Yesterday, while I was in a staff meeting in Indianapolis, Indiana at 3:30pm, my best friend of 40 years, was lying on the ground about 80 miles away.
At around 3:PM he and another friend, from Kansas went in the woods together. Jim, my Indiana friend, went to a stand he had not hunted in about 2 years. He tied his bow to the haul line and climbed up. As he stepped into the hang-on stand the stand's strap broke and he fell 20' to the ground, landing on his back. The stand fell on top of his upper body.
Jim laid there for 4 hours until the edge of dark. His pelvis was broken in the fall and his clavicle was broken when the stand landed on him.
Jim is 70 years old and as a carpenter has been on very high ladders for nearly 50 years. If any of you shot the traditional class at big IBO shoots in the early 1980's you probably ran into Jim. He was world champ at least one year.
He is undergoing surgery to repair the pelvis as I write this.
In 2014 there were 180 hunting accidents reported in Indiana. Of those, 100 were due to falls from tree stands. Most, like my friend Jim were not wearing restraints.
I started wearing harnesses about 15 years ago, after surviving 31 years without using any more than a waist belt. I haven't been very diligent about using life lines so I stay tied climbing and descending, although I have three of these.
I'm going to start.
Horrible news. My prayers are with him.
Scary stuff - prayers headed his way for sure. I hope he has a full recovery.
The key phrase was that was a nylon strapped stand that had been in a tree for at least 2 years. Most of the falls occur because stands are not maintained. Trees continue to grow, and nylon degrades over time.
I fell out of a Loggy Bayou when it slipped while I was in college. Thank God I was in very good shape as I somehow walked away unharmed. My dad tore his bicep off when that same stand cut out from under him while climbing. Yep - snapped his bicep loose at the elbow.
Be careful out there - please don't use any loc-on style stands that have been in a tree for more than a year. Re-set that stand and buy a new strap for it before you do.
tree stand accidents are not often falling out of your stand ... its getting in and out an into the stands
hope he recovers well, its a fear of mine as I get older
Praying for Jim now! As serious as the injuries are I'm very glad it wasn't more serious
I personally have fallen twice,(slow learner) once in a skidder rut full of stagnant swamp water and did not get hurt, the other in a rock pile under the tree that the farmer had piled up,broke 3 ribs,bruised my lungs and a kidney, broke all my arrows, and the lower limb on my bighorn bow, those ribs hurt for two years. I dont wear a harness in ladder stands but any other type I definately do.
Hope your friend pulls through allright.
Roy, like you, I didn't utilize a fall restraint while climbing to my stand or hanging it. Last year in the Big Horns of Wyoming, I fell hauling a stand to hang on the tree. Gashed my forehead, was stunned and hurt my lower leg a bunch. Took a couple of hours to get down the mountain crawling over deadfalls and boulders. It took nearly a year to recover so walking didn't hurt much. I haven't hung a stand yet this year, but will use a lineman's harness when I do, and then hook up with the safety vest fall restraint. Hope your friend mends up OK.
Thanks for the thoughts. I know this isn't the "Prayer" forum and I made sure the title and content I wrote didn't go that direction.
I put this here to once again, as so many remind us every season, we need to protect ourselves from what seems an impossible event.
Prayers sent for Jim. I wear my harness every time and have gone strictly to ladderstands. Even though the ladders are safer, welds, straps and ratchet and bolts and pins can fail. Hunt hard, hunt safe!
Out of surgery. Heart did fine. He got 7 screws in pelvis. Will be in wheelchair 8-10 weeks. This season is over. Ligaments and clavicle are expected to heal.
I'll be packing up a bunch of my hunting DVDs to keep him occupied.
A magazine survey years ago found that 1/3 of bowhunters will eventually fall from a tree stand. 10% of those will be killed or permanently damaged.
Let that 1/3 be the squirrels instead of us.
Prayers for Jim also. 13 years ago I fell into a few blowdowns, fractured two vertebrae and fractured my pelvis in two places. I was attached to the tree, but could not reach my steps so I unclipped, as I reached for the steps the strap slipped and dumped me out backwards into the blowdowns. This happened the 10th of January, the last day of our deer season that year. The temp was below zero.
Moral of the story - make sure you use good straps and a good life line.
I fell out too, had a safety belt around my waist. I fell 3 feet and the belt saved my life as I was up 25 feet. But I got a broken rib and lost the rest of the season. Ever since then it's been a full body harness and the climbing rope system for me.
So sorry to hear about this. I'm glad he pulled thru surgery and wasn't killed or paralyzed.
I must say the sentence that caught my attention was getting in a stand that hadn't been hunted in 2 years and had a strap. I would never think of getting in a stand like that. Most of mine have chains but more important, they come out of the woods every year after season and get inspected
Prayers sent!!
Had a buddy fall last year while hunting with his wife. She was hunting within eyesight of his stand in a climber. He stepped onto a lock-on style stand and both cables broke. He fell 18 feet and somehow just barely missed a stump. His wife got so upset she started crying and panicked in the climbing stand. Not being very experienced in the climber she just set there crying. My buddy came to his senses and told her to calm down. Unbelievabley he stood up and helped her down. They decided to hunt a ground blind the rest of the afternoon and went to a doctor the following day. He ended up with a cracked rib and should have bought a lottery ticket. This guy is in his late thirties and in phenomenal physical shape. The doctor said this probably helped him when he fell. I just think he was lucky.
This incident caused me to replace all cables and straps on my stands before this season. Please hunt safe this year!!
Bad news , I'm sorry for your friend.
Check , triple check when you go high . After 2 years , well ...he is live and not paralyzed
I'm 30 and I wouldnt dare climb into a stand without hooking up to a lifeline. I hope Jim recovers physically but I doubt that he will ever get over the experience.
That's why I say on the ground .
I am hunting more from the ground than ever. I even sold my newest trestand...
first of all I hope your friend recovers.
I personally never ever step on to a platform stand with out being connected to a strap above the stand fastened to the tree. I also never go up a tree with a safety line all the way up from the ground, Never ever.
I just heard of a buddy's dad that I've shot a couple 3D shoots with fell out of a tree stand and broke a vertebrae in his back and messed his ankle up pretty bad. I'm afraid of heights and wear a harness all the time. I'm also always aware of where the edges of the stand are because I'm constantly worried about stepping off the side of it. Be safe everyone
Was this in Lafayette area? Read the article today...I hate stands period but if i get in one I'm strapped up
After 27 years of rock climbing all over the country I certainly wasn't going to fall off of a darn platform,i quietly.snuck into my new spot ,pouring rain,first day of the new season,hastily hung my hang on type stand,place looked amazing.hung my bow ,pulled my hood over my head and leaned back against the tree,hands in my jacket...woke up 1 hr later,18'lower,the spot on the ground where I was laying looked just like when a deer is breathing it's last breath,leaves and dirt all torn up.i sat up in intense pain,my back felt like a Ziploc baggie full of nuts and bolts crunching around.i couldn't move my legs ,I teared up,im paralyzed I say to myself out loud.after 30 min I can move my feet,30 more I can move my legs,took me another hour to stand in screaming pain.cell was in backpack stii hanging in tree,thank the good Lord I was able to use the bow rope to dislodge the pack which fell and actually Hooked right on
A wind in step,my collapsed left lung was making breathing difficult,called my wife who cannot swim,she got to where I was,(I had crossed a 100 ft wide 4 ft deep river to access new spot) by God she crossed the river fearlessly to help me.i had to be airboated out,,5 days in ICU,4 broken ribs,3 fractured vertebrae,collapsed lung,8 months of difficult recovery later I'm ok,i thank God every day.i now wear a harness,in my haste to hang the stand,i did a crappy job,almost killed myself,scared my wife to death...in climbing there's a saying....i moments negligence can ruin a life forever!!be safe my brothers..
Prayers to your friend Roy and to all of us who sometimes are lazy to connect to a life line.
Everything is outside needs to be checked,weather really fast deteriorate stuff.
Please be safe.
I use a lifeline on all of my stands, and that includes every ladder. As Mike Bolin mentioned, while ladder stands may feel safer, there are many ways for them to fail and send you crashing down. I have a friend who did in fact have a ladder section collapse and he came out of the fall with a broken leg, ending his season. And saying prayers that it wasn't worse.
I have a friend whose 14 year old son went to sleep in a permanent stand. He fell 14' and is now in a wheel chair for life.
Please be careful.
Darron,
Yes, he lives in Lafayette. Was hunting a wonderful farm outside Attica.
The article I read was off a bit in accuracy but it was from that evening's police reports when the exact extent of injuries wasn't known. He didn't break back, leg, or ankle.
The thing about all these incidents that amazes me is the speed that people go from in the stand to the ground!
Not so long ago I took some comfort putting my hang-ons in "limby" trees. I figured (wrong it seems) that I could catch a limb if I started to fall. Glad I've never needed to test that theory!
I imagine too the horror our buddy was feeling as he ran more than a mile to a neighbor's house to call for help...no cell service where they were hunting. And Byron had a knee replaced this summer! Byron told me Jim wanted him to help him stand so he could get to the truck. Of course Byron wouldn't do that.
A few years ago I decided I didn't want to be lying at the base of a tree and wondering if my life had just changed forever.
I sold all my stands and became an official ground pounder. No more climbers, hang ons, sticks, or steps for me.
I do hunt the ladder stands at Wild Things and feel completely safe. I wear a full body harness.
On top of what everyone has said about ALWAYS stay attached to the tree via, linesman belt, life line, clipped in before stepping on stand.... I think all treestand hunters should seriously think about getting a one touch help is coming device. SPOT or Delrome inreach. Have it strapped to your body! I am getting a Inreach explorer for myself this Christmas.
Be Safe!
Three years ago the cables on my Gorilla hang on let go. In the blink of an eye I was on the ground. A belly flop onto solid ground is no fun.
I haven't climbed into a tree stand for years without a harness. I even set up my stand that day with a life line as I'd grown accustomed to do. I'd left the cabin without my harness on and didn't notice until I was standing at the base of the tree.
I did a little mental juggling as to the merits of going all the way back to the cabin for the harness or just taking my chances and figured, "what are the odds".
I found out. I'm scheduled for a surgery in December to relieve the pain that I live with daily. It has slowed my hunting down to a crawl. I'm thankful it wasn't worse and it certainly could have been.
Hook up guys!
Not me man I wear my harness always both climbing up and in the stand. Sorry about you buddy. Hope he mends well.
Sorry to hear about your friend, and hope he have a full recovery. After reading what happen to you Charlie 3 years ago when you posted it here on Tradgang, and then Ryan Rothharr came on and posted how he put chains on all his stands, I took note and put chains on every hang on stand that I use such as you see in this pic. Also after 39 years Bowhunting from trees without any type of restraint(stupid and foolish). After a vist from my best friend Jimmy last year from South Carolina, who uses a harness, convinced me I should do the same. And that same year a harness was on my Christmas list, and my wife gladly gifted it to me, and I am truly grateful. I now wear a body harness everytime I am in my treestands. And thank God that nothing happen to me in all those years hunting without a retraint.
Tony
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On October 9, 2016 a friend of my brothers fell from his stand and died.He was 59yrs old had a wife and two boys.Please wear your harnesses and get a life line,you owe it to your family.
QuoteOriginally posted by Tony Sanders:
Sorry to hear about your friend, and hope he have a full recovery. After reading what happen to you Charlie 3 years ago when you posted it here on Tradgang, and then Ryan Rothharr came on and posted how he put chains on all his stands, I took note and put chains on every hang on stand that I use such as you see in this pic. Also after 39 years Bowhunting from trees without any type of restraint(stupid and foolish). After a vist from my best friend Jimmy last year from South Carolina, who uses a harness, convinced me I should do the same. And that same year a harness was on my Christmas list, and my wife gladly gifted it to me, and I am truly grateful. I now wear a body harness everytime I am in my treestands. And thank God that nothing happen to me in all those years hunting without a retraint.
Tony
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Thanks for sharing Tony! I like the idea of doubling up, cables and chains... I will copy this! :clapper:
Something that needs to be discussed as well is suspension trauma. I does not take long if you are hanging in a harness,minutes guys. If you were to fall out of a hang on chances are you could swing back to the tree and get a foot on one of the steps or limbs to relieve the pressure of the harness on the groin. Most harnesses now comes with stirrups to put your foot in to take the pressure off. I think it is a good idea to clip a small knife on the harness just in case you have to cut yourself down.hanging from a harness will kill you if you hang long enough. I am totally for a harness,I just wantEd to inform yall
Good post, and thanks for the reminder..... I've only been up a tree a handful of times this year, but I just dug out my belt this morning :o
Good pic, Tony! I didn't double chain and cable mine, but did a replace with chain for cable in the same holes.... use grade 8 (gold) hardware! I also like your double ratchets on your stand!
I got in the practice a few years back of double strapping stands - I use the relatively inexpensive ratchets, but the primary one is new, the secondary is last year's strap, and year 3 they either graduate to trailer duty or get trashed. Write the purchase year on your Wally World ratchet straps by the metal buckle with a magic marker when you open them... then you know how old they are ;)
R
I used to wear a harness. I told everyone it wasn't for me it was for the people who depended on me. Mostly on the ground now. When I get up its in a ladder stand and I'm harnessed. My best and prayers to all the fellas that well and their loved ones.
My hunting partner had a fall from only 6' while hanging a stand a week ago. Messed up his knee bad enough that he will be out of work for almost a month. He was hanging his 3rd climbing stick when his linemans belt broke and dropped.
Had a turnbuckle break on an old stand back in 2009 and fell about 15' and landed on my feet. Shattered my left heel and had a compression fracture in my lower back. As usual was hunting by myself but was lucky enough to be able to get myself back to my truck and drive to the ER. As bad as it was it could've been a lot worse. Now I'm strapped in from the time I leave the ground until I get back on the ground. It can happen to anybody.
Be careful and always wear a harness.
Sorry to hear about your friend, I just saw something on TV that approximately 33% of people you use tree stands will experience a fall ....
That sucks. I had my fall when I was 19. I fell about 16-18 feet and landed on my head. Luckily it didn't kill me, but did cost me a couple trips to the hospital and banged me up pretty good.
Use a harness.
I am sorry for your friend and hope that he will recover.
I start to seriously doubt that old age makes you wiser.
1.)I assume he left this stand in the woods for 2 years.UV rays/animals and the stretching power of a growing tree will make short process with tree straps.
2.)Change straps every season.
3.)Always put a second strap around hang on stands at the lower portion of the frame.
4.)Use 1000 lbs working load ratchet straps or buy the overpriced lower working load replacements.
5.)Change the suspender cables on a regular intervall or install chains.
6.)And for your life's sake, wear a good safety harness and know how to use it.
hope your friend recovers fully! i just don't understand it (not wearing a safety harness). i've started using lifelines on all my lock ons and ladders. it's just not worth the risk. i am still a dummy sometimes when hanging a lock on (standing on ladder steps and hanging a lock on), but even that is too dumb to continue.
again, wishing him a speedy and full recovery!
It is sad to hear of such an accident. We are praying for him. It states again, the necessity of caution. I always check out my stands prior to the season. I no longer use lock on stands, because I have heard of a number of cases of the cable giving away. It is easier to keep track of ladder stands, but, it still requires great caution. We all need to learn and re-learn the rules of safety.
I'm going to be visiting Jim soon.
I'm going to help him find a silver lining in his accident by letting him know that myself, brother, and son will increase our precautions. He will take heart in knowing that his experience may save his friends his pain.
These are the chances I'll stop taking:
1. I bought carabiners for my lineman belt this week, so I can use it.
2. I'll take ALL my stands down when I finish hunting this year and store them out of the weather.
3. I'll closely inspect them and replace cables, bolts, or straps as necessary before putting them up next year.
4. I'm getting rid of the screw in steps. I don't use them much except for first step or two up. I have plenty of rails. I worry about some of my Wolf and Spider step sticks now.
5. I will attach life lines to all my trees.
6. My son and I bought two new 18' ladder (buddy) stands today at Cabelas. We will continue using our Muddy and Lone Wolfs but gradually move to more/all ladder stands.
I'm generally not a fan of the ladder stands because they are difficult to set up and I don't want to bang my curve limbs on the rails.,
I have personally been saved by a harness from a big head first fall when a stand I was in collapsed. I had never considered not wearing one because I was a big time rock and mountain climber before hunting became my true addiction.
I've been lucky but I've always have worn a harness. Now I use lifelines or a linesman belt and use my hook up rope to throw above a limb or above my stand when I need to unhook my linemans belt. That way I'm always hooked up no matter what.
I normally hunt from a climber and I've always felt just as safe in it as any stand I have owned.
I guess I don't understand why companies that make hang on stands would rely on cables that can rust and nylon straps that can tear to hold the weight of a human being. Why did the companies stop using chains to secure the stands to the trees? I used to love hunting from hang on stands but after reading your guys' posts I'm considering otherwise.
Don't think I will be hunting from a stand this year - not even a ladder stand. I'm fine climbing up onto the seat. I feel like I need a safety harness, though and there's the rub. In order to fasten the strap around the tree that my harness fastens to, I need to stand on the seat, right next to the tree with nothing to hang onto. My sense of balance was never impressive and now that I have lost most of my hearing, my sense of balance is nearly non-existent.
Short of having a buddy come out and fasten the safety strap around the tree up above my head, so I can clip my harness on it, I don't see any way to get my safety harness set up. And the little bit of common sense I have left tells me I really shouldn't be up there without it.
I use Spider descent system just in case of a mishap. Give me my old Timberlock Magnum hang on stand from 25 years ago any day... It had a steel "T" bar hanger and it chained to the tree and was rated to 375 lbs. I should dig it out and replace the old cables with chains and use it again.
I'm one of the extremely lucky ones... at 44 years of age fell 16 feet to the ground...laid there for 15 minutes letting the cobwebs clear my mind and doing 'appendage wiggle' inventory. I got up, climbed back up the tree, finished putting up the stand and walked a mile home with no ill effects... other than being very sore the next day.
I now wear a harness and connect to a lifeline at all times. I'll never be that lucky again.
A neighbor died not long ago ,a fall and family had too find him ,, not what any of us want our loved ones to ever see in the beam of a flashlight, so if you go up use a harness.
Hope you folks don't mind but good news to report here.
Jim went home after a week in rehab today. They moved him from the hospital in Indianapolis about a week ago. After a week in rehab (3-4 hours a day) he was progressing well enough to bail.
He'll be in a wheelchair and walker for several weeks. He plans to be delivered to a ground blind (his grand daughter's) in mid-November.
He told me two days ago that what he hates the most about his fall....he is embarrassed for having taken the risks that lead to the fall.
Glad to hear he is improving quickly. Prayers sent for the rest of his recovery. >>------>
Glad he is on the mend.
For those replacing cables with chain, what are you using?
And I assume you want to use upgraded hardware/nuts,bolts?
I'm so sorry to hear about Jim. I hope he fully recovers and is able to hunt again. Like so many of us, my close friend and I both had occasions where both of us nearly fell from our trees. In my case, the stand collapsed as I was climbing in. I ended up hanging from the collapsed stand as the chain around the tree prevented my fall. Now, I use a lifeline & tether to keep me attached from assent to decent. I also use a linesman's belt to assist in setting the lifeline and it's removal. Be safe everyone!
Very important topic and I am happy to hear the gentlemen is progressing well. I've had a few friends severely injured just falling when climbing and sitting in fixed ladder stands. We all should learn from this. Looking back when I was young it was nothing to just find an old wooden stand built between two trees or a split tree and climbing up there with gun on back and testing each step until it broke. What a dumb a**!
Great news that he is beginning to heal..I hope he continues to improve each day.
Happy to hear Jim is on his way with his recovery. Praying for a full recovery for him.
Bowhunting is one of the safest sports to participate in. Most injuries are from mishandling sharp broadheads or treestand falls. In today's world, there is no excuse for not using a harness. No matter it may cost, it is not more than your life, your future, or providing for your family. To be blunt, I don't want anyone else raising my kids. Anything can happen, anytime, anywhere.
Wearing a safety harness and using a lifeline while ascending and descending is crucial to your personal fall protection system.
There are plenty of videos of people falling when setting up their stands, or while in their stands. Don't become a statistic.
Good to hear. Wish him "good luck" for me when he gets to the blind next month!
You know, today I was clearing some limbs on a tall pine so I can use my climber, and just for a moment before I started to climb to trim the limbs, I considered not putting on my harness and tether rope. Then I thought "don't be stupid", and put on the harness. Reading this, I am glad I did. I wear a harness and tether in ladder stands too.
I used nothing but a belt for years. In the last couple of weeks I bought one of those light weight Spider harnesses and wonder why I waited so long. It goes on easy, is light, has hang glider buckles for the thighs and doesn't get in the way. Now, I'm strapped in from the ground up when I use my climber. I did it basically due to this thread.
On Friday afternoon my son and I hung this Lone Wolf in an oak. From this first photo you see the stand (only about 15' high). If you look close, hanging to the right, is my haul line.
The 2nd photo shows the rails and lifeline. There is a fourth rail that extends above the stand so I can step DOWN into it.
I've never hunted this spot in the nearly 16 years I've been hunting this farm. It is equidistant, 200 yards or so from stands I have hunted. We had hoped to put a ladder Hawk Denali buddy stand in this tree but the seat portion is way to wide for this spot.
I'll take a new ratchet strap with me and put in the right front corner of this stand attaching it to the other tree stem (right front as you look at the stand from below). I often do this to provide additional stabilization. This stand will have 3 points of contact.
I know, I have the rails pretty close together but my inseam is the same length as my arrows (27").
I have several sets of stick steps, the kind that fold down. Some of the posts on this thread make me reluctant to use them. I'd hate to be gored by one of these steps if I did fall.
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I talked to a guy at work the other day who fell several years ago. The stand kicked sideways when he stepped onto it. He was banged up pretty good with a broken jaw and even a cut ear from a broadhead. No harness, no nothing.
He has a harness now but rarely uses it because it's too much hassle.
Really?!!
The Darwin Awards come to mind.
We leave some stands from one year to the next but we carry extra straps in out packs and they are put on at the beginning of each season. Really though, all stands should be pulled at the end of each season. Rot, rust, ice expansion can really damage stands. Strain on straps and chains from rapid tree growth is the biggest factor for damage.
I run about 25 lock on stands on my deer and hog hunts and we just throw them away at 4-5 years old.
Stay safe everyone.
I have been away from Trad Gang for the past three months; reason: Fall from a treestand! Actually I was checking stands and as I stepped off the lock-on platform onto the climbing stick, the strap broken and I fell 16 feet into a ravine. God was good.... I should have been killed. Instead I torn three muscles in my left shoulder and shredded the fourth. After surgery and three months of physical therapy I am still a long way off from being able to draw a bow. I have always used harnesses while in stands, but never going up and down the ladders. I believe the remainder of my days bowhunting (if I am able) will be at ground level! For those of you who continue to hunt from tree stands, listen to all the advice that has been given in this thread. You can't be too careful!!!
I just got a call a few days ago from a very experienced trad bowhunter friend. He said he fell out of a stand two seasons ago and got hurt pretty bad. Happened while he was climbing up... his strap-on climbing stick failed and he fell 16 feet straight down, severely injuring his ankles. He is still recovering, and moving very slowly.
Please be sure you tell someone where you are going, and when to expect you back....
Update on Jim:
I talk to him at least weekly. He is using no walker or crutches now. He is even to get back to light carpentry, painting, and repair work in apartments at Purdue University. His bow arm shoulder is his biggest problem now. He is drawing his grand daughter's youth bow from time to time.
He'll have to have 2 of the 7 screws in his pelvis removed pretty soon.
His biggest regret is that he knows the fall was entirely preventable.
These ladder strap posts concern me. That is the part of my stand set-up that I'm the most comfortable with but I have some that have been in trees more than 5-6 years. Even with lifelines I don't want to those to fail. Going to replace them all this summer.
I have a year's worth of gathered screw in and strap on steps as well. Do to some of the puncture posts here I'm going to further limit my use of these. I'll use them (maybe) for the very top and bottom to help me get into my stand from above and low to help me get to the first rung of my ladder rails. I'll put those lows one to the side, out of the fall trajectory, just in case.
I like the climbing rails on some trees that don't lend themselves to a single line vertical approach because of limbs.
Glad he is recovering well. Keep telling these stories and people will take heed. My friend never wore a harness but reading stories like this finally woke him up. He now wears a full body harness and uses lifelines. Don't be lazy or cheap.
What keeps me using the lifelines or two safety ropes every time is thinking what my wife will go thru seeing me hurt. Even on my florida hog hunts in ladder stands I bring a full body safety harness with me.
I had a Lone Wolf Strap fail on me, I replace them every two years now. I think the one that failed was four years old - I just got scuffed up as I grabbed the tree as I slid down, scary knowing 2 more stick were under me as I slid. Ripped my jacket off as it got hung up on a rail, helped slow me down I guess.
I now use the Hunter Safety system as well, easy to spend the money after something goes wrong
I had a ladder stand set up in my back yard, for a couple of kids that wanted to practice from a tree stand. I no longer hunt off the ground myself. One day I came home to see a kid with a compound standing on the stand with no harness and shooting in a direction where there was no back stop at one my deer targets. I do not allow unsupervised shooting and I never allow compounds. I kicked him off my yard and took the tree stand down. Considering how many falls that have happened over the years with the local group, it is remarkable that none of them were ever seriously injured. My favorite story was about a large permanent stand in a maple tree. That we all used. Over the years it got more and more elaborate. It had everything except air conditioning. It even had a padded safety rail in case the occupant fell asleep and rolled over. One day the master builder himself was in it and thought that he was getting sick and woosey, so he lay down on the stand. He thought something very bad was happening while he lay with his eyes closed, the whole earth was moving, and it was. His maple tree was falling over. It had a hard life holding that tree stand up that was probably strangling it. Amazingly, he did not get so much as a scratch from the crash, he said it just rolled him across the ground.
Sorry to read this.
I pray he recovers well.
I've always used one of the Hunter Safety System harnesses. It fits well and is comfortable. The only complaint that I have is that a few times when putting it on in the dark, I've clunked my head with metal clip. I'll take that as opposed to what could happen if I fall out though.
After spending a number of nerve-wracking seasons in swaying trees, on claustrophobic platforms, with two near-misses, one that resulted in a severe "barking" and the other that SHOULD have resulted in a broken ankle but by the grace of God was only a severe sprain but required crutches, and a limp for months, I decided to join "Ground Pounders International" and have never been more comfortable, or more at ease. Many of us become brainwashed to the idea that we MUST hunt from trees to be successful. Not true. While hunting from elevated stands does decrease your odds of being detected, it is entirely possible to conduct a successful hunt from eyeball level. And if it were all about bringing home the meat, we would not likely be hunting with trad gear, would we?
Prayers for your buddy. I began using a lifeline years ago and have them on each of my stands. Thanks for the reminder of tree stand safety.
I have fallen twice. Well not actually fallen. Both incidents were using climbing tree stands. I was young and had little money and bought the cheapest stand I could find. It worked out OK for a little bit but I didn't know what I was doing really. I was 20' up a slick barked maple and the stand lost grip and I slid down the tree pretty quick. I fell backward when it stopped about three feet from the ground and knocked myself out cold Other than that I was ok. A few weeks later, I was climbing with the same stand and it again lost its grip and the bottom half fell all the way down the tree, I was pretty high up 25' or so and I never thought to tie both pieces together to prevent something like this. So I'm 25' up sitting on the top half of my stand, no safety belt and no idea how to get down. I figured I might as well go for broke and slide down the tree. Did I mention it was a cherry tree and my skills at tree sliding are not good at all. I nudged forward to wrap my arms around the tree and the stand lost grip and I went down fast. My chest was torn up pretty bad. The palms on my hand were shredded up as well as the inside of my arms. I hit the bottom of the tree and what was there? The stand. Twisted up both my ankles, fell freely about 4 feet, landed on my back but wasn't knocked out. All of my clothing was ripped and pulled up to my neck. I knew I was hurt but not how bad. My feet and toes moved and so did my hands and arms. Aside from bad tree bark rash, no major bleeding. My feet and ankles hurt but I was able to stand up. The walk back to the house was about 400 yards or so. I crawled a little bit of that. Turns out I tore the ligaments in both ankles, compressed my spine a little, and had a concussion.
I got off lucky. I cut the stand up into pieces with a hack saw and put it in the garbage. I saved up and bought a Loggy Bayou. That worked out pretty good for a lot years, then retired that and I now use a Summit and ladder stands with a harness as soon as I am on the stand.
As you can tell by reading this thread, most falls happen going up and down and when getting in and out for the stand. Get a long tether that attaches you from the ground up and back down. That harness isn't nearly as inconvenient as a wheelchair or pine box.
So what is your recommendations for lifelines and harnesses?
I fell hanging a cheap, old design stand that was poorly designed to say the least. Recommend newer designs for stands.
I'm currently using a HSS Lightweight harness, Muddy, Treespider and Summit SOP are also good choices. I recommend Safe Tree Hunt for the lifeline. http://safetreehunt.com/
I have been looking for a picture I took, I cannot find it, but anyway. It is a strap on tree stand with screw in tree steps, which are illegal on public land, it has been there for years. this past year I noticed that someone has added some new lower steps, to make it possible to climb to the stand. This tree has been stone dead for over five years, the branches are falling off. A short distance from that one is another that has been on the tree so long that the strap has the bark swelling around it. That one also had some lower steps added. I do not know who is using them, but they are playing a very dangerous game, both of these stands are at least 20 feet high.
I feel bad for OP and hope his friend healed fast and quick with no problems. WITH that said I think it's absolutely stupid to leave a stand up year around and not expect this exact same thing to happen. The trend now adays seems to be ladder stands which are generally but wrongfully thought of the "safest" . The are cumbersome to move so are generally left out and I think they will soon move to the most dangerous stands. JMHO.
I'm on the strong side of 70 now so don't use climbers and hang- ons as much as I used to. Regardless, I never leave my stands or steps in the woods after I'm done hunting. That goes for the ladder stands I use as well. Rodents chew on straps and the sun and weather work on synthetic materials as well.
I used to teach Bowhunter Education classes. Research available then indicated that tree stand accidents divided almost equally into thirds-- about third while ascending, a third while descending and a third while on the stand itself. Always a good idea to be tethered to the tree during all of those steps.
You cant be safe enough. for yourself and those who depend on you safety is paramount. Personally I always remove the cables that have they crimed/swedged clevis ends on them for chain and stainless hardware. Same for the hanging strap. switched to a chain and chain binder that gets padlocked when cinched into postion. A little flat black paint,and a lifeline in case I slip...done. On a climber I always make sure the cable is solid and I have good boot straps on the platform,and there is a tether between the climbing section and the platform. Life line once your in position before anything else. Hunt another day,and be home for dinner. rat'
I have been using full body harness for many years. I am adding lifelines on all my hang on stands this year. I am going to buy 150' of 11mm static climbing rope and some 6mm or 7mm cord for prusik knots on each. I use a HSS harness.
I am also making my own lineman line with static rope, new carabiners, and a ropeman ascender. Several videos on line show how to set this up.
Safety is top priority. Don't chance a fall from a stand!
and never leave your stands out all year. Pull them when season is over. Inspect all straps and hardware before you re-hang them.