IF BUT FOR ………..
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Bou'bound
13-Dec-24
………being strapped into a tree stand or while climbing who on this site would have fallen.
From: craigmcalvey
13-Dec-24
Me. Have worn a harness for about 15 years now, probably should’ve sooner.
From: Husker
13-Dec-24
I always wear a belt once up in the stand. One time i fell putting up a ladder stand. Thank the Lord, i fell into a cedar tree and broke my fall. Scary, it happens so fast.
From: Michael
13-Dec-24
I wear a linesman rope while climbing and tie off once in the tree. For over 40 years I climbed trees and hunted out of trees never fell once. In the last 2 years I have fallen twice. Both times I had my linesman rope on and both times it was while I was descending and a stick slide out. Other than a few skiff marks and bruised pride I was not hurt.
From: WhattheFOC
13-Dec-24
If but for - grabbing an icy frozen limb, I would have fallen from 25’ in -25F. Nobody would have looked for me until that night.
Tied off ever since. From the time I leave the ground, until I’m back on it. No exceptions.
From: olddogrib
13-Dec-24
Closet I've come was using the original Baker and the hand-climber/seat accessory. I'd stepped out of the stirrups and was bouncing my weight on the outer portion to bite into the bark and it went all the way to the ground while I was still hanging on to the climber overhead. Took some improvising to get down with just the climber and no stand. It's been so long I think I just wrapped my legs around the tree trunk or may have just "shimmied" down without it. I did have a safety belt, but hadn't put it on yet, lol!
From: TREESTANDWOLF
13-Dec-24
IF....because I trusted someone to assemble and erect a stand for me and they didn't install the platform brace bolts. I happens at the speed of light and it sucked standing on a folded ladder stand until it was lashed off. Looking back I should have had the the prussic higher.
From: Dale06
13-Dec-24
Me. I was installing a tree stand, 20’ off the ground. I was using screw in steps. It was wet and my boot slipped off the step and I fell. My linesman belt caught me, but I slammed against the tree trunk. The wind was knocked out of me and my chest was bruised. I was in the boonies and nobody knew where I was. If I fallen to the ground and not been killed from the fall, but seriously injured, hypothermia probably would have killed me.
From: Jaquomo
13-Dec-24
I always use a Prussic, but the danger is in that first ascent and last descent after removing the safety rope. When I fell, it was on the descent without it, and I'm very lucky I am not now in a wheelchair, or worse. Like Dale, nobody knew where I was.
From: bowwild
13-Dec-24
I started wearing a safety belt first, then harness, and in the last few years a life line as well. Got by without any of this stuff for the first 20-30 years. No falls. No falls the last 25 years with all the stuff either.
I did have to shimmy down a limbless oak when my Baker slipped off my feet about half-way down.
From: cnelk
13-Dec-24
My harness has a built in razor to cut myself out in case of a fall that goes awry
From: Charlie Rehor
13-Dec-24
John fell from a tree stand and is a quadriplegic. Still got this deer with a compound but life for him and his ENTIRE family changed forever.
John fell from a tree stand and is a quadriplegic. Still got this deer with a compound but life for him and his ENTIRE family changed forever.
Imagine never owning a Baker tree stand? I’ll bet many of our younger members don’t even know the thrill they brought us.
From: cnelk
13-Dec-24
When a Baker was all you had, you used it.
I left mine hanging on a tree about 1980 and never looked back
From: Dale06
13-Dec-24
I’m not one of the youngsters here, and I certainly remember Baker tree stands. Best thing that ever happened to me is I left it attached to a tree overnight, and someone stole it.
From: Basil
13-Dec-24
In nearly 50 years I’ve never fallen from heights. Had several screw in steps pull out or break but was always able to catch myself. Had a seat break on a stand once so lots of things can happen. These days I always use a linesman’s belt and/or a safety line. Got in the habit when my daughter started hunting. Only fall was from less than 3’ several years ago. Lowered my climber as low as I could & unhooked my tether to step down. Hooked a heel & did the Nestea plunge flat on my back. Believe me when I say you wouldn’t want to fall any farther.
From: Bowfinatic
13-Dec-24
I have fell twice coming down. Once at 8ft and once at 15ft
Full coverage now on safe lines or linesman rope
Agree happens so incredibly fast. Thankful for only minor scrapes and sore ankles
From: Groundhunter
13-Dec-24
I was in air rescue in 69, do you think I would step off over 4 feet, without being secured
From: TREESTANDWOLF
13-Dec-24
Charlie.
The “ Baker” and a waist harness was …… just plain crazy when you think about it.
From: Jaquomo
13-Dec-24
We built our Bakers from instructions purchased for $5.00 from a little ad in (I think..) Bowhunter magazine. We used seatbelt webbing connected to a piece of rope for a so-called "safety strap", not understanding it would probably kill us if we fell. They worked fairly well on aspen trees here in CO, and I still have mine for nostalgic reasons.
Looking back, they were dangerous as hell.
From: 12yards
13-Dec-24
I've never fallen since I started using a harness and linesman's belt. I fell once back when I didn't. I used to hang and hunt with 10 screw in steps and a hang on stand. Never used a harness and linesman's belt. On the way down I unscrewed the first step and fell backwards a solid ten feet right square on my back. Landed on some squishy, mossy ground with my stand on my back. I literally stood up, climbed back up and got the rest of my screw ins. Nothing happened to me. I was very lucky.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
13-Dec-24
My son was just about 1, I was climbing into my stand one morning on our property and 3/4 of the way up a peg fell out. I of course lost my balance, hung onto a peg and sort of cartwheeled. I guess because I remember being head down on the way down. Hit some pine branches on the way down which I feel broke my fall before I met earth.. been tied it up and down ever sense. 100% of the time.
And the peg was lose from a trespasser. He also cut thru a stand strap and loosened several other pegs on other stands.
From: PushCoArcher
13-Dec-24
I've luckily never had a fall or even close call. Hunted out of treestands for 20 years not wearing a harness ever. I was young, ten foot tall, and bullet proof. My thinking changed when I had my kids no hunts worth them not having a dad.
From: cnelk
13-Dec-24
Not only are tree stands dangerous but so are extension ladders. And you can’t be tethered to a ladder.
Last January I was on an extension ladder working on a garage soffit. The ladder shifted and off I went 10’ down into an electrical trench. I was lucky my straight claw hammer in my tool belt didn’t go through my ribs.
Ended up with a fractured sacrum. Things happen so fast.
From: BC
14-Dec-24
While climbing in a screw in I was standing on broke. Luckily I was holding on to the one above and was able to hang on. Life lines in every stand now. Get a little bit older, get a little bit smarter.
From: Mhg825
14-Dec-24
Preseason was checking stand straps three feet off the ground. With a little force one snapped. I rolled my ankle which took a long time to right itself , and a new fear at twenty feet every time I hunted. The first time I hunted after that I was paralyzed with fear and couldn't get myself to commit to fully stepping on the stand I had a buck chasing a doe under me. Always be connected to the tree. I am glad all you survived your mishaps and learned.be safe
From: six
14-Dec-24
Yes. In the early 90's I bought a all metal climber at walmart. Didnt read the instructions, threw the strap away that keeps the two pieces connected and didn't know to take a rope with me to pull up my bow after I was settled in. I practiced on a telephone pole in the yard to about ten feet and couldn't wait to hunt like the big boys on TV. My first night out I carried the stand over my shoulder for a half mile. Man that thing was heavy. I pick out a tree on the edge of a hayfield that had deer in it every night. About 15 feet up bow in one hand and binocs around my neck the bottom platform left me. My feet were dangling. I hung my bow on the backside of the climber and wrapped my arms and legs around the tree, bear hugging the tree to the ground. I found a small long dead tree and hooked my bow then pushed up on the front of the stand and it came crashing down. Took me a while to try the climber again.
2nd time was an old man climber about ten years ago. I in a hemlock tree 3/4 of a mile from any roads. I climbed the tree and pulled up my pack and bow. After hanging my pack I turned around and lost my balance. I started falling forward and felt like I was going to tumble over the front rail. I reached out and caught myself on a tree a few feet away.
I wear a harness now.
From: Dkretschmar
14-Dec-24
Have always worn a harness of some sort. Saved me about 15 years ago when a cable snapped on a hang on as I stood up. Fortunately it was the cable on the right side of the stand and it left me hanging right where my climbing sticks were, so it was fairly easy to get down. It has made me think of how I would get down if one snapped on the side of the stand opposite where my climbing sticks are, as I would have to maneuver around the stand to get down. D@vid
From: elkmtngear
14-Dec-24
I monkeyed up trees for at least 35 years, used to nail up wooden stands years ago, never used a harness or climbing gear until 10 years ago.
After reading about some of the devastating accidents here on Bowsite, I realized how lucky and stupid I have been, and learned how to be safe.
From: Ricky The Cabel Guy
14-Dec-24
Never....but that doesn't stop me from wearing one.
From: Dale06
14-Dec-24
Saw a friend this week. His right pinkie finger was all bandaged up. What happened? He had just started descending from his tree stand and was on strap on sticks. The strap broke on the stick and he reached for the stand and his finger went into one of the holes in the cast aluminum platform. He fell but his finger was caught. He lost the last joint of that pinkie finger. I’d not heard of that one before.
From: Bowaddict
14-Dec-24
Not since I started wearing one, but I did fall while hanging a set . It was when I was 14-15 and before harnesses we’re used much. My dad built our stands, and although sturdy and overbuilt, they were heavy and a PITA to get in a tree. Luckily it was sandy northern Michigan ground and I wasn’t too high. I was trying to get the chain locked on and getting frustrated when I took my hand off tree that was holding on to get more leverage. Brain fart at the wrong time, luckily there were no logs beneath and I fell flat on my back. Low and soft enough it didn’t even knock the wind out of me. I hated those stands:), lesson learned!
From: Wymuley
14-Dec-24
I fell 18' one time prior to the advent of safety straps. Thankfully I only injured my pride.
From: Wymuley
14-Dec-24
I fell 18' one time prior to the advent of safety straps. Thankfully I only injured my pride.
From: Bowbender
14-Dec-24
Nov. of 2017. It had rained all morning and the steps on my Lone Wolf sticks were slick. I was up about 12’, next thing I was swinging. Only dropped about a foot, prussic knot tightened right up. Still, tipped my hand up from the step I had hold of. I was able to get back on the sticks and descend. Cleaned my hand up, and climbed back up. I’m connected to a lifeline from the time my feet leave the ground till I’m back on terra firma.
From: nchunter
14-Dec-24
When I was about 25 I left work early to go hunt solo. I carried my baker stand back about a mile back in the woods. After an hour of hunting I fell sound asleep. I woke up as I was getting ready to tumble off the stand. Grabbed a branch and hung on. From that day on I have had a belt on.
From: Trying hard
14-Dec-24
I think about how we climbed trees in the 1970s...holy cow...were we lucky to make it thru that era without doing serious damage the ourselves.
From: Corax_latrans
14-Dec-24
My balance has always been really good, but I sure as hell was glad that I was strapped to the trunk that one time when I dropped a pin while adjusting my stand/chain length while getting past a branch.
From: Basil
14-Dec-24
Yep sure is amazing more of us haven’t been hurt. Never used a strap for years. Hang & hunt nearly every sit. Homemade wooden stands with a welded support triangle underneath. Used rope, seatbelts or chain to attach to tree. Used about seven steps where I use 12 for the same height now. Used to stand on the top peg & wrap the other leg around the tree while fastening the stand. Physically no way I could do it like that these days. Sure is nice to have the conveniences of good harnesses, linesman’s belts, safety ropes & tethers. Just imagine how many injuries & lost lives have been avoided.
From: TGbow
14-Dec-24
I took the Baker slide in the 70s..I was young. At that time I'd never even heard of tree harness of any type. I slid about 4 ft but grabbed the pine tree I was on . Scared me and I had some scratches on my chest. No way I'd climb now without being tied off.
From: FORESTBOWS
14-Dec-24
I fell 35 feet in a construction accident. Landed on concrete. Ruptured my spleen. Spent 2 weeks in the hospital. I was 18 and tuff as shit. I dont tie off when hunting and i know its stupid. I even have life lines in all my stands for other people.
