Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I used to hunt with the safety belt that strapped around the waist. If I had to shoot to the right (I'm right handed), no problem even if I had to move the straps a little.

However, the tree harness clip is next to my neck up high. If I have to shoot to my right, I fear there will be problems with the rope getting caught in my draw, or in the way when I shoot, aim, etc. Any experiences/suggestions? I meant to test it out last time on stand but forgot to do it before I decended.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

Hey Dougmd, I found the same problem when I draw to my right side. I went back to my old saftey that goes around my waist.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I know what you mean Doug. Same deal. It does get in the way. At the witching hour or if I got deer moving around I just go ahead and slide the prusic knot down to stand height to get everything out of the way. Sometimes I just slide the whole wrap around the tree down. I know it'd be a hell of a snap if I were to fall, but I got to beable to draw. If I expect all the activity(and I try to set up that way) to my front and left and right front or straight back, I don't worry about it. It only gets in my way to my right rear.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I do what Davidmil does.............but, when I have to shoot to my right, I slide the prusinc knot down, then lift my right "pulling" arm over the rope, letting the slack hang under my arm. It works really well, and I've taken a couple deer like that with no problems. Best thing to do is practice different things, it took a few tries to get it right for myself.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

Thanks guys. I guess I can slide the whole assembly down like davidmil. I don't understand sliding theprussac knot down (assuming the "prussac knot" is that six looped knot in black rope) since it isheld in place by the clip onmy harness, so I can't slide it anywherewithout unclipping it.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I don't know what you're saying. You CAN slide the prusic knot up and down the rope while still attached to the tether. It doesn't matter because sliding the knot or the whole assembly down is the same deal as far as the jolt at the end of the rope if you were to fall. But hey, you're a strong young fella. It won't hurt much at all.[&:] Unless of course, it catches you under the chin as you go and snaps your neck.[&:]:eek:

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I gotcha, slide it down to the bottom of the other rope, against it's knot. Thanks! I definately don't want to worry about that whena deer is approaching....

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

DougMD,

I get what you are saying and agree with some of the adjustments. I'm 58 and been hunting a long time. Use a harness religiously and look at it this way. That darned SOP harness is going to cost me a shot someday, but better to miss one shot in a lifetime than trying to maybe try to take the same shot laying on the ground with a broken back.

Let me put it another way. Do you have life insurance? What for? You gotta die to collect. Maybe you got a family to protect. Wearing the harness is the same thing--protecting the family, and yourself if the inevitable happens.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

Just dont wear a harness... Or hunt on the ground.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

Doug, I too used to wear just a safety belt until I read one too many horror stories about the result of falling in one of those. And -- after switching to a harness -- I experienced the same difficulty. I usually solve the problem by either sliding the cloth rope which goes around the tree way up or way down. If it's up high enough, you can manuever around under the attaching rope. If it's down low enough, of course the opposite would hold true.

For safety's sake, it would probably be wiser to move the rope up -- since that would shorten your fall in the event it happened... but that limits your mobility even though you can now turn to your right.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I don't know what kind of harness you bought, but I don't have any problems with mine. Maybe you're not using it correctly.

A way to totally eliminate any problems with trying to shoot either side is to shoot either way - right or left-handed. That's why I go into the woods with a release on either hand. If the shot prevents difficulty in any way, I just switch hands. :D

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I experienced this a few days ago when a doe was behind me and to my right. I could feel the harness against my arm as I stood turned to the right and knew I wouldn't be able to draw........I just grabbed the prusic knot and slid it down the rope to put slack in the strap and drew with no problem. She never gave me a shot but it was really no big deal.............VERY small price to pay for safety..........the only shot it comes into play on is far right and back.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I don't understand either. the only time it's a problem is if I'm facing backwards (looking at the tree) and expect the deer to go around the right but decides to go around on the leftor vice versathen I have to lift the bow over the rope but then again only if I'm facing the tree looking behind me. Droping the rope lower on the tree would surely oleaveate that problem as said about.

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

i have a SOP harness and i set my high enough on the tree that the tether strap is almost tight when i set down, mainly cuase i dont want to fall far if a fall were to happen,,and i have draw to my right and have had no problems, i have more problem with hittin the tree with my drawin arm when i am drawin but have not any problem with the tether, also one to thing to consider about lowerin the strap is the fall time. The longer u fall the fast u are goin and the more force that the strape and harness is goin to have to stop which could make failure even more likely,,so u may be able to handle the fall but the harness may not,, escecially if u is a bigger person

RE: Shooting your bow with a tree harness on
 

I have a harness, but I don't like how the strap gets in my way of drawing my bow, so I went back to the waist strap, lets just say if you fall out of my treestands you are an idiot. I too tried the idea of tucking the excess under my arm, but I did not feel comfortable like that, so the waist belt gives me more manuevering ability, and now the draw of my bow is a smoother process.