around my waist or nothing would have been worse. Then had the waist strap, which was a bit better. Harness for me now from bottom of tree. Makes me sound old, I’m not that old but it was late 80s using homemade hang on stands with bed frame/angle iron and wood. The wood base would rot out too so had to be careful. Close calls but very lucky. Still see some you tube videos where no harness is used either initially setting up the stand or hunting. Unfortunately treestand falls will never completely go away.
Im my opinion... If you clime & don't use a harness and life line it's just a mater of time before you will fall.
In October, 2023 I was sitting in a stand watching a couple of does feed on acorns when I heard something behind me on my right side so I had to stand be right-handed. I was in a double cherry tree, so I put my feet on the very outside edge of the stand to avoid rubbing against the bark. When I stood both cables broke. I still had a lanyard attached to my safety line and I had secured a second one once I stepped on the stand. I fell 12-14" before the safety gear stopped the fall instead of 20'+. I got back on the steps, dropped the stand, my bow and my pack to the ground. Within an hour I had a new stand hung. Not a bad outcome.
I'm better than I used to be since it's easy to wear my saddle in to hunt, whether from a saddle platform or a regular hang on treestand but I'm still not attached to the tree 100% of the time while climbing and descending.
I am. Because of the saddle. I didn’t use to wear a harness. Since going to a saddle, I’m tethered in from the ground to the ground.
I'm not sure if the "statistics " are correct but I remember reading the vast majority of tree stand accidents occur in the descent and ascent of tree stands. I use a lifeline.
I am not a fan of heights but hunt from treestands always above 20’. A few years ago I switched to wearing my saddle. I like having the extra safety. I also have my son wear a climbing rock climbing harness for his treestand.
I fell and broke the ball off my left humerus 15 years ago. I had my hss restraint on, but was ascending and not attached yet. I have since converted to all ladder stands and have lifelines on half of them. I’m adding them to all stands this fall.
Growing up we didn’t have safety gear other than a rope. Of course that led to me being bullet proof and thinking I didn’t need it. Finally I started using a harness once I was in the stand. Took me falling and landing on my back with my stand on my back no less from 2 sticks high as I was descending the tree on a snowy day. I didn’t even know what happened til I hit the ground. NO time to react at all. The other scary part of that was my Lone Wolf step caught me in the inside of thigh as I fell. Thankfully I had 2 sets of long Johns under my pants and it did not open me up. Tore through pants and one set and bruised me badly. That scared the hell out of me.
Now I wear a saddle whether I am using it or hunting out of a loc-on. I use the lineman’s belt all the way up and down and tether in once in stand before I unhook my lineman’s belt. Super safe and light weight. I always figured I’d only fall from the actual stand - much more likely going up and down.
Lee
I’m glad to read more guys are using a saddle as a safety system. It’s a no brainer with a belay device like a mad rock. Plus it gives you shot angles behind the tree you can’t do out of a traditional stand.
Lifeline on the climb up. Rappel on the way down. If you fall anywhere in between, you rest feet down FACING the tree. No step up strap needed to get unhooked. Just grab your rappel handle and come on down.
Best lifeline system going.
Saddles are nice but not for everyone but a harness of some sort should always be worn. I switched to a RCH 10+ years ago an always climb with a safety line.
I had to edit.
Saddles as a safety system can’t be beat tracker. You fall out of a stand wearing a harness and you hang facing away from the tree. Can’t use your arms or legs to get down.
I’m still waiting to see a video of someone descending a tree with a harness and lifeline. Facing away from the tree. Working over your head while hanging from a point of attachment between your shoulder blades.
Hunting from a saddle might not be your thing. But, getting out of a situation involving falling out of a tree stand with a harness on versus a saddle is no comparison for sure.
