Close call

[Barry Wensel]

I fell guilty not mentioning this the other day but I've been really busy.
 I often leave my ladder stands out all year. In Sept. I always check them to look if rodents chewed the belts, any serious rust and to clip out any new sucker growth from my shooting lanes, etc.
Last week I wanted to sit a stand I hadn't check yet. Rather than go in the dark and check everything, I decided to sit another stand and sit this one first in the afternoon when it was light.
The tree is a big double oak. I remembered last year I could hardly get my safety belt around it with the diameter so big. When I have a situation like this I normally bring in a heavy-duty screw/bolt that has a round eye at the head.
I climbed the ladder that afternoon and screwed in the bolt deeply. And even leveraged/torqued it in deeper with a screwdriver I brought for that purpose. After I got it set I immediately snapped my buckle on. Then I turned around and sat down. The ladder is an older model out of production. It has a flip up/down seat that is secured with two of those 3 inch wide nylon webbed belts that are probably a few thousand pounds test.
The instant I sat down BOTH belts immediately broke. It was like someone pulling a chair out from under you. I started to fall but my safety line caught me. It was really scary. In fact, I climbed right down and went home.
 Dry-rot is something we often don't think about because everything appears fine. I'm very lucky I didn't "field-test" that stand in the dark that morning. I likely might have sat down until it got light enough to see to screw in the eye-bolt. I'll say this, if I didn't have the safety line on I absolutely would have fallen.
I just wanted to mention we need to add dry-rot to our safety lists to consider.
Have a great/safe season. Thanks. BW

[2020]

Thank you for the reminder and Thank you for all your contributions over the years!Stay safe and shoot straight!!

Glad it was not any worse, and that you are OK!

Bisch

[bamboo]

the sun rots the straps ---I had one snap yesterday while cranking tight--you know when you lean in to it one last tooth--eye opener for sure!

[Jayrod]

Amen uncle Barry thxs for sharing that and glad you are okay!!

[Joeabowhunter]

Thanks for posting.  I'm gonna share this with my Dad.  At 76 years old he's in and out of trees regularly and blessed with good health BUT he doesn't take tree stand safety nearly serious enough.  He hunted with you and Gene back in the 90's on the Milk River and has a lot of respect for you...maybe this will open his eyes.

[woodchucker]

Glad you're ok, Brother Barry!!!!!
I normaly don't use treestands, but I have had & used a couple of ladder stands over the years. I had one in a piece of private property we had permission to hunt, several years ago. There were a few other guys in there, who did not have permission, that we had tried to keep out, it was kinda like a game of "catch me if you can"...
I had not set in this stand for awhile, and Tyler wanted to sit in it. He was 14, and starting hunt "on his own"... We got my harness, put it on him, and made the adjustments needed. I made him put it on & take it off about a dozen times, which he was NOT happy with!!! ("I got it Dad!!!") He was all ready to sit the stand in the morning. But I wasn't...
The next morning, we waited untill daylight before heading into the woods... Tyler was pissed! But, I new the tether rope that was still on the tree was a few years old, and I wanted to replace it with a new piece of 1/2" static kermantle climbing rope that I'd brought with us. We got to the stand and as Tyler was putting his harness on, I climbed up to replace the tether rope. As I was untying the old rope, I looked down, and FROZE!!!!! Someone had climbed up and cut the ratchet straps 3/4 through!!! I mean, nice CLEAN SLICES!!!
I was shaking & my legs felt like rubber! I had Tyler hold the ladder while I tried to get seated and calm down...
Tyler asked what was wrong, and I told him someone had cut the straps. I told him that what shook me the most, was that I almost sent him up there to possibly get seriously hurt, or worse!!! We called our hunt, then headed to the hardware store, to get some chain & new straps...

[curlis]

Safe is most important.

[Mint]

Glad you are ok and used your safety strap. I won't go up a tree without being attached either with a lifeline or linesman belt and harness strap.

[Eric Krewson]

I changed all the cables to chains on all my lock ons last year. All my lock ons have a life line to stay tethered from the ground up, all are double strapped to the tree with the stand's strap and a heavy ratchet strap.

I fell 25 years ago because I was careless, I broke my back and wrist, I don't take chances now.

[Sam McMichael]

Thanks for once again reminding us that safety is always a factor.

[Dorado]

For those of you that use tree stands of any kind, I offer this word of warning.
A safety strap is cheap compared to medical bills. Four years ago a ladder collapsed out from under me while I was climbing it. The fall broke my ankle and I had nearly every doctor in the state tell me that I would need my foot amputated. I've had 7 reconstructive surgeries and spent the four years since relearning how to walk. I have not been able to hunt, or do much else. I lost the job I had because of it, and things are not looking good for me as far as finding new work. Apparently being self-employed for 10 years shows the same as being unemployed for 10 years.
Be safe.

[jonsimoneau]

Glad you're ok Barry.  That could have been a bad deal. Now get after those bucks!

[jonsimoneau]

Glad you're ok Barry.  That could have been a bad deal. Now get after those bucks!

[Terry Green]

               

[ChuckC]

Wood chucker. I hope you told that to the local sheriff.  He likely cannot do a thing now, but that sounds like someone was fixing to hurt you or your boy.  He needs to hear about it.  That would elicit quite a response from many of us, some including potential use of a 45/70 bow.

[woodchucker]

Chuck, State Troopers & ECO was notified, as well as a trail camera card (his, not mine, lol) with his ugly mug on it...
Trespassing complaint, along with a Vandalism with Malicious Intent claim was filed... Never heard any results though.

[Greg Szalewski]

I am glad you are all right Barry. Thanks for waking us up from complacency.

[Trenton G.]

Glad you're ok! We always take our straps down at the end of each season and replace them with rope, then put the straps back up once season is about to start. We've had the same set of straps on one stand for 8 years and they still look new.

[woodchucker]

We've been replacing the straps on the stands around the mountain with chains. A 6' piece with an S-hook on each end, will secure most stands to the tree. Then, use a ratchet strap, to snug it up tight, so it doesn't move.