MNpurple

I know we see a few of these on here every year, but if it takes just one more for someone to change....

I went out to put a treestand up today. What a great place it was in a stand of acorn producing white oak trees. I had my climbing sticks in place and ratcheted down to the tree andhad the treetsand ratcheted firmly into place. I stepped into the stand and heard the stand make a creaking sound coming from the ratchet. Normally I step into the treestand and immediately afix my harness before doing anything else. For whatever reason this time I reached down to the ratchet strap to find the cause of the creak, but while adjusting it I inadvertently pulled the release and the stand immediately dissapeared beneath my feet straight to the ground. I bear hugged that tree 20 feet up with all the mite that I could muster, and I literally saw everything flash before my eyes. Of course I was hanging on the opposite side of the tree that my climbing sticks were on and there wasn't a limb to be found beneath me. I could feel myself losing my grip as the bark sliced into my arms and some how, some way I found enough strength and flexibility to swing my leg far enough around that oak tree to catch a step. It was just the leverage I needed to give myself a boost and slowly slide around the tree to my sticks. I climbed down, sat on the ground and just shook. Composed myself and went back at it and got that stand up.

Why did this hapen? Because I was in too much of a hurry, I had a mental lapse, I was COMPLACENT because I had done it hundreds of times previously, and I didnt attach my harness like I have done hundreds of times in the past. Be careful and take it slow guys. No deer is worth it.