Shooting Rail & Sleeping

[gp13581]

My son falls asleep in his stand all the time. He wears a harness and does everything else to be safe but I got to thinking about using a separate shooting rail that Cabelas and Sportsman's guide sell that strap on the tree - separate from the stand. My question - has anyone used one of these? I assume they work great for resting the gun but are they sturdy enough to lean on to sleep? Any experience out there? I have a two person stand that we use with a full rail that is awesome for leaning against. Just wondering if I can replicate this with a standalone shooting rail. Thanks

[mntatonka]

if he falls out once while sleeping, I bet he doesn't fall asleep in the stand again

[Archerysniper]

My wife gets nervous standing to shoot once a deer comes in so I bought a porta rail for her and she loves it straps to the tree and gives her the confidence she needs to be able to stand and draw her bow and not worrying about falling out of the stand.

[midwesthunter]

I purchased one made by Big Game two years ago. For just one ratchet strap holding it on, its pretty steady. You can lean on it without much movement but I wouldn't put all my weight on the shooting rail. The back cushion isn't all that comfy, it makes you have to lean forward a little. I have also heard that you can add a second ratchet strap to it, haven't tried that yet.

Last year we picked up two more shooting rails to add to other ladder stands. I'm pretty happy with them.

[cavalierowner]

I have one of those shooting rails. Like said, I sure wouldn't want to depend on it putting a lot of weight vertically. There is a certain amount of give to it, but it still works a lot better than shooting freehand. I also like that I can swing it up and out of the way. I wish mine were a little bigger, especially when I have all my warm clothes on, but as near as I can tell, they don't come any bigger.

[KG243]

I have one and do not use it because it has to much give to it.

[slimngrizzly]

I have switched to 100% ladder stands with the shooting rails. They are far safer than screw in steps etc. Once in the stand we never wear harnesses. I would trust all my weight + a couple hundred pounds "against" the rail, not on it. I personally cannot see how one could fall out of these stands. You can sleep, stand, rest. They are the way to go in my opinion! We have about 40 of them of several different brands from $75- $200. They are all great when it comes to safety, the price is usually higher on the taller stands and the with the nicer seats.

Sorry, but I dont have any experience with the strap on shooting rails, but thats my 2 cents on ladders with rails.

Good Luck!

[Cheetah]

Might try telling your son to get down and sleep on the ground before he actually falls out and learns the hard way. Better than than some day getting hurt or thinking he will never get hurt.

[TruthWalleyes]

Sounds like your son is having a little too much fun with his girlfriend to stay awake in the stand

Earlier bed time, and be sure he knows of the dangers of sleeping in a stand. Have him bring some snacks to keep his metabolism going, which will help him stay awake.

[fivebucks]

I can get 9 hours of sleep and not have a drop of alcohol the night before and I will still nod off in my stand. It is too dang comfortable. I have a Summit climber and even if I nod off I don't feel unsafe as I am harnessed in. I wouldn't be too worried about him, just make sure he has his safety harness on

[TooTallTom]

...just make sure he has his safety harness on

And that it's on properly, and fixed to the tree properly. If not, it might not do much good, or do more harm than good.

[gp13581]

Good stuff. Yes, he wears his full harness all the time - I require it. Last year, we were sitting back to back in a tree with two stands. Out of the corner my eye I see him do a body roll off his stand completely asleep. Just like the video the harness held him just fine. Scared the [PoorWordUsage] out of both us but we laughed like crazy when it was all done. Last weekend we were out and the same situation and he climbed down to sleep. I think he learned his lesson. Good luck to everyone.