safety in a tree

[JOE HARROD]

i plead to each an every hunter wear your safety harness.about 20 or more years ago safety up a tree was not my main concern.i fell 17 feet knocked me out they found me 31/2 hrs later the franklin county rescure squad.they had to carry me on a strecher for about 400 yds to the ambulance.i was in the hospital 2 days.the results were 2 broken ribs,2 bruised kidneys,an a dislocated shoulder.if i hadened fallen on the side of a hill the doctor said i would have died.i peed blood for 1 whole day.wearing a safety harness may not be traditional but it is smart.i do not remember hitting the ground.this will be 48 yrs hunting out of a tree.kink

[Kapellmeister]

So sorry that happened to ya, Joe... thank you for the sobering reminder, though.

[Fletcher]

Excellent and timely reminder; thanks Joe!  

[pickaspot]

Very good reminder! I wised up some years back and went to a harness instead of the old "don't fall" belt.

Love my SOP harness - very light & comfortable. I have too many folks that depend on me to be stubborn and reckless like I used to be.

[m midd]

i second that,, i wear my harness every time i go up a tree. I want to continue to bowhunt for many more years..

[crotch horn]

Like stated..... selfish not to wear one. My friends buddy fell out of his stand last season. He is dead and had 3 children and two were less than 3 years old. Might be a pain and cost a shot but think of his family and how they feel.

[Stone Knife]

I wear mine all the time and have killed plenty of deer, there is too much at stake not to wear one.

[Eugene Slagle]

I once got to my club, grabbed all my gear & hiked to the tree I wanted only to find that I forgot my harness in the house.

Since I had hung the climber already but was leary of going up without one I thought better & hunted on the ground.

I have never fallen out of a tree stand but had a very scary experience years ago when I got my very first climber, I didn't know what the little piece or string was for that goes between the two pieces  but used the stand without it & first day of the season I was 15+ feet up in a tree when the platform fell out from under me & all the held me was the seat & my harness, so I agree Please Please Please wear a good safety harness any time you are more than a foot off the ground.

[Mint]

I always where one and last year started using the hunter safety systems lifelines for even more security. I also always tell my hunting buddies where I will be hunting that day and when I will be calling to check in with them. Cellphones are a blessing for this and texting has made it easier.

[katman]

Agree with Mint, the HSS is quiet and easy to use. I think it is foolish to hunt out of a tree stand without one since many falls happen getting in or out of the stand, something a harness won't help unless you are tethered to a safety line.

[HB3]

I agree always wear a harness and a attached to a safety line, Used to use a prussic knot but now use petzel assenders, real simple, no moving parts. I had a prussic knot tied from the manufacture on a safety line that slid when I pulled on it. Might of caught in a fall but te assenders grab right away and are easy to use.

[Red4arm]

My brother feel out two years ago. His walmart climbing stand broke. He fell about 12 ft, he was climbing down so when the cable on the seat portion broke it dumped him backwards out of the tree. He broke most of his ribs in his back, his collar bone, collapsed lung, and fractured his vertebra. He was lucky he was close to the house and we got to him quickly. He recovered but was out of work for months and still has pain. We always wear our safety gear now. Google tree stand accidents, they are far more common than you think.

[joevan125]

I hate to admit this but i hunted for 30yrs before i ever started wearing a saftey harness.

I never even thought about it until i had a child and turned 40. The last year i hunted without a harness i stepped up in my lock-on and i had mud on  my boots.

The stand was a little over 20 ft high and when i slipped all i was hanging on to was a tree step with my right hand, that was a real close call and now i never leave the cabin without a harness.

[Gen273]

This is a good reminder!!!

[Johnny UMAA]

I always wear my HSS vest!

[champ38]

dont feel bad joevann 125, Im 40 y/o, and up until last year had never put on a safty vest/harness, i dont think it had even crossed my mind....  not until i read a thread on tradgang about treestand accidents. I never leave home with out my HSS now. So thanks Tradgang, u may have saved my life.