A thread got me thinking about safety while climbing into or out of a stand. I use lifelines on the handful of hang ons I use and wouldn't climb into them with it. However, I'm in a bit of a predicament. I am leaving this Friday for a hunt in Ohio. The outfitter already has pre-hung stands, but I asked him about the lifeline deal and he said he does not do that. He said he has 60 year old guys climbing into his stands with no issue, but those are always the famous last words... How would or should I climb into these stands without being hooked up? My thoughts are to use the linemans belt until I get to the bottom of the stand, then put my tree rope around, above the stand then disconnect the linemans rope and climb into the stand. Not sure how cumbersome that will be, but it would keep me connected at all times. He also has ladders which I'm not nearly as leery of. Its always been something about using sticks or steps to shimmy up a tree that just never felt good to me. Thoughts?
Thats the whole reason I decided to go to the lifeline setups. There really ain't no good way to do it that I know of and be connected (safe) the whole time. What you described is really about your only option (that I can think of). I guess I'm not much help am I. LOL :D Good luck on your hunt!
You could bring your own and set them up on the stands the first time you use them. If it is a good ladder I would climb to the top and hook up before stepping on the stand. If it has screw in steps I would NEVER climb it...............lifeline or not.
Although I don't condone the use of a lifeline I see a lot of buzz on the forum about them. I think ONE thing that's overlooked is they hold no value for the mobile hunter. Just when am I going to hook into the lifeline? You can't do it going up as you set my sticks and treestand. You certainly can't use it going back down either if you are packing everything back out. So one would only get use out of it if you are going to leave everything standing. I never hook in when using a ladder in any other circumstance (around the house or other). I guess I wouldn't so much worry about it. Just always have 3 points of contact.
muzzyman- call the outfitter and ask them to hang life lines. they have plenty of time to do so. with that said, if they wont- (which they should as it is an insurance issue) use a rope style tree strap as you climb. hunter safety systems has one. i prefer this to a lineman style belt, although i use both throughout a season. makes the climb up and down longer, but i'd rather be secured by something. if you are going to hunt 1 or 2 stands for the duration of your hunt, take some lifelines and install them after your first trip up.
Depends on the tree I guess. If it's a straight pole with no limbs, I wouldn't hesitate to use a lineman's rope. If it's not (ie. a pine), I'd be climbing and hooking in when I get to the top. Like Heckler said, Lifelines are the cat's a** if you have a stand that you leave up. I use them whenever I can. But being mobile limits the usefulness of setting one up. Having said that, if I were an outfitter, every stand would have a lifeline.
I agree. Use a Lineman's belt. That will be your best bet. If I was going to an Outfitter and they didn't use them, I would take my own, get there early, choose the stand I was hunting and go and install it. When I knew I was leaving that stand for good, it would come with me.
Take your own and just tell him "Even though you have never had an injury here, I do not want to become the first." Good luck and enjoy your hunt!
I'm hunting a friend of a friends stands in Dec and I just plan on bringing a couple of my self-made lifelines with me and leaving them on the tree's after I'm done. One careful climb up the first time then all is good from that point on and who knows, It may save a guys life down the road. Pay forward I guess you could say.
not that this would work for every tree, but if you have no limbs between you and the stand to work around, you could always use a lifeline as you go up and down by loosening the loop around the tree just enough, and moving it with you as you go up and down. It's not ideal but if you were to fall it should cinch down and catch you. Better than nothing.
Use he lineman belt to climb up the first time and hang your lifeline. If you cant use a linemans belt just be extremely careful. i personally have never worried about it climbing up into the stand except when using my LW hang on and just because i'm setting and removing the sticks and stand as i'm going up and coming down!
