Treestand Users-BEWARE!

[KSdan]

Hey folks- VERY SERIOUS SITUATION HERE     :eek:      

I am a serious LW stand guy.  It is about all I have used for 14+ years.  One stand, sticks, and I am very portable/stealthy.

Had a dangerous thing occur tonight- FIRST TIME EVER!  VERY SERIOUS!!          

I attached the stand as usual.  But when I stepped on the stand the strap SLIPPED.  It slipped through the buckle- NOT like it was greased- but enough that the stand gave way.  Fortunately I was in a cedar tree with many limbs that caught the stand and gave me limbs to stand on.        

Upon inspection, what I found was that through literally hundreds of sets- the buckle binder (which has rough teeth for binding the strap) was actually dirty with embedded dirt and bark from all the use. (It was not readily noticeable.)  The buckle was unable to bind/grip the strap.
 
VERY DANGEROUS! When I got home (after shooting a doe I might add!) I pulled the strap out and cleaned the buckle with a wire brush.  It is now good as new!

BEWARE!  Nothing wrong with LW- they are GREAT stands- but even they need maintenance.

Dan in KS

[Bowmania]

This year in WI we had a freezing rain.  Had my LW hung while it was going on.  After I wanted to move.  Took it down and up it up in the new spot.  Standing on the second stick I noticed that it wasn't as tight as when I put it up.  I dropped down to the first stick and found the buckle was frozen and would not grip the strap.  Upon examination I found all four buckles would not work the way they were intended.

Bowmania

[JMartin]

These kind of stories send chills down my spine. Very dangerous situation.

[KSdan]

Bowmania- I even wondered about that as well- it is in the single digits here- I wonder if they lose some griping ability when it gets this cold and some moisture gets on the straps. . . no doubt though that my buckle was quite dirty.

[sdpeb1]

I always use a rachet strap on mine for extra saftey- Steve

[Bow man]

Thanks for the warning. Glad you did not fall

[Mudd]

I guess some would say that "I am just a fraidycat in my old age" because I won't climb trees any more. I felt the ole pucker factor go up just reading about your episode. I am so very grateful that you are ok. Thank you for passing on what you learned from experience to those who can and will take your advice to heart.

Any fall can spell disaster especially during this period of extreme cold temps brought on by all  this "global warming" we are experiencing.

Thanks for sharing!
God bless,Mudd

[Steve O]

Dan,

I'm pretty sure the owners manual says to change the straps annually.  Nobody is going to do that, but the company has covered thier a$$...

Good idea to remind everyone to check their stands, straps, and safety harnesses.

[rraming]

You may just want to buy a new strap set every few years and plan this in with your hunting budget

[oneshot-onekill]

I've never had an issue but....I inspect mine every yr and replace every 2 yrs....Thanks for sharing, very good info for us LW guys....glad you didnt fall!

[SpikeMaster]

No one should fall out of a tree or treestand if you're wearing your safety harness. Be connected to the tree all the way up, while sitting in the stand, and all the way down. I know it's more convenient not to use it but it could prevent serious injury or death.

[KSdan]

Thanks for the thoughts. . . I realize buying new ones is for liability but I am not sure this situation is equipment failure (as in: the strap/buckle is broke) rather, it gathered dirt and debris over time.  

As far as attaching all the way up- that is impossible in most trees I go up.  I know IBEP teaches that and I hear guys say it, but I hunt KS where everything is crooked and full of limbs!(Try tying in at the ground in a cedar tree or Osage tree!) I would rather keep two arms/hands (3 point contact) on the tree than removing my grip by messing around with ropes. I do tie onto the tree using a climber's seat when setting the stand and before stepping on.  Funny though, I never see guys tie up when climbing on 8' ladders around the house. . .

Thanks for the input- stay safe

Dan in KS

[Dave Bulla]

Glad you were in a situation where you had all the limbs to hold on to Dan.  

As for staying tied in, about the only way you can do it on a tree with lots of limbs is to have two separate tie ropes and when you get to a limb, you hook one above it before you disconnect the one below it as you go up.  My seat of the pants harness uses a heavy rope and prussic knot that would be a bit bulky to pack two of them around but my LW that I just got came with a harness that has a much smaller diameter rope.  I'd seriously consider buying another one just for the reasons we're talking about.

[Tom Phillips]

Thanks for the info.

[luv2bowhunt]

Replacing the straps every couple of years is a cheap insurance policy! Thanks for the insight though, I will definately be keeping an eye on mine and cleaning the buckle periodically!

[Paul/KS]

Glad the tree caught you and that you are OK Dan.

[George D. Stout]

I'm with Mudd.  There's no way this old butt is climbing a tree...ever.  Every year people die in treestand failures, or carelessness in their use.  Every year warnings are given, and every year someone doesn't check something, or whatever, and down they go.  And, everyone here probably knows someone who has fallen.

I wonder now why I ever used the darned things.  They are noisy, cold, and potentially dangerous, and I see as many deer while hunting from the ground.  No thanks to any tree stands for this guy.  Glad you were not hurt, by the way....warnings should be heeded.

[George D. Stout]

Now I know someone here is going to tell me how silently they can climb a tree.  I will bet, however, that I can hear them from fifty yards away easily, and if I can, so can the critters.

[dragonheart]

I would replace the strap with a racket strap for added insurance.

[Morning Star]

Not the first occurance with LW straps.  Had the same thing happen to myself and have heard of other incidents similar.  I couldn't tell why by looking at my strap.