If I get off the ground, it's a ladder stand. Slow and careful. You can fall from them, too.

Sorry, Bronz!

Somehow I missed your post or would have continued on with this story added to it.

My apologies.

Has anyone tryed the fallguy teather. Just bought one and it retracts like a seat belt. And locks if you fall. Hope it works cause I,m going to be at the end of it. GReg

Deer & Deer Hunting did a safety research article many years ago... you have 3 min in anything but a 5pt harness, according to their research...then you likely will pass out and if not, croak.

That is if you're wearing anything.

I wear my SOP religiously.  My aged brain doesn't remember great, but I think that something like 90% of treestand falls occurred either entering or leaving the stand!

I came outa one many years ago with just a chest harness on.  Thankfully, I had read the article and someone was watching over fools and children and I did manage to get righted and back on something solid.  Terrifying. One mental  moment and you're toast.

Macho might make it at home, but it has no place 20' or less in the air!

Wear and live to educate others. Don't and...?

TTT!

Hope recovery is rapid for your buddy. Tree stands, poisonous snakes, twisted ankles, cuts, the list goes on and on. We must be careful in all we do outdoors and like others say, "let someone know your whereabouts and your proposed time schedule" Notify them if your plans change. You may be in "hog heaven" out there with your downed animal late in the night but your family may be frantic about where you're at if you haven't checked in. Be careful folks and good hunting.

Glad to hear you friend is still alive. Regardless of height PLEASE use your restraint systems. At first they are a pain but it will become just another part of your equipment. Not using one is like playing Russian roulette. Hunt safe and good luck to all!!! Big Ed

Hope you buddy recovers well and thanks for the reminder!

Thanks for this post, It stopped me today hanging my last strap on stand. I trudged back to the house, put on my HSS harness, trudged down to the shed and got my linemans belt.. Shaking my head, This ain't never gonna happen to me..... Got back to the tree and climbed the ladder ( with the linemans belt on)to hang the stand.Got the stand up and danged if It didn't somehow slip out of my grasp and crash to the ground. Just the sight of the stand hitting the ground while I stayed safely on the ladder 15 feet up drove it home for me. Stay safe folks... Hope your buddy recovers quick!

"well worth repeating"

Indeed!!!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for your friend.

Gravity never sleeps.

Statistics from the Treestand Manufacturers Association:

Average age of hunters injured in falls: 44 years

Average height of falls: 21 feet.

Average hunting experience: 16 years!

Spooky, no? You would think it would be the newcomers at most risk. Hubris kills.

This my be a stupid question but why don't guys just use an old ladder in paint it green or some such and bolt it around the tree. I am a new hunter so pardon me for lack of experience but I have thought if this often but not done it as of yet. Only problem I see is getting it secure enough in the first place to get up there to make it more secure..

Not a stupid question at all, IMHO.

Keep in mind, like my buddy, not all falls are going up and down and ladders DO break and you can fall from them.

It's simply a matter of thinking ahead, keeping your eyes open and being prepared for any emergencies.

It's NOT just tree stands as several pointed out. Broadhead and knife cuts come to mind first after falling. Heart problems, slipping and twisting an ankle or knee walking. Anything.

Being prepared is just a simple "head's up" the guys here to everyone.

Life is SHORT....a little bit of planning for "what if" is easy and needs to be part of our standard preparations in our sport.

Not stupid, 3blades. I only hunt from ladder stands or the ground. I make my own ladder stands from treated wood, using deck screws and predrilled holes to prevent splitting. I have 11 of them scattered around my property, and I have a 4-piece aluminum ladder for trips away from home.

Well.
I was WALKING out last night; and slipped and fell in a creek I was crossing. I landed on my back on a rock; but I had on a backpack and it absorbed the impact from that.
Today my arm is sore; my knee is swollen up; and my back is hurting.
Worst part of it was- neither of the two buddies I was with- had the decency to take a picture of me while I was flaying around like an overturned turtle.
Actually it was a hot day; and although I had flashbacks reaching into my toddler days; a wet cold butt was kinda nice.

Doesn't take a treestand to get hurt !    :rolleyes:

I don't even like climbing a ladder to clean gutters. I get kinda dizzy up there, so I hunt from the ground too. Hope everyone that can and likes to hunt up there has a safe season!
-Charlie

I don't want to be a stick in the mud about this but...  I think hang on stands are dangerous to put up and take down.  Why not use climbing stands or hunt from the ground?  I know of at least 4 gimps or crippled from falls, all from hang ons.

I've fallen three times from a tree in my 30 yrs. of bowhunting. The last time was only from my second step up from the ground as I was coming out from hanging a stand. Landed on my back and got the wind knocked out of me; thought I was a goner there for a few minutes. But it got me to thinking about all of those close calls, and I decided right there and then to concentrate on hunting on the ground. I'm enjoying bowhunting more today without the worry of falling to the ground. I'm finding stillhunting the most exciting way to bowhunt.

Perhaps, I'm getting alittle more cautious in my old age.

Best of luck to all of my brothers in arms! Hunt safe and smart!