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Be Careful

401TE

By 401TE
in Deer Hunting-Bear-Elk-Moose

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401TE Collaborator

401TE

Posted
Posted

With firearms season quickly approaching I wanted to remind folks to be careful handling firearms and with tree stands. This past Thursday I fell 20' out of a tree while climbing down from my stand. This was a stand I've had set up for 5 or 6 years that has those screw in steps for climbing the tree. Well, one of the steps either broke or pulled out while I was coming down the tree and I fell 20' to the ground and landed on my hip/side. Fortunately, I was able to walk/limp away with what I think are only bruises, but it was the most helpless and scary feeling I've ever had and I'm extremely thankful it turned out the way it did. 3' in any direction and there were big branches that surely would have broken bones or worse.

Learn your lesson through me, this is not something you want to experience. I will be going to all ladder stands or at least straight trees I can put climbing sticks on from here on out. I will also be religiously using a harness and checking my equipment every year to ensure it is still safe.

That said, I did manage to get back in a ladder stand that is only 12' off the ground the next night and whacked a little buck to fill the freezer and call it a season! Gotta get right back on that horse, right?

Chris

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Phunnyfarm Collaborator

Phunnyfarm

Posted
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I'm glad you're OK too. I was just thinking the other night that I've been pretty lax in my last couple years hunting and not wearing a strap in the stand. I hunt only out of ladder stands and I've always thought that "I'll never fall out of one of these"

I'll be wearing a strap this year.

Stay safe!

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nofishfisherman Grand Master

nofishfisherman

Posted
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A 20' fall is quite a fall. Glad you were able to limp away from it.

For this very reason I try to limit how high up I go in a tree stand if possible. I am not a big fan of heights so climbing 20 feet up into a tree with nothing but screw in steps is not going to happen for me.

I do feel a little safer in a climbing stand because I can be attached to the tree the entire time and I can choose how high up I go. Thankfully I hunt in an area where I'm up on a hill and looking down into a little valley so I don't need to get up as high in the tree. Actually being lower keeps the hill and smaller trees behind me so that I'm not silhouetted against the sky.

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ANYFISH2 Veteran

ANYFISH2

Posted
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Glad your all right! Sure is one of the scariest moments a hunter can experience. I had near miss a few years ago, I have worn a harness ever since, freak things can happen anytime, even if one thinks they have all the bases covered.

Again, glad your all right!

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Wensel Collaborator

Wensel

Posted
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Wow 20 foot fall and talking about it, if I'm you I'm betting on something!

Question tho why do so many guys think the ticket is a ladder stand?

I know more than one guy that has fallen from one, and they are probably the most dangerous to set.

I hunt above 20 often, when this high I run a static line, you just have to do it!

Question? Did the tree step break because it was in the tree so long?

I have wondered about that.

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401TE Collaborator

401TE

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Pretty sure I burned all my luck on that fall!

Regarding the step/peg, I'm pretty sure it pulled out of the tree or broke, but haven't been able to get back up there to check for obvious reasons. If I had to bet I'd say the wood rotted around the peg and it pulled out. It's been in the tree for 6 years. I have other stands that have pegs that have been in the trees for 10-12 years.

As far as why a ladder stand is safer, I think they are clearly safer getting into and out of the stand. No swinging legs from the last peg to the platform. Simply climb the ladder onto the platform. I also think they are safer because they have redundancy built in. If the ladder fails, you have a strap holding the stand up. If the strap fails, you have a ladder holding the stand up.

Regardless, there isn't a deer alive that is worth falling from 20' for. That's the lesson I learned from this. Safety first. I got lucky once, probably wouldn't a second time.

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Boar Grand Master

Boar

Posted
Posted

I fell 6 ft onto my side an neck snaped, Crack, thought I was done, luckily it just realigned my vertebrea. crazy as it sound it actually helped me, My mucles were sore for a while an made me think of the worst out come an will alway think twice before acending. Glad u ok. Ita time to think twice boys, even the ladder stands can rust an weaken or the ratchet strap can rot or get chewd thru by a rodent.

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Double D Mentor

Double D

Posted
Posted

I had something like that Saturday. I only have a 8' platform stand, hadn't looked at it since last November, didn't notice one of the rungs was rotten but found out the hard way real fast.

Like the topic says BE CAREFUL!!!

DD

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archerystud Mentor

archerystud

Posted
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I'm considering putting up a rope with a prusik knot on all of my stands for climbing and ascending. Might cost me quite a bit in rope but it will probably be worth it. If anything maybe I'll at least teach my son to be safer.

I guess as we get older we stop feeling quite as invincible as we once did.

Glad you are okay.

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InTheNorthwoods Experienced

InTheNorthwoods

Posted
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I'm considering putting up a rope with a prusik knot on all of my stands for climbing and ascending. Might cost me quite a bit in rope but it will probably be worth it. If anything maybe I'll at least teach my son to be safer.

I guess as we get older we stop feeling quite as invincible as we once did.

Glad you are okay.

For $100 you can make a lot of potentially life saving climbing ropes with easy to tie sliding prussic knots. I put another one up this weekend.

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mwal Experienced

mwal

Posted
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I have a rope with prussic knot on each stand. I am attached at all times while climbing and sitting. I only fell about 5ft slipped off ladder rung and I thought I shattered my heel. Cannot imagine 20 ft.

Mwal

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Lund79 Collaborator

Lund79

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I leave mine up all year too. After the season I go in to all stands and loosen straps up so the tree has room to grow and puts less stress on strap. In Sept., I go and cinch all straps back up or replace if weathered looking. Straps are cheap so I don't usually keep them more than a couple years. Use older straps on trailer as tie downs.

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LightningBG Grand Master

LightningBG

Posted
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Does anyone leave ladder stands setup year round? We always reset each year...

We leave ours out all year long. The one I use most commonly, I have never loosened the strap at all, and now its so tight I cant get it off (so loosening isn't a horrible idea). Some day I'll just cut it off and replace it. I also always wear a harness. I have two setups for harness/tree connections. 1. a separate ratcheting strap on the tree with a climbing caribiner hooked into it. 2. A large screw in eye-bolt to hook into. I put my harness on when I'm getting dressed and the predone tree portion makes for a quick attachment once in the tree (I do have the metal pieces wrapped with electrical tape so there isn't any noise)

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nbadger23 Rising Star

nbadger23

Posted
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I'm considering putting up a rope with a prusik knot on all of my stands for climbing and ascending. Might cost me quite a bit in rope but it will probably be worth it. If anything maybe I'll at least teach my son to be safer.

I guess as we get older we stop feeling quite as invincible as we once did.

Glad you are okay.

401 - Glad you came out of that ok.

Does anyone have any recommendations on how to put a safety line from stand to ground in place, with the prusiac knot? I've been saying I was going to do it for a couple of years now and I'm going to follow through here shortly. I just set a new stand that's a little awkward to get into so it definitely calls for being attached before getting into the stand. I'd love to be attached from the moment I leave the ground on all of my stands.

What size rope is recommended? Can I attach the rope to the the belt that's already around the tree for my safety harness? I would guess I'd also want to attach it to the bottom of the tree stand as well because I'd want the knot to move up with me as I climb and not have to manually move it upward.

I am a terrible knot tier so this is gonna test me!

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Finlander Veteran

Finlander

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Murphy's Law doesn't stop at bowhunters! Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong eventually!

I have safety rope attached to the tree about head high when standing up in my tree stand and attached to my carabeaner from my safety harness via prussik knot. Have this set up for all my tree stands!

Go to F Farm they have good rope cheap there!

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LightningBG Grand Master

LightningBG

Posted
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What size rope is recommended? Can I attach the rope to the the belt that's already around the tree for my safety harness? I would guess I'd also want to attach it to the bottom of the tree stand as well because I'd want the knot to move up with me as I climb and not have to manually move it upward.

I am a terrible knot tier so this is gonna test me!

The size of the rope will depend on the type of rope used.

Yes, you should be able to attach it to the belt already at the top, given its rated for enough weight.

It's a good idea to attach it at the bottom so it doesn't pull up with you, but you'll still have to move the prusik knot up manually, you most likely wont be able to just drag it along without it tightening up.

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