Tony, What a story. Glad you survived okay. It's amazing how much safer the equipment we use is today than years ago.
I have slipped on hard bark a few times. My Ex-Father-in-law cut a hunt short once when I heard him screaming. Found him hanging from safety strap with the bottom of his climber 15 feet below him. Something tells me I should have left him hanging
Oh yeah... my first one was one of the first Bakers that came out where you had to hug the tree and pull the stand up with your legs. This was before handclimbers, safety belts or vest and all that. It was a decent that took all the skin of my arms, chin and nose. LOL The resulting thud broke my quiver which was still attached to my bow on the ground, broke a few arrows and ruined my day. The second was about 5 years ago where I didn't heed the manufacturers word to attach a cinch strap once I got to my desired height. I shifted the weight to make a shot and it hurt like hell when the bottom section bailed on me. Glad for the HSS. LOL I now follow all the rules. LOL
I despise climbers. Few bad experiences at a very young age with the bottom leaving me, and I won't use em unless necessary now....which thankfully is never. I just feel on edge at all times sitting in a climber, where as in a lock on I feel like I'm going nowhere.
im scared to death of heights an when im in my summit viper im at ease... standing or sittin down.. never had it slip or fall or anything of that nature..
3 years ago I was climbing out of an old permanent homemade wooden stand and the top step pulled out of the tree. I fell 19 feet landed and landed with my gun in my lap. I didn't have a scratch on me nor was I sore anywhere. I can say the Lord was definitely looking out for me that day.
My Baker stand wasn't even painted! I ordered it from a bowhunting warehouse and It was just bare aluminum when it arrived.
Yeah, I can add to this one I was 3/4 of a mile back off the road, Had my summit Goliath climber. Stupid mistake on my part for not tie'ing the top section and the bottom together I was 25' up and hunting with my ML (years ago) dont gun hunt anymore and for some reason I decided the bottom section needed turned a bit, while sitting down I wrapped my feet around the lower section to shift it and >>>BAM<<< it went ALL the way down to the bottom, and there I was still at the top, feet dangling while seated, its a BAD feeling. I had no cell signal to call for help so the wheels started turning on how to get down. I finally came up with the idea to undo the shoulder strap off the ML and hook it, and gun around front rail of top section to keep weight on it. The tree was as big as it couild be, and still get my climber aroung it so wrapping my arms around it was out of the question. I didnt like doing this but had no choice, I took my summit prussic rope off my vest and wrapped it around tree AFTER wiggling out of seat and managing to stand on top rail of the climber. I held on to two loops I made in each end of roap, wraped my feet around edge of stand and tipped it until it fell slightly with gun weight on rail making it reset to the tree. I had to do this all the way down and it took awhile to do. By the time I got down I was complety ringing wet in sweat head to toe. Did I mention it was still dark when this went down. It WAS a morning hunt. I have never forgot to tie the sections together since that day.
i'm been hunting in climbers since i was 10 years old. My first climber was one you faced the tree in and my dad thought it would be a good idea if we hunted the same tree over looking a clear cut. I moved my feet at some point during the hunt and down the bottom piece went. Now here i am under my dad about 15 feet up without my bottom piece. He came down to where i was, somehow managed to use a small pine next to us to climb down and work my bottom piece to me. about an hour after getting resituated and tie'n a rope from bottom to top piece he shot a buck. I've had some slip on smooth bark. I refuse to hunt from smooth oak trees and poplars. I prefer to use pines or hardwoods with thick bark that really lets the teeth on th stand bite in. One in the spot i want, i use my rope my bow/gun is tied to to start tie'n the top to the tree, the top to the bottom and the bottom to the tree. you can pull up on the front of ether piece and they won't move. Just make sure you keep all your weight on the part of the stand furthest from the tree and it'll give the teeth the best bite on the tree.
Ten years ago I had a summit sabre. Actually I loved that stand and used it all the time. It was steady as a rock and i completely trusted it. One day i was hunting and had been pretty sick with ear infections. I decided to hunt that after noon anyway. I felt like crap and decided to get down a little early. As i was coming down the tree The bottom platform slipped and i lost hold of the hand climber/seat. After about ten feet the bottom platform cought back hold of the tree. But iwas already falling backwards. I ended up hanging upside down from the platform with my feet still strapped to it. I was alone. Had left my cell phone in the truck . Not sure how long i actually hung there but it seemed like forever. I figure it was close to an hour. The pain in my ankles and knee became unbearable. I could feel the bones popping. I realized i was on my own and had to figure a way out of the situation. I started thinking about cutting my feet starps and falling the rest of the way to the ground. I had been in that tree several times and knew nothing was below me to land on. Hanging upside down I figured i was a little over 10 feet off the ground. I was scared to death that I would land on my head and break my neck. The pain in my ankles /knee finally got the best of me. I reached up and cut one foot strap. Then I grabbed the platform and kinda of pulled my self up and tried to stay tucked that way as i cut the other strap.. I Cut the strap and tossed my knife. I landed on the back of my shoulder. It was a pretty good jolt but actually felt good to be on the ground. I laid there about 15 minutes checking myself and thinking to myself that i was ok (alive anyway). When i stood up The pain in my ankles and knee was pretty bad. I was able to hobble the 600 yards to my truck. End result was 2 broken ankles and a deep bone bruise in knee. Also hurt my rotator cuff from landing on my shoulder i guess. I am thankfull as my injuries could have been so much worse. I will say it was not the stands fault. It was decisions and events i could have controlled. I am sure being sick played a big role. I always wore a safety strap while hunting but never when climbing as It seemed like a pain in the rear. I also had forgot my cell phone in the truck . Just a bad chain of events that snowballed on me real quick. I never used that stand again . Last year I did purchase a new summit climber but have yet to use it.
I slipped maybe a foot in an original Loggy Bayou climber....but thats nothing. Maybe not the most comfy but in my Lone Wolf climber I'll climb just about anything, I am that confident using it .Safest climber I've ever used.
I've slipped on trees with smoother bark, but nothing drastic. I don't climb those kind of trees anymore.
I've been using my Lone Wolf sit and climb for about 8 years and NEVER had a safety issue with it. Not once. Super secure stand!
I hunted in a cheap climber when I was younger and when I got to the right height I turned to sit and when I did the top peice slid all the way to the foot section.Had to go home and clean my pants that night.
Surprisingly, I've never had a real "slip" but I have had a particular stand rock like crazy side to side and almost toss me off. This was last season. I ditched that stand and went back to my Summit climber. All the years I used a Loggy Bayou, you know, bear hug the tree and shimmy up style, and never had that thing move or even a close call with it. Some days I miss that stand....
