Well, this morning was my third time out using my new LW alpha setup. I practiced a good bit before season but I really don't figure out a "process" until after a few hunts. Well, once my hunt was over I lowered my bow/backpack down in preparation to descend and start packing. I climb onto my top stick and hook up my linesman's rope, remove the stand and strap it on my back and continue downward removing and stacking my sticks all in one motion (relying on the linesman rope the entire time in order to have both hands free and to stack the sticks onto). I get down on the ground and realized that God was looking out for me. This is the part of my "process" I'm still working on. Once in my stand, I usually put my linesmans rope in my pack but I always forget to get it out before lowering my pack to the ground. No big deal since I can just pull it back up but thats a pain. So....this morning I left it (both ends of linesmans rope) attached to my harness on the right hand side loop. Well, the two caribiners clanked together so I attached one to my belt loop on the right side to prevent noise. When I hooked up my linesmans belt on the climb down, I forgot all about the one on the belt loop and unhooked the one still attached to my harness and hooked it on the left side harness. So, I had one side connected to my harness and the other to my right hand side pant's belt loop. Once on the ground, I discovered this almost fatal mistake and saw the belt loop's stitching had halfway come undone. I'm lucky! Be careful out there. ***I guess the title should be "Almost deadly" It hasn't killed me yet.
Don't feel bad. I'm betting 90% of the folks using that setup use NOTHING for safety ascending and descending. Glad you're OK.
Thanks, Jeff. I'll be honest. I don't attach the lineman's rope while ascending until I'm ready to hang the stand. I have a buddy that doesn't use one at all. The first time I tried out the stand at his place, I followed his lead. Needless to say, it was very dangerous AND difficult. I feel two FREE hands are a must when positioning the stand in place but I know a lot of people that do it without.
I use my overhead tie off on the way down... I also don't ever lose a tie off that way, I get to where I hang the stand, put my overhead in and it stays with me until I am down again. I used to get to the top, untie the line man and then put it overhead and would just hug the tree and pray for the best. Got tired of being 18' up with nothing but my knees on the tree while I transitioned. I got an HSS band and use both now. Guess could have just made another lineman, but this was like 20.00 or so. Glad your not hurt... I had the fun of knocking my 2nd stick off with my stand rope as I lowered my stand on Tue. Had to stretch down from the 3rd stick to my first (switched to my lineman) and then put the 2nd stick back on the tree and climb back up. I was on a loose bark oak of some kind and I guess the teeth didn't dig in, when the pull rope snagged the stair it just flew away. I also didn't have my cell on me since it was in my buttpack and on the deck already. not my best showing...but I got out of it safely
Yes Finch you were lucky. Glad nothing happened but im sure you will remember now. I have done a couple boo boo's this year to. twice after my hunt I realized that I didnt attach my safety vest to the tree
Yeah I've done that as well. At the end of my hunt I turn around to unclip my safety harness only to realize it was never attached in the first place.
glad to hear you are ok, i am thinking about getting me a lone wolf elite and have been reading alot about them. i read alot of this, so i going to take extra precaution measures. this will be my first lok on ever so i am kind of worried a little, lol.
That's really scary. It's one thing to not be hooked up, and know you aren't. But its a completely different ball game to think you are set & have something snap. Glad your loop held. In my 3 hunts so far this season, I've used my sticks & hanger each one. I only hook up the linesman part to set and remove the stand, the sticks I'm unhooked up & down.
Good God man, you was a very lucky soul. Glad it worked out and you and everyone on here learned something.
I had a screw in step to break with me last year. I had just snapped my safety rope onto the D loop when the step under my left foot broke. I went straight down about 3-4 feet before my safety harness caught me. What could have been a 20 foot drop I was saved and only had rope burns from the harness. At one time I had 8 hang on stands up and was scared to death to use them until I found some HSS Lifeline ropes. They are the only way to go!!
Wow, that is scary. Glad to hear you are OK. You must be a skinny fella for the belt loop to have held you. A good reason to stay away from those Twinkies.
+1 , I've always hunted from the ground, in make shift blinds. Not sure how good thats going to work out now that I'm not 300 yards away...lol
Guilty as charged, but I was hanging out of trees before hunters used safety harnesses, and I've tried them to no avail, I just can't get comfortable using one, and feel like it limits me and makes me potentially more likely to slip out of my stand.
One time, when I was climbing into my treestand,, I realized that I wasn't tied off... but then I remembered that it was 1982 and treestand harnesses hadn't been invented yet. :-) I'm RELIGIOUS about wearing mine now, but back in the 80's when I first started, I don't remember EVER seeing anyone with a safety harness. We've certainly come a long way in hunter safety since I took my first deer out of a rickety homemade 2x4 and plywood platform! The winds were really strong here today, and my tree was swaying like a Disney ride and I thought to myself, "Man, I'm glad I'm wearing this harness!!!"
