This morning would have started my all day sits, but the strap to my stand popped this morning about hour and a half in. I make it an annual thing to check ALL my stands before bow season (usually early September) I replace old worn out straps, loosen and re-tighten straps to compensate for tree growth, tighten nuts and bolts as needed, grease movable pivot points, ect. I never use lower than 500lb straps. This morning was one of the most terrifying mornings I've ever hunted. Crisp chilly morning. 35 degrees, slight wind, the dew was frosted to the dry leaves and tall grass. Everything was quiet and I was settling in, watching the earth wake up. I'm watching my breath and listening for anything crunching through the thicket. I heard leaves rustling around behind me so I leaned to my left to look behind me and POP the top strap broke and sent me off the side of the stand. The Muddy harness caught me and my momentum swinging me into a baseball bat sized branch then back the other way slamming into my (now horizontal) hang on... I did however, manage to miss my climbing sticks by a tiny bit. Broke 2 ribs, cut my leg up a little bit, but no worse for wear. Ibuprofen and I'm gonna shower and head back out. Moral of the story.. Wear your dang harness. Please.. I am so thankful I got to come home to my wife and babies today.
Dang....each stand gets a new strap each year and the one year old one slides down and the 2 year old one is relegated to bottom tree steps or around house use....small price for assurance. So glad you are okay brother!
thank God for safety equipment. 2 Broke ribs, I would be combining healthy doses of alcohol with that Ibuprofen and not be heading back out. Good luck and be safe.
Thank you for sharing your story, people need read these type of stories to understand that you are not in control when you are in a tree stand. My brother-in-law fell 20 feet last year while not wearing a harness. He was extremely luck that about a 5" diameter tree broke his fall. He was banged up, but very, very lucky. He has 2 young daughters that nearly lost their father that day.
Shouldn't this be titled "90 minute sit accident"? Honestly I thought it was going to be a story about how your butt was numb from sitting all day and you slipped or something.
As an added safety I'm going to wrap 2 separate stainless steel cable around the base of all my stands and bolt the cable into the tree with SS bolts right behind the stand. This will allow the tree to grow but the cables should never break. This is an addition to straps. I've been making the cables up and will post photos once I start doing it. But again Gald your safe.
Thanks, guys. People also need to realize that these things will happen to you. I was one of those "It'll never happen to me" fellows. I will never climb a tree without safety equipment again. I have a 2 year old girl and a 5 year old boy to come home to and I've gotten away with it too many times. Tyni- That seems like a good strategy for checking straps annually. Reduce/Re-use/Recycle Remmett- I ended up going back out. I don't drink anyways. Saw a shooter chasing a group of does about 80 yards away. Never came any closer. Afflicted- I would like to see what you come up with. Sounds like a money making investment. Better copy write that. HaHa
I never rely on just the strap that comes with the stand. I always add an addition ratchet strap for added safety. Glad your ok. Thank the lord.
The ratchet strap I had on there broke, it wasn't the original. I will be using a combination of both from now on. Thanks for the concern.
Glad that this ended with you posting here about it and not us hearing about what happened to you! Glad you were wearing that harness and wish you a quick recovery for those ribs....Broken ribs suck.
My first sit in a hang on, a strap broke. I wasn't injured but climbed down. When I got to the ground was when it hit me how glad I was to be wearing the harness. Some people I hunted with said prior to my sit that "I probably didn't need a harness." They all wear thiers now.
Don't understand why people leave there stands or anything out all year every year when it's only used for a few months, if you put it up and take it down after your done with your season the straps and everything that you normally leave out would probably last for as long as you would need them to.weather and the elements are hard on everything along with theiving people.
Scary story indeed. You might want to try pulling back that bow with your broken ribs first before heading back out
