I am glad to hear that your friend will make a full recovery. A timely safety reminder like this is ALWAYS a good idea. I just hope that someone reading this then digests it and takes more caution going forward.
For myself, I bought safelines for all of our stands, except for the ladder stands, and intend to use them from now on. This way we will be tethered 100% of the time when we are off the ground.
Dave is correct and is greatly reducing his chances for a tree stand accident.
My wife and I are IBEP Bowhunter Education and Tree Stand safety instructors here in Texas. I feel that the tree stand safety portion of our course is one of the most important parts of the class. I hope this information and training can keep someone from getting severely injured or killed.
There is a saying that there are two kinds of bowhunters that hunt from treestands. "The ones that have fallen and the ones that are going to fall." This information will help to prevent tree stand accidents.
First you need the right equipment which includes a full body safety harness, a lineman's climbing belts, a lifeline with prussic knot and a suspension trauma relief strap.
For your full body
safety harness to be 100% effective you
MUST stay attached to the
tree from the time your feet leave the ground until you safely return to the ground. Therefore you must use:
1. Use a lineman's climbing belt to install your climbing devices such as Rapid Rails, ladder sections, or
tree steps.
2. Once your climbing devices are attached to the
tree you need to attach a "life line". This can be a rope with carabiner and prussic knot. HSS and Muddy makes a lifeline like this. Or you can use a "Fall Guy" that uses seat belt technology.
3. Attach the lanyard of your full body harness to the life line asap. Now you are attached to the tree with you life line and climbing belt. Continue to use the climbing belt while hanging your tree stand. The climbing belt will give you 3 points of contact with the tree, but both hands will be free to hang your stand. Plus you are tied off to your life line.
4. After you have attached your stand you can disconnect your climbing belt, get on your stand and check it out. When you climb down slide the prussic knot down the life line as you decend. When both feet are on the ground you can disconnect your lanyard from the life line. Remember to tie off the life line to the base of the tree. I will screw in a tree step right at the bottom of the tree to tie off the life line.
5. Now, hooked to your life line, you can climb, enter your stand, hunt and exit your stand safely.
6. Have you ever heard of "suspension trauma". Suspension trauma is a condition caused by restricted blood flow and blood pooling in the lower extremeties. If you happen to fall and cannot recover to your stand platform or ladder you can suffer from suspension trauma and die in only a few minutes. To prevent this you need a suspension trauma relief strap. These straps are now supplied with many full body harnesses. The strap is attached to harness. You foot goes into a loop at the bottom of the strap. You can now push down with your leg to releive the pressure created by the leg straps of the harness. This will allow blood to return to your heart from your lower extremeties. I keep my suspension trauma relief strap in the pocket of my HSS Pro Series Vest safety harness. I also keep a folding tree step in my pocket. The step can be used to help you recover to your stand or ladder if you end up in a weird position.
7. Stay attached to your life life at all times. Most falls occurs when climbing up or down, enterting or exiting the
stand. Many hunters have been found seriously injured or dead at the base of their
tree wearing a full body
safety harness.....Problem was in all cases they were not attached to the
tree with a life line while climbing, entering and exiting the
tree.
8. Make sure you always use you full body harness with a climber as well. Slide the
tree strap on your harness up the
tree as you climb and down the
tree as you ascend. Or/and use a life line. Many hunters feel a sense of safey or comfort in a climber....Problem here is...one of the climbing stands cables break you are going down....unless you are attached to the
tree.
9. Many
tree stand accidents involve ladder stands. Here are some ladder
stand tips. Always use 3 people to install a ladder
stand. Many accidents occur while installing a ladder
stand with one or even two people. Always check the stability of the soil where the legs contact the ground. Always use a center brace if the
stand is equipped with one. Most importantly.....once your ladder
stand is installed use a full body
safety harness and a life line.
Look Here at HSS life lines.....In conjunction with a full bady
safety harness...They
WILL save your life.
http://www.huntersafetysystem.com/st...cessories.html
Look here at the Fall Guy system. In conjuction with a full body
safety harness. It
WILL also save your life.
http://www.integratedsafety.us/store/
Unfortunately....a
safety harness alone is not enough. ALWAYS use a lifeline !!!!
Hunt hard, hunt high if you choose, but always use a full body
safety harness and a life line !!!!
