wear those saftey belts!

[ub1243]

i talked to me dad last night. one of his coworkers was drawing on a buck, got out to the end of the stand, heard a snap. then woke up on the ground. the stand broke. and he broke three bones in his neck. he was able to craw out to his truck. i think my dad said a lady saw him and called 911 on his cell phone, which he just bought, he never had a cell phone before.
he's in the hospital, they can't believe he was able to get out of the woods.

back at work two other hunters got into a big fight about this. one guy still doesn't wear a belt. these guys got nose to nose, they had to be sperated.

guys there are people waiting for us to come home at night. be safe.

[ACEarcher]

I never wore one till the day I fell. I was climbing the ladder to my stand and I just bit it. I thought I had a tight grip in the next run, but was deffinatly wrong. I remember saying to myself while I was in mid air falling "this is really going to hurt". I lucked out and fell into a topped off tree. All the tiggs and leaves broke my fall. I was amazed when I got up that I wasen't hurt. ALWAYS from now on I have my harness on. It also probably helpped that I had a backpack on with an extra jacket in it. I figure next time I'm not going to be so lucky.

[fishy]

boy you never know when these things will happen. Always wear your harness and keep your cell phone in a pocket god forbid you do fall you wont be able to reach your phone to call for help if its 6 feet above you in your pack

[Buckblaster]

Last year I was climbing one of my favorite stands and the step came out and I dropped and got caught on another step that hooked under my armpit. I was hanging there and trying to get off the step. Finally I used my head and bent my knees up against the tree and pushed off with the other hand falling about 10ft. to the ground and hitting my head against the tree. After that experience, I went to Dick's and they had ladder stands on sale and I bought 4 of them. My son helped me replace the other stands and I now only use ladder stands. I'm a bit paranoid of the tree steps. I was lucky and that step went right under by pec pushing it over. I have a little trouble drawing the bow back but I manage. Guys becareful and do wear a belt of some kind.:eek:

[massbaster]

69.00 at dicks....its a camo vest and has staps that come under your legs so you dont suffocate your lungs...also comes with a snap on the bottom to drag a deer....buy one.....not worth dying or breaking your back or neck.

--MB

[MattG]

Started hunting as a kid in some of the worst homemade stands there was, hung high and hard to climb..never wore a safety belt....I consider myself lucky I'm alive today. When climbers came out, I was leary...for good reason and started with a rope I tied 2 half hitches around the tree with and tied to a belt I buckled around my waist or midsection...consider myself lucky I never fell, as if the fall didn't kill me my makeshift safety belt certainly may have? A couple years ago, I stopped messing around and went to a full harness complete with rope and prussic knot, can't beat it....I'll be the 1st to admit that I was a complete and utter moron, idiot, shirt for brains, etc...you name it for not going with the full harness earlier.


With the climber you're attached to the tree from the ground up, with fixed stands, you can still be attached the whole way up and down if you install a rope & prussic knot from above the stand to the ground, or if you want to spend a little more $ the seat belt safety system is nice.

[onthehunt]

Was the stand a hang on or a wood permanent:eek:? Always wear your belt.

[wreckless]

I took a slip, I always wear a belt. I don't feel comfortable without one

[ub1243]

Was the stand a hang on

it was a hang on that you screw the T in first then hang the stand on it.
three things failed. the T broke, the J hook on the turnbuckle opened, and the nylon strap broke.
he got operated on yesterday.

[hobo]

I purchesed seat of the pants fast back harness this year -greatest thing since sliced bread. Easy to put on/even in dark.I dont even know I have it on.I like to go pretty high & i used to use just waist strap [or nothing]-but relize anything can wrong on any given day & I have to much to lose-Iwill wear it everytime I hunt now.:thup:

[WavRidr]

Ok guys here's my questions. This year I went out and bought a Hunter Safety Systems Harness, which is all good and great, but i am not that worried about falling out of my stand while hunting, but I bought the harness just to be safe, $hit does happen. What makes me the most nervous though is falling while getting in and out of the stand, what are you doing to protect yourselves while climbing the tree and getting in and out of your stands.

[Re-Bait]

Someone showed me that you are suppose to use the safety harness as you climb. So as you move the climber you also move the belt. Have to admit I've never done it that way, but I do always put it on once I'm up.

Same person also told me the most common accident is the climber slipping, and you rub your face off on the way down!

All that being said I haven't gone out in years. Bad shoulders and Pa blue laws crimping my style.

[PhilCVG]

You are supposed to use your harness as you climb and descend the tree with your climber. I almost never do it climbing, but almost always use it coming down because I don't feel as secure for whatever reason.

Getting in and out of the stand is the most dangerous part of the climb in my opinion ( and I think most others ). The rest of the way you are attached to the tree with atleast 3 limbs in a relatively comfortable position. Often times, those last two or three steps and than the climb into the stand is the most awkward position and further away from the tree you will be.

The Fall Guy Safety Retractor is the best product on the market to protect yourself while climbing up or down your ladder stand or lock-on with steps. You connect it to the tree above your stand and pull the tether down to the bottom step when you climb down. The next time you go to climb, you hook yourself up before you are on a step/ladder. You are connected from the first step you take up, to the step into the stand, to the step out of the stand and to the last step to the ground.

So while we are in the topic, I have atleast 3 or 4 full body safety harnesses that I will give to anyone that needs'em. I have a setup that I like and I'm comfortable with but every stand you buy comes with one these days so I have extra. So just contact me at pjuhring@hotmail.com and we'll work something out to get you one.

[WavRidr]

You are supposed to use your harness as you climb and descend the tree with your climber. I almost never do it climbing, but almost always use it coming down because I don't feel as secure for whatever reason.

Getting in and out of the stand is the most dangerous part of the climb in my opinion ( and I think most others ). The rest of the way you are attached to the tree with atleast 3 limbs in a relatively comfortable position. Often times, those last two or three steps and than the climb into the stand is the most awkward position and further away from the tree you will be.

The Fall Guy Safety Retractor is the best product on the market to protect yourself while climbing up or down your ladder stand or lock-on with steps. You connect it to the tree above your stand and pull the tether down to the bottom step when you climb down. The next time you go to climb, you hook yourself up before you are on a step/ladder. You are connected from the first step you take up, to the step into the stand, to the step out of the stand and to the last step to the ground.

So while we are in the topic, I have atleast 3 or 4 full body safety harnesses that I will give to anyone that needs'em. I have a setup that I like and I'm comfortable with but every stand you buy comes with one these days so I have extra. So just contact me at pjuhring@hotmail.com and we'll work something out to get you one.

I have seen the fall uy safety retractor and they seem awfully expensive. It would be ok if I only needed one, but I would need three and that adds up quick. But at the same time it is a lot better than a broken neck.

[David599]

I have two summit stands. one is about 8 years old, one is last years model.

I always wear a belt in them One is a bow stand, easier to fall our of, and one if a rifle model.

Last sat I used the new one bowhunting, as I didnt want to hike an dunhook the other froma tree. I went up in the dark,...

the old one has the cable lock mechanism aluminum covers.... you slide the cable into stand to the correct crimp, and cover the cable...

the new one has a bottom push up detent mechanisiom.... while going up, I had a jolt form the stnad and figured the stnad slipped. its never happened before....

I got up to my height, about 17-18 ft. Tied off my harness, and set up for watch...

ended up seeing three deer that came running in, spooked, no decent shot offerered.

when getting down, somehow I looked down and the cable lock into the the stand, had slipped and was half a crimp from coming out. This was the bottom section of the stand. I dont know how it stayed connected but I had to do a mid air fix...

I never wear my harness going up.... now I learned why you should....

I've fallen twice in 25 years. Once a low 10-12 ft wood pallet stand in Greenwood forest. i didnt built it and it went as soon as I got up there.... with a shotgun in my hand...!!

The other was climbing a tree, at about 23 years old, with a 30-30 slung across my back. A dead branch snaped clean I had my foot on and I recall reacing out and trying to catch a limb going down....

That didn't work out so well as My pinkie ended up bentsticking straight up in a 90 degree upwards unnatural angle...

my 30-30 broke at the stock, and I think Imust have done a very good PLF since newly out of AB school so I didnt break my feet of legs or anything.... height of that fall while climbing maybe 10-11 feet....

yep _ i wear my harness...

[thegoat]

seat-of-the-pants is what I have been using for the past 6 season. What I do is put it on the next to last layer with the eyelet hanging out of the back of your neck no tangles and don't even know it's there.
I remember when the baker portable was the only gig in town:eek:anyone else remember?

[bassassassin8]

HE's one lucky guy! YOu should always wear your harness guys! If I ever forget mine, my a$$ stays on the ground and I'll hunt. It ain't worth it.

[mudmarlin70]

Nothin ike mouths to feed at home in a single income house to wake ya up. I was young and stupid back in the day, but no more. full harness for me now. Family depends on each of us.

[BowhunterNJ]

it was a hang on that you screw the T in first then hang the stand on it.
three things failed. the T broke, the J hook on the turnbuckle opened, and the nylon strap broke.
he got operated on yesterday.

As an FYI, those stands (such as the API Baby Grands) that use the T handle to screw in are only meant to hang the stand on to make it easier to secure it...then they should be REMOVED when seating the stand and hunting from it.

Sounds like part of it was maybe due to all his weight on the T, rather than distributed throughout the stand. So that's one issue...but not what caused the failure.

How old was the stand/strap to have the J hook open and nylon strap break?
How big was the guy?
What model stand and weight rating?
Was it TMA certified?


Either way, all of the above is relatively moot...wear a safety harness and stay safe...but also be sure to check out your equipment, know how to use it properly and maintain it over time!