Stay safe this year - treestand falls

[dwm4375]

My uncle fell out of a treestand yesterday and broke his back in at least 2 places. No paralysis luckily, but may require surgery depending on the results of his MRI. Details are sketchy, but I think he was building or putting up a stand with his cousin. The cousin was able to summon help, and together they got him to the truck and then local hospital. He was taken by helicopter to a major hospital after an X-ray.

I hunt from ladder stands with a safety railing and clamp-on stands. The ladder stand goes on the tree, and the ladder gets strapped/braced to the tree before anyone leaves the ground. Then you go up and strap the seat to the tree once it's safe to do so.

Our clamp-ons are attached directly to the tree. We put the ladder up and strap it to the tree first. The clamp-on is then installed slightly below the top rung, so that you step down onto it (safer than stepping up above the ladder). We padlock a chain around the tree above the stand. I always hook my harness into the chain before I step out onto the platform.

Hope you all wear a harness and have a safe process for putting up and using your stands - no deer is worth a broken back!

 

[----]

Dang, sorry to hear about your uncle. Sounds like he should feel fortunate for being able to walk again.

Tree stands scare the piss out of me.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

My cousin just fell on Saturday while hunting bear with a kill permit. The stand was 30 feet up and the ratchet straps had gootten weather wore and tore. He has several fractures from head to toe. I was thinking of posting a warning as well, thanks DWM. I hope your uncle makes a speedy recovery. My cousin will eventually be fine as it seems all injuries were broken bones. Be safe out there.

 

[MT_elk]

Not a tree stand incident, but here's a story about another missing hunter. I was somewhat critical of my father when I was younger, kidding him about bringing so much 'stuff'. I am grateful that we never needed any of the emergency supplies or other things he brought, but I am thankful he was always prepared. Be safe and go prepared.
http://www.kulr8.com/story/30088719/search-for-missing-hunter-near-wisdom-mt

 

[Southwind]

At least the eastern part of my state is tree stand central. I know several permanently handi-capped individuals that became that way via tree stand accidents. Most of them from earlier days of tree stand hunting of the 70's and 80's when safety was more of an after thought if a thought at all.

In my early bow hunting days we would just climb a tree and wedge ourselves in a fork or find a good horizontal branch to prop up on. I also climbed old wood stands I wouldn't dream of climbing today.

One that still gives me the heebie jeebies was from just a few years back a friend slipped climbing on screw in steps and the up-turned portion on the outside edge caught him under his arm. He hung there unable to free himself for over an hour and lost a lot of blood. I am happy to say he made a full recovery. He is a tuff old piece of hide anyway.

It is my wish all of you stay safe this year and enjoy many great hours afield.

 

[elkantlers]

Hope he is going to be alright.
I have never hunted in a tree stand, but I can't imagine not using some kind of fall protection.

 

[big28hunter]

Thoughts and prayers for your Uncle. GOD bless

 

[oldillini]

Prayers for a quick and full recovery. Safety is paramount.

Good friend fell out of a stand couple years ago. Nearly destroyed his ankles. Out of work for 6+ months. Multiple surgeries but still walks with limp and always will. When he was in hospital he was 1 of 3 patients on the floor that were tree stand fall victims. He was fortunate, 1 of the other 2 died.

 

[Rocky176]

Sorry to hear that, prayers to him and the family.

I have a hunter ed class to teach next week and we stress the importance of a fall restraint system (body harness). We show a video of what could happen when your feet leave the ground.

 

[dwm4375]

As of yesterday afternoon my uncle's doctors decided that he wouldn't need immediate surgery. Looks to have escaped with injuries that will heal with rest and time. Hopefully somebody reads this and remembers their harness and avoids a fall.

 

[maxx]

Sorry to hear.

Almost all of our stands have safety lines on them these day. No brainer not to have them.

 

[dcopas78]

I hope he has a speedy recovery!

My cousin fell several years ago, due to a faulty strap. He fell 28 feet, broke his back in several places, had a ruptured spleen, a punctured lung, compound wrist fracture, and a few other breaks/cuts. He was hunting alone, about 3/4 mile from his truck. He knew he had to get out so he crawled to his truck (blacking out several times) and drove to the landowners house to get help. He said he still doesn't know how he made it, other than having an angel on his side pushing him. He made a full recovery, but it sure did make him a much more cautious hunter.

 

[Z Barebow]

As someone who spent 3 days in a hospital in 1988 with a fractured vertebrae from a treestand collapse, I feel your uncles pain. Speaking from experience, 3 days is a long time to think about how much worse my accident could have been. Have not been back in a tree w/o a safety belt since.

Thanks for helping hunters understand we do not bounce. It only takes once and none of us are invincible.

The 1st 17.5' of my fall were not bad. The last 6" of the fall sucked!

 

[Bambistew]

I've heard that 1 in 3 people who hunt from tree stands will fall at some point while using/installing/acceding. Luckily my "fall" was only about 6 feet on soft ground. As an FYI, many people die every year falling only 3-4 feet. Bump your head wrong and you're done for.

Tree stands are nice, but I think they're over emphasized as a need. Many times you can hunt the ground just as effectively using a blind of some sort.