BuckTail's thread on stand height got me thinking that it's about time for a tree stand fall thread to get everyone in the mindset of wearing a safety harness. If you've got a story tell it here. There's folks out there that may be glad you did. My first climber blew out from under me back in the late 80's. One minute I'm up in a tree skinny, dumb and happy waiting for it to get light, a microsecond later I'm 15' up in the air hanging from my belt wondering WTF just happened! That experience scared me straight. It happens faster than you can believe. I'm a firm believer in wearing safety harnesses every time I go up. I got off pretty lucky. I know there's people out there that haven't.
when i was a younger, 14-15 years old, i got my first climber. i did not fall out or have an event while hunting, but as i was climbing the bottom portion of the stand did not grab into the tree properly. as i went to raise the tip portion it simply gave out. i slid all the way down the tree,15-17 ft. luckily my young body was able to bend in crazy ways cuz i was not injured in the slightest way. since that day i wear a harness on everything except body platformed ladder stands.
Sorry i don't have a tree stand "fall" story... but reading your post reminded me of a time i was using an older climber and got about 15 + feet in the air when the bottom decided to go "clickty clack" all the way to the bottom of the tree. Well lets just say that my feet turned into monkey paws and i managed to get down. Funny what you can do when put in a situation. My legs sure did feel it after all of that. From then on i have always made sure the pieces of my climber are attached. (love the clips on my new lone wolf)
Oh yeah bring it up again..... I crawled up in a old pine stand the wife used hunt out of. It was a nailed up one. The boards were all mossed over. I was trying to limb a branch the saw got stuck the branch broke off and started to fall twords my bow (that I forgot to pull up). I kicked at the branch to bust it out of the way and I slipped and down we went. Bounceing off Pine branches the whole way. I felt like the plinko disk from the price is right. God I hurt for a week on that one.
December 27, 2008 I had went down in the river bottoms to hang a stand for the evening hunt. I found a good crossing along the old river. I started up the tree an got up about 17' an stopped a turned a looked around. I was using my favorite stand the Summit Viper. I decided the location looked good. Some light rain an started to fall, so I decided to start back down. I turned to sit down of the stand an my feet slipped an over I went an about 20'0 to the ground. Too make things worse, I landed on a log that was about a foot in dia. I stood up just as soon as I hit the ground an started looking around. My vision was starting to go black. I had sweat running off of me an it was about 50 degrees an light rain was falling. I started checking for injuries an discovered that I had a cracked collar bone. It felt out of place so I pushed it back in place. It made sound like you were rolling some gravel around in your hand. I also had two cracked ribs. I spent six month before a full recovery. I learned a lesson that day. I am thankful for a full recovery.
My first was the orig baker climber on the way up a tree aluminum broke thru at the rivet, felt it give worked my way down, second time not so lucky permanent stand 20 foot drop, had a safety strap on but it was a cheap one with a metal clasp, was 19-20 years ago, funny thing was my cousin hunted all day opening day and i was in the stand for about six hours before the fall, i woke up on the ground my gun was broken in half and i had a good 1/4 up a ridge to my truck, broken ribs, broken ball and big toe combo, torn rotator cup, drove home and then rushed to trama room in shock spent a day there and about a year getting my arm to work again, how not to make your new wife happy 101. the other half of that old saftey stap was still in the tree the last time i went back to see how it looked after. one second i was there in the tree the next i am waking up face down breathing in dirt floor, lost about three hours . full body harness for me now. all the time in a stand.
About 15 years ago a guy up the road from us was climbing a tree in a pos climber. It was on where you had your feet in straps, like normal, but then you had a rope around the tree with a stick through it that you twisted to tighten and then pull up on. He was about 8-10' off the ground when the rope broke and he went over backwards. He ended up upside down, but his feet were still in the straps and flat on the stand. He hung like that for around 4-5 hours. My brother talked to him earlier in the day and he said where he was hunting and they went up to see if he had seen anything. When he wasn't there, they went out on the atvs and found him, barely alive. My brother stood on the atv and held him up while another buddy cut the straps to free his feet. He ended up in the hospoital for quite some time and had to have his legs cut open to relieve the pressure. He's lucky he told someone where he was hunting that day.
I don't (thankfully... and knock on wood) have any stories of my own. Working for emergency rooms tho'... I can tell you stories of other hunters falls. (torn open abdomen, compound ankle fractures where the bone drives down into the dirt, broken backs..)
Wow, I feel like a total moron for never using a harness. Now, would the harness have to be like those for sale at Cabela's and the like, or like one that pole workers use? (The ones that pole workers use is simply a strong weightlifter's type belt with a heavy duty line that hooks to whatever is solid) I have one of these from my cable installer days that is rated to 500lbs.
One time I was climbing down the ladder on my way down, and we have this rope for putting or guns on to lower them down, etc. I got down about 5, or 6 steps from the top, and then I slipped off the ladder. I grabbed on the the rope, and pulled a James Bond. :D Quite scary.
Never had a fall, but as I get older, I get more careful how I climb trees. I now have my rope around the tree as I climb and decend the tree in my climber. Not quite as brave and dareing (stupid) as I used to be.
I feel about about 14' up. Actually while climbing, a tree step pulled out, but finding my brother in law laying on the ground with a broken back and watching him suffer until Life Flight took him away, Scared me straight! I had hunted for years without any kind of safety harness but since then I have wore one religously. Dan
20 years ago this veterns day my best friend fell out from 17'. Broken neck. 7 days in traction, removed 1 rib to fuse vertabrae in his neck and still cant look to the right w/o turning entire upper body. Why i don't wear one i dont know, must be dumber than i think
I wear one everytime up, but im always wondering if i am hanging whats the best way to get down from there,,,anyone??
I've been fortunate to never have a fall in the woods, but when I was practicing with buddy out of the stand I had a scare. I was in his old Summit climbing a black cherry with shaggy bark. At about 12' up the platform got stuck. As I was shifting trying to free it the hand climber gave way and down the tree I slid. I stopped myself by hugging the tree and stopped about 3 feet from the ground. My stomach and arms looked like I had used a cheese grater on them. Now I don't climb without one. I don't even like climbing into hang on sets without being tethered anymore and plan on making ropes for my stands that I leave in the woods this off season.
Is this something your proud of? I have never fallen either, but always wear a safety harness just in case. You never know what can happen and your family and friends deserve you to come home in one piece.
