Treestand hunting and safety belts

[jrstegner]

I don't wear one. I have fallen three times. The first time I fell was when I had a junk stand. I stepped on the platform and it came out from under me. I was not injured. I suppose I fell about 10 feet. The second time I fell was from about 8 feet while climbing down. I don't know what happened but I have a 6" scar on my chest from a treestep. The last time I fell a grouse was roosted in my stand, when I got eye level he flushed and I fell about 15 feet and hit branches all the way down. I was pretty sore but okay. Once I am in the tree there is no way I am going to fall out. When someone invents a restraint system that is sensible for ascending and descending a tree I will buy one. My recommendation is not to hunt any higher than you feel comfortable falling.

[ChuckC]

They are already invented. If you leave your stand up, there is at least one system that is easy as heck and works from ground to stand and back.  If you take it down each day there are still decent systems around.

Without going into too much detail,  I have experience with treestands, treestand safety and wearing "safety belts"   I have been hanging from mine well over two dozen times.  This during classes and training sessions.  We ended up making a video so I could  "retire".

 I am not selling anything, except maybe my experiences.   Wear something and wear it right (learn what right is).  

A belt is better than nothing,  but not much better.   Get a full body harness and figure out a system for using it and putting it on easily.  

I have come out of stands numerous times, on purpose and in controlled manners and I  guarantee you I would much rather have an incident with a full body harness on than with a belt on.  

Falling while wearing a belt alone will probably end up with a broken rib(s) and maybe more.

With good luck, you will wear it but never need it.  With bad luck.... well    it was nice knowing you.
ChuckC

[imskippy]

This reminded me of a kid I went to school with who lost his father back in high school. He had shot a 7 point and was climbing down out of the tree with his stand on his back. Must have slipped on a step and fell to the ground braking his back and broke a few ribs which punctured his lungs. Search and rescue found him the next morning after searching for a few hours.

Also a reminder to always let your friends and loved ones know exactly where you'll be incase of an emergency.

[Wary Buck]

A very good friend of mine fell out of a stand and while he can walk to some degree, he has no feelings below his chest.  He sorta swings his legs to sorta walk...

I wear a Sneaky Sack as my safety system right now.  I also take extreme care climbing in or out, and ALWAYS have three contact points (one hand, two feet...or...two hands, one foot) while mounting or dismounting.  But I sometimes wonder with the extra effort some folks go through to stay tied in WHILE climbing up or down, if all their fiddling around with the connection during the climb doesn't actually make them MORE prone to falling?

The older I get, the more I prefer climbing sticks or ladder stands to screw-in tree steps.  And some will surely disagree with me on this, but I also like stands in cedars which have frequent large branches in which to climb the tree.  I trim out just enough that I can climb up using good, strong, live branches and again always employ three points of contact and go SLOW.

[SteveB]

My recommendation is not to hunt any higher than you feel comfortable falling.  

People have been paralyzed falling 5 ft.
After 3 falls with no injuries, I would feel I was on borrowed time.

My recommendation is don't wear one if you are comfortable with hoping someone wipes your butt.

Or if you are comfortable with someone having to tell your wife/kids/loved ones that you won't be coming home cause your'e laying at the base of a tree with a broken neck and bones sticking out your legs.

Steve

[Jeff Strubberg]

I'm gonna thump you on the back of the head next time I see you, Scott.

[Soilarch]

I've not looked into them in a long time.

Hunt in stand about 10-15 times a year.  The rest is blinds or just sitting.
 
Last time I had looked at them the vests were just starting to be popular.  

Here's my question:
What's your guys' plan when you DO fall?  Just dangle there and hope you can pull yourself up? (Obviously a lot easier with a ladderstand.)

I figured it was a 50/50 if and when I fall between taking chances on a fall or take my chances on being strung up by breeches.  Both can do damage...one just takes longer to do its work.

I normally don't go past 12'-15'. Just enough to get above the the undergrowth and above the immediate line of sight.

[Gordon martiniuk]

Here is a real quandry yes I use a saftey harness hanging stands but while sitting in the stand I do not wear a saftey belt I do not go over 12ft and the thought of hanging from my harness and not being able to cut myself down is a sure way to die it only takes mins to loose all strenth and not get your self cut down after a fall. I will take my chances as a fall is not allways fatal

[TNstickn]

Its silly to not play it safe. Most hard lessons are learned from the "Oh, that will never happen to me" crowd. Two types of people, 1) have had accidents. 2) are gonna have accidents. BE SAFE!!!

[Roy from Pa]

An idea of what will appear in your local paper should you not survive a fall, choice seems pretty simple to me...  

  web page

[gregg dudley]

Safety belts aren't sexy, but neither is being fed through a tube.

[ron w]

Do you have a death wish, or just want to get into the wheelchair races!!!! GET A FULL BODY HARNESS you won't even know you have it on.

[Bill Kissner]

I have worn a safety harness for years and years without ever falling.......until this year. I was just starting to come down with my climber when one of the bolts in the seat climber broke. I was of course facing the tree and fell backward. I had not lowered my harness and it was still attached pretty high above me. This kept me from falling completely away from the bottom platform. I still had a hard time getting back upon the stand.

After finally getting back on the bottom part of the stand, the seat climber was useless and I removed it and tossed it to the ground. Now I weigh 280 and am 66 years old and it was almost impossible to hug the tree and get the bottom to turn loose and lowered on the tree. I was finally able to get within about 6 foot of the ground before giving out. I then just jumped off the platform.

I was very lucky as I only fell about 3 feet and  only received a little whiplash to my neck which was sore for a couple days. I can guarantee that I would have been seriously injured had I not had my harness on. Anyone not wearing one is playing Russian Roulette.

[john1271]

also you can put a little tension on it for back suport

[ChuckC]

If you guys wear a belt, hanging is a real issue.  I have worn Seat of the Pants Harnesses, as have the rest in my teaching cadre and I have come out of stands in them, often, as has one instructor that had earlier had back surgery..

 With a full body harness (at least the SoP) You hang upright, you can breath, you can move and you can get back on your steps or straddle the tree to shinny down.   In a belt, you often end up upside down, your chest is constricted and you can't breath very well at all. About half the time I did this I could not "save myself" and needed help.    

I don't sell SoP harnesses and don't recommend them over the others.  You pick one and wear it.  The difference between the belt,  any belt, and a harness was very obvious to all the students that saw me perform.

Don't believe me, try it yourself.   Do it from only 5 feet up and have help.... several guys you trust.   You will likely need them if you use a belt.
ChuckC

[Steve Kendrot]

A hunter in MD died last week when he fell from his stand. He apparently used to wear one all the time, but had a mishap and was left hanging in his harness. He stopped wearing a safety harness after that. Does that answer your question???

I never used to wear a harness, but ever since I got one with my summit stand, I've worn them religiously.

[BroMark]

I used to always wear a belt that had just enough slack in it to let me get my butt in the seat of my stand.  That way I'd not fall below the level of my stand (hopefully).

We now have full body harnesses for everyone in our family that hunts, and NEVER get in a stand without one.

[Rich LaBombard]

Each year I am a bit shocked at the guys that proudly claim to not wear one.  Right here on this site.

"let's see: it's dark, wet, icy, the tree is swaying, and I am going to shoot an arrow and never fall off this tiny platform...It can't happen to me."

Sure.

[KPaul]

A spinal injury is forever so why risk it?

[ChuckC]

Bill.   you brought out a point.  You are now the third person I have spoken to this year....  two are my friends that I live near....  that have had bolts break on their treestands.

Be careful and don't believe that the thing won't ever break.  You just never know.
ChuckC