Originally Posted by
Sfury
Even with a harness there are two times you won't be secure. Going in/up or coming out/down.
Being safe will get us home most of the time. Still, even the best of preparation can be for nought. The gentleman that taught me the importance of using a safety harness was decades ahead of most hunters. He fell either going into his stand, or coming out. He never said before he passed away. A more safety conscious hunter I have never met.
Stay calm, stay safe, and don't rush when getting into or out of your stand. Hunting is inherently dangerous. We all have to do the best we can so we make it back to prepare for the next trip out.
Hunterguy77, sorry to hear about your accident. We each are either a victim ourselves or know someone who is. Some with better endings than others.
Sfury, Your wrong. In my training classes we were introduced to a prassic knot by our repelling instructor. I am a firm believer in this knot for it saved my rear end 2 years ago. I fell from about 10 feet and this knot stopped me just like it was intended to do.
I teach my hunter education/safety class this knot and I buy the rope at Rural King or Bucheits that is of 1500-2500lb class, about 5/8ths to 3/4" inch in diameter and show then how to use this knot. I am secured from the time my feet leave the ground and return. I use a Gorilla safety harness from Wal-Mart. I took the original buckle off the back and replaced it with a steel caribeener buckle about 5 inches long.
I then place a sinch down rope in my back pack of a loop diameter
of around 6 feet. I then place this around the tree trunk upon reaching my stand before unhooking from my assend knot and pass it through the double knotted end, making my loop to hook my buckle onto upon passing from my assend rope to my tie in rope. Only being unhooked for 2/10ths of a second.
This leaves me the original length of the safety harness strap and not changing its strength integerity.