Treestand Safety

struttingfool

Active Member
Good Morning all, I would like to wish all a happy and safe hunting season, our main goal for this year and everytime we head to the stand is to return safe EVERY TIME!!!! Just a reminder to make sure your stands are in good condition, wear your safety harness and would like to recommend adding a lifeline!!!! I have added this precaution to everyone of my stands. Stay safe and we could all keep an eye out for each other when we find I product we really like or at a really good price. I found mine 2 years ago dirt cheap and bought everyone they had!!! Millennium SAFE LINK. They were $12. Wish I could find that deal again!!!

Strut
 
PLEASE CHECK ALL YOUR STANDS BEFORE YOU USE THEM! I had a very close call in 2016. The support cable on my stand snapped while I was in it. It made a loud "pop" and that corner of the stand dropped a few inches. If not for my harness, I would have been a "thud". You don't have time to think, much less react to things like this. I check my straps yearly, but never really paid much attention to the stands themselves. Fasteners, welds and even the material itself can and will fail eventually. In todays stands they push the limit to be light and economical so PLEASE do a very detailed review of all your stands before you use them. If not for yourself, for your families! Something I started doing is putting the purchase date (year) of the various straps I use on them. I use them for a few years and then replace them. The UV rays from the sun can make them weaken over time....especially if you keep them up year round. It's well worth it to spend $50 ~$100 on new straps and replace some each year vs have one fail and cost you much more!

And know....my fat behind didn't exceed the rated capacity of the stand! Stands that are out all year or have some years of service on them will start to show signs of corrosion and as such begin to loose their structural integrity.

My "close call" got my attention. I am notorious for cutting corners because of time or the like....I think we all have our moments like that. Don't let one of those times create a significant change in your life....
4771_1f97f32e39c69610974ec0439faa1974.jpg
 
PLEASE CHECK ALL YOUR STANDS BEFORE YOU USE THEM! I had a very close call in 2016. The support cable on my stand snapped while I was in it. It made a loud "pop" and that corner of the stand dropped a few inches. If not for my harness, I would have been a "thud". You don't have time to think, much less react to things like this. I check my straps yearly, but never really paid much attention to the stands themselves. Fasteners, welds and even the material itself can and will fail eventually. In todays stands they push the limit to be light and economical so PLEASE do a very detailed review of all your stands before you use them. If not for yourself, for your families! Something I started doing is putting the purchase date (year) of the various straps I use on them. I use them for a few years and then replace them. The UV rays from the sun can make them weaken over time....especially if you keep them up year round. It's well worth it to spend $50 ~$100 on new straps and replace some each year vs have one fail and cost you much more!

And know....my fat behind didn't exceed the rated capacity of the stand! Stands that are out all year or have some years of service on them will start to show signs of corrosion and as such begin to loose their structural integrity.

My "close call" got my attention. I am notorious for cutting corners because of time or the like....I think we all have our moments like that. Don't let one of those times create a significant change in your life....
4771_1f97f32e39c69610974ec0439faa1974.jpg
The owner of a local archery shop here has a few metal pins in his legs due to that very thing happening to him. He did NOT have a safety vest on. He still walks with a bit of a limp and cannot climb a tree stand anymore, not that he would want to but he's lucky to be alive and he knows it. I'll say this, you don't want to go into his shop and tell him you don't wear a safety vest ! I saw that once and that kid had his tail between legs in short order.
 
The owner of a local archery shop here has a few metal pins in his legs due to that very thing happening to him. He did NOT have a safety vest on. He still walks with a bit of a limp and cannot climb a tree stand anymore, not that he would want to but he's lucky to be alive and he knows it. I'll say this, you don't want to go into his shop and tell him you don't wear a safety vest ! I saw that once and that kid had his tail between legs in short order.
Only time I don't where one is when I am in a tower blind. Other than that ever since I started hunting I use a harness of some sort. The early ones where almost as dangerous as not having one (a belt around your chest). I need to go to the safety lines, but have not gotten to that part yet. I use a lot more ladder stands now than ever before as well. Nothing wrong with climbing a tree like a squirrel, I just am not as comfortable in doing that as much as I once was. I rarely use a climber at all any more as well.
 
I really believe the safety lines are a must along with the vest!!! I still use a lot of hang on stands, like the versatility and I can put up by myself. As for the not wearing a safety vest, I just don't understand why people don't. I work with a bunch of young bucks 30's, some veteran hunters some are new and they don't wear one. I try and explain the importance of them and they just say "shut up old man you don't know anything"!!!!! I try and tell them the story of the time I fell, and they still don't listen. Hope for their sake they don't fall. All you can do is raise awareness and hope they take that advice. One other thing that I will not do is hunt in a stand I didn't either hang or help hang. I will not hunt with a buddy who says I got a stand over here and you should hunt it!!!! NOPE!!!! You are putting too much trust in some else to believe they hang stands the same way you do and also take care of them same way you do!!!!
 
Good advice all. I never hunted hang ons, too big and clumsy, but I use to hunt climbers. I don’t even hunt ladder stands anymore. With the exception of one blind on a 10’ tower, all my sets are blinds about 2’ off the ground. Just enough height to keep critters from denning under them. AC473495-65E7-4802-A99A-BAE01C4B77F1.jpeg
 
I had one of those old "Baker Style" Climbers drop about 2 ft while standing on it one time. All I did was shift my weight and Boom down the tree I went. HOLY SH!T.

I remember the first Safety Harnesses which were just two belts- one went around your waist and one around the tree with a short strap connecting the two. Dang things were dangerous as if you fell you suffocated anyway.

I have a brand New Hunter Specialties that I use when using my Climber. Only I almost never use it anymore. Now I mostly use Tripods or Quadpod stand. Some Ladders. I've found the Tripods to be very comfortable and I can sit easily for hours in one. Bought two Quadpods to get set up this year as well.
 
Back
Top