Have you or anyone you known fallen?

[safetreehunt]

Sort of curious as to how many of you guys have taken a tumble while tree hunting. I'm betting this may be an eye opener for some.

See if you can answer these 5 questions:

1. Have you or anyone you personally known fell while hunting from a tree?
2. Did you fall while going up or down or sitting?
3. Did you have some sort of fall restraint on at the time? What type?
4. If yes to #3, Did it do it's job?
5. if not, How extensive was the damage to you or your acquaintance?

[Valley Lad]

None of my bow hunting buddies have made the sudden stop at the bottom. I'm most worried getting in and out of my stand.

My first two seasons I didn't wear a safety harness. After my daughter was born I decided the cost of the harness is minimal compared to the risks.

No hunt is worth spending the rest of your life in a wheelchair.

[swamper]

One of the older fellows in our bowhunting club was out in February about 2 years ago building a tree stand for spring bear. He slipped and came down on his back on a stump. He suffered spinal cord damage and will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his days. He may have avoided this with the use of a safety strap, but then again, hindsight is perfect. My biggest reason for not hunting out of a treestand is my fear of falling asleep and ending up dangling on the end of safety harness and not being able to get back up. For me I will stay on the ground.

[toplouff]

A buddy of mine fell while climbing down out of a treestand. The climbing peg came loose and he fell 12 feet to the ground. He was in the hospital for neck, back and groin injuries. He missed the remainder of the hunting season last year and is having a hernia operation this year wich doctors think maybe because of his fall last year. He will have missed alot of hunting because of that one fall. He wore his harness in his stand but obviulsly not on the way down or up into his treestand. :(
If it wasn't for his talkabout radio and hunting with a friend it could have been worse.

Wear your safety harness !!! :!: :!:

[pockets]

i have never fallen out or slipped while putting up a stand, but 2 buddies have, one fell off the tree while holding on trying to put up a stand 12 foot fall minor scratches on the forehead
other buddy one peg let go and he swung out on the other peg and it let go, no worse for wear.

[lostbowman]

I never fell but the one time i was coming down with my climber and the bottom fall out on me i had a rope to keep it from falling all the way down but it was a little long i did get the bottom back up but not with out some problems the first thing i did was to short the rope when i got down :oops:

[scooter]

The only time I have every been in a bad situation is when I was tree-slinging and ended up falling asleep :oops: :oops:

I woke up upside down in my tree sling looking at the ground from about 15 feet up. The sling did it's job and held me in. I use the tree sling when I am in the tree stand as well to make sure that I don't fall out.

I also have a lineman's rig (the ones the powerline guys use) that I will be putting into use once I have a chance to dip the clips in a rubberized coating so they don't clank around.

Warden

[Valley Lad]

I used a lineman's belt for the first time to put up my stands this year. It was far easier than hugging a tree!

The first tree stand I put up by myself a few years back was 12 screw-in steps high and I was holding onto one of the steps with the back of my knee while lugging the stand up and trying to get the ratchet strap connected. I'll never do that alone again and not with a lineman's belt.

[LadyArcher]

A friend of mine used my homemade treestand two yrs ago...he was a big guy about 250lbs..when going up the very top rung gave out & he came down backwards,hitting his head on a rock..he broke 2 vertibrae in his neck..all is ok he healed pretty quick but he now refuses to get in a stand.

My husband has also has fallen..was sitting & a possum fell in his lap, scared the shit out of both of them...he was in a self climber & with the movement it came down..not very hard or all the way,he still does not wear a harness.

[safetreehunt]

My own fall was 2 years ago on opening morning. I was climbing into a homemade stand when one of the boards that make up the ladder came off the tree. My feet were 10' off the ground. I shattered my ankle in 5 places and spent two days in the hospital. $2000 out of pocket expenses and 3 months on crutches a lost hunting season and ski season later. I know better than to climb without being on a line.

I set lines in all my stands now. I climb like a rock climber. If you want instructions on how to put this system together, email me at safetreehunt@yahoo.com and I'll send you some instructions.

As for homemade stands. Deer and Deer Hunting Magazine did a treestand survey a few years ago. In it the consensus on Homemade stands is, "If you build it, you will fall".

Get on a line, because you cannot afford not to!
Jim

[Bigralphy]

a friend of mine fell asleep and woke up dangling from is harness. As he fell he smacked his face against the tree causing a severe black eye and a nasty scrape on the side of his head. A small price for what could have been alot more serious. If your going to hunt treestands, buy a full body harness. I am 300lbs and could only find one rated for 275. I hope the actual rating is higher but who knows. I paid around 50 bucks for it which is a small price to pay to avoid serious injury or death. I would hope to see everyone who is in treestands wearing a saftey harness, they were made for a reason. Hunt safe and enjoy the sport.

[kakko]

Ok so my wife said i had a possum fall into my lap! we the whole story is I was on my way up the tree when i guess i spooked the rodent and it decided to lose it's grip on the branch above and join me in the climb while wrestling with the animal i dislodged the base and we both went down about ten feet, I dropped the confused critter to the ground where he got really pissed off and gave me what for for distrubing his sleep.

I have slid down another tree wet freezing rain morning and the tree I picked was a beach tree bark is really smooth with out much grip when its dry let alone when its covered with ice

[russ]

An acquataince fell out of a stand that busted, no restraint on. IBEP suggest that you use the climbing rope, prussik knot & a couple of 'biners to remain in contact with the tree at all times. They also prefer the use of full body harness. Lot's of people fall because they don't use a haul rope which is silly when you think about it. According to IBEP, 1 in 3 of us will suffer and injury type fall out of a treestand. I've been close at least 2x this year. Once in the spring while removing a stand I had to cut the ratchet strap, I was so focused on that part of the job I didn't even think ahead of the consequences. Very unusual for me, I'm afraid of heights and I usually plan absolutely every move 2 or 3 steps before I do it. Just not that time. I came close this fall also, if you're a chubby fellow, one of the things you have to do is swing out more than a skinny fellow and I lost my grip with one hand but managed to get with the other. I'm really thinking that climbing rope and 'biners are a lot cheaper than 3 months off unpaid from work!

[safetreehunt]

Trust me, russ, you are on the right track. Contact with the tree at all times through use of a rope or linemans system is the only way to keep from hitting the ground and causing 3+ months of no fun. I know, cuz I did it.

If anyone wants info on how to make your own system, send an email to me at safetreehunt@yahoo.com and I'll send you my instruction info.

Jim

[scooter]

I have the info in PDF format now. I will put it up right away and post the link here for everyone.

Scott

[grandmapatty]

Well, let me see, I have alot of hunting experiences, and I have had some bad experiences and thank God none of them did me in or injuried more than my pride.
I first started hunting 35 years ago and it was with a recurve and I hunted mainly from tree limbs, and that was all. Mainly oak trees that had mast around them. Once I was in a tree with a limb that was not real great but it looked over a great trail and it was the only tree that I could get into. I had a nice 9 point buck looking right in front of me, as I pulled the string back and aimed the limb broke and I feel into the fork of the tree and was upside down. For all that have not fell, let me tell you that it is so fast that you have no ideal what is happening. I was lucky and I still had my bow in my hand drawn upside down, I was only up around 9 feet or so. If I would have been up higher I would have still been hurt more seriously.
I still kept hunting on limb but bigger and not when I was tired.
Today the only trouble that I had was with my Summit climber which is the older one, and the back loop that help my heel in broke and the bottom of my climber dropped, and I was still hanging on top the top, and I was able to reach down with my toe and pull it up and get my foot into the front loop. I would not have been able to do it but I did not have the top and bottom so far apart that I could not reach with my foot if this happened.
Another friend was a highway patrolman, and had several years hunting and fell out of his stand and broke his back. He had to retired but was not paralized.
My son fell out on his way down in the dark, he waited to long to get down because it was a difficult tree to get out of. Do not wait intil dark even if you have a flash light or caplight. He was also lucky not to have been hurt .

[scooter]

We have added the download to The BowZone!

Click here (http://www.bowzone.ca/modules.php?op=modload&name=Downloads&file=index&req=viewdownload&cid=1) to get to the Hunting Information category and the name of the download is: Tree Stand Safety Rig Plans.

Please feel free to share this with your friends.

[safetreehunt]

Just found a post on Archery Talk where two guys from Mississippi fell in separate incidents last week. Both hunters died. Neither was wearing any sort of harness or climbing assist.

So Sad. This does not have to happen.

[Andy_T]

Most of my hunting buddies have fallen!! Actually it has been some years since my tumble. I lucked in, after climbing onto my stand for 3 days I reached up and the branch I had been using to hold on to suddenly came away and I was in free fall. Fortunately I landed on a willow bush and snow, which broke my fall. Otherwise I would have smashed my head on a log. My hunting partner who witnessed the entire thing was amazed I was ok with just the wind knocked out of me. I learned that day never to trust a branch as a support.

My partner had his tree stand break. The weld on the T-Bold broke and left him hanging by his safety strap. He broke his bow and had a really excellent scrape from his tree step. The manufacturer made complete restitution for the bow and not only sent him a new T-bolt but also a complete new stand. He also now secures the stand with a ratchet strap as well as the T-bolt. Of course he was never to mention the mechanical failure to anyone. Except me!!! That’s because I came to his aid. He was using a home made safety strap at the time and it actually worked and possibly saved him from serious injury.

We both use the full body harnesses from Gorilla now and don’t use screw in steps any more. We now use ladders.

[Dwightster]

Just thought I would add my 2-bits to this.I hjave hunted from a treestand for over a decade & just feel that you HAVE to be focused when you are installing/climbing up or down a treestand !!! Good grief !!...how does anyone fall asleep with a bow in their hands while hunting????Many here might think I am foolish but I never wear a safety harness...I would rather take my chances of hitting the ground than to fall part way down & have my guts ripped by the harness.Also my biggest fear is slipping on the tree steps & ripping myself open on the metal steps....so I am ALWAYS VERY FOCUSED about what I am doing when using a treestand.

[shaneeboi]

thank goodness nope.

[safetreehunt]

Just thought I would add my 2-bits to this.I hjave hunted from a treestand for over a decade & just feel that you HAVE to be focused when you are installing/climbing up or down a treestand !!! Good grief !!...how does anyone fall asleep with a bow in their hands while hunting????Many here might think I am foolish but I never wear a safety harness...I would rather take my chances of hitting the ground than to fall part way down & have my guts ripped by the harness.Also my biggest fear is slipping on the tree steps & ripping myself open on the metal steps....so I am ALWAYS VERY FOCUSED about what I am doing when using a treestand.

Dwightster, You're right. I do think you're foolish. If you're just a single guy I suppose your decision is only affecting yourself. If you have a family, then your obstinate disregard for a simple safety procedure is selfish with a complete disregard for the welfare and feelings of your family.

Sorry about the scolding, but come one guys. Two guys with your attitude fell while climbing into their trees down in Mississippi last week. Both died. Three hunters in Michigan have also died this year from falls. I'm sure each one of them thought they were "focused" too. These are just the ones I know about so far. I guarantee you there are a lot more.

There is no way on God's green earth that you or anyone else can be focused enough to completely eliminate the possibility of a fall. You and anyone else thinking this way is only kidding themselves and is probably heading for one of those "Darwin Awards".

[Dwightster]

ouch!!!!

[sir_huntsalot]

A hunting buddy of my fathers fell asleep and landed on his head on a pile of rocks. He is paralized from the waist down. Personally I always wear a safty belt and think it's really irresponsible not to wear one. Some of you guys that dont wear one would wish you had if you ended up in a wheelchair. If you are scared about falling and hanging on a safty belt it's alot better than hitting branches and tree steps on the way down and then hitting the ground. It would be a good idea to have a good rope tied incase you did fall and was hanging from the safety. You could then grab the rope and get yourself unhooked and lowerd to the ground. Having to use the belt in a fall would suck and probably hurt you in some way but I think it would be much better than alot of the possible outcomes. I never knew a guy that thought he would have a hunting accident , It could happen to any of us. A kid I know back in NB shot himself by accident a couple weeks ago while bird hunting on his quad. I bet he never thought when he decided to have his gun loaded while driving the quad that it would fall off and discharge. The kid was lucky , he just got his arm messed up instead of getting his head blown off. This kid was through the hunter safety program, I guess he forgot what he learned or more likely had the "it cant happen to me attitude" I also know of two other kids that have had the course and have had accidents. One shot himself in the foot and the other one put a 303 round through the basement ceiling and into his brothers bed above. Lucky no one was hurt on that one. Apparently alot of these kids dont practice what they have learned when they get in the feild. I say play safe, follow the rules and stay alive!

[borealboy]

I clip into a safety line on the ground and don't clip out until I'm back on the ground again. Its a simple system. I use a vertical rope with one end tied to the tree base and the other end tied to the tree above my stand. I then attach a smaller diameter rope to the main line with a prussik knot (several websites with good diagrams for this knot). It forms a loop which I can slide easily up and down the main line with my hand but which will not slip when supporting a weight. I then clip my harness into the loop with a caribiner clip I got from Canadian Tire and I'm all set to go. It takes 10 seconds to clip in and I'm always attached to the tree but still pretty mobile. The system can be set up in a heavily branched tree, which is the only kind I have where I live. If I fall, it catches me after about a two foot drop and the harness keeps me upright. All my stands are rigged this way now. Cheap and effective.

[DavidStratton]

I guess I am one of the more recent unfortunates. I fell only about ten feet on Nov 13. I think I landed mostly on my back but maybe a little more to the right shoulder. Had been in the stand about three hours and had already lower my bow, quiver and fanny pack. Not sure what happened but I ended up on the ground and hurting. Tried to call for help but could not get out much of a holler. Managed to get over on my hands and knees and gather my equipment up and start the hobble out. Didn't have to go too far before the guys I was with spotted me gimping along and came to help. We were only a couple of miles out of a small town and they hauled me into the ER. From the x-rays it looked like shoulders and ribs were the problem so they sent me on into town (55 mi). CT showed 12 fractures in total. Both shoulder blades. The transverse processes on three of the lumbar verterba. The rest were ribs which felt were front and back but more right than left. Also evidently had a little pneumothorax in the right lung. Just spent the night in the hospital with x-rays the next morning and was able to go home.

Good news is that none of the fractures were displaced. All in good alignment. Bad news is these things heal pretty slowly. I have not been able to lie down flat in a bed since it happened. Sleep in a recliner usually about 3 to 4 hours at a stretch. I will heal but it sure isn't fun.

No. I was not wearing a safety harness. Haven't spent any time in a tree for years. The harnes I had was a piece of junk and I couldn't find a decent one locally. It is a bit late but I have ordered a good harnes that should be here in the next day or so.

I will be 59 come January and just don't bounce very good anymore. One thing I am sure of is that this will not happen again. From here on out I will always be tied off to the tree.

Dave

[scooter]

I guess I am one of the more recent unfortunates. I fell only about ten feet on Nov 13. I think I landed mostly on my back but maybe a little more to the right shoulder. Had been in the stand about three hours and had already lower my bow, quiver and fanny pack. Not sure what happened but I ended up on the ground and hurting. Tried to call for help but could not get out much of a holler. Managed to get over on my hands and knees and gather my equipment up and start the hobble out. Didn't have to go too far before the guys I was with spotted me gimping along and came to help. We were only a couple of miles out of a small town and they hauled me into the ER. From the x-rays it looked like shoulders and ribs were the problem so they sent me on into town (55 mi). CT showed 12 fractures in total. Both shoulder blades. The transverse processes on three of the lumbar verterba. The rest were ribs which felt were front and back but more right than left. Also evidently had a little pneumothorax in the right lung. Just spent the night in the hospital with x-rays the next morning and was able to go home.

Good news is that none of the fractures were displaced. All in good alignment. Bad news is these things heal pretty slowly. I have not been able to lie down flat in a bed since it happened. Sleep in a recliner usually about 3 to 4 hours at a stretch. I will heal but it sure isn't fun.

No. I was not wearing a safety harness. Haven't spent any time in a tree for years. The harnes I had was a piece of junk and I couldn't find a decent one locally. It is a bit late but I have ordered a good harnes that should be here in the next day or so.

I will be 59 come January and just don't bounce very good anymore. One thing I am sure of is that this will not happen again. From here on out I will always be tied off to the tree.

Dave

Wow Dave. It sure could have been worse. Welcome to The BowZone! Glad you're still around to visit.

Scott

[scooter]

Wow Dave. It sure could have been worse. Welcome to The BowZone! Glad you're still around to visit.

Scott
Thought that I'd bring this post back up to the top seeing as how hunting season is just around the corner.

Be safe out there everyone!

[Billert]

Really scarry stories guys and a must read if you havent fallen. Learn from others mistakes. The only close call I had was mistaking a small dead branch for my treesteps. My real steep was 3 inches below and I had 3 points of contact so I only fell 3" to my step, otherwise I would have been okay holding on with both hands. When climbing always have at least 3 points of contact! Only move one limb at a time.

[safetreehunt]

First, I'm glad to see this brought back up to the top.

Second, the last post about 3 point contact is very important, but let me add that all three points need to be on different locations. My fall was caused when I had both hands on the same rung that broke loose.

Just another check I guess.

Stay safe this year guys...and gals.

Jim

[WOOKIE]

btt

Read and learn guys. Your families want you to come home alive and unhurt.