RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I just usea freebiebelt that came withone of myhanger stands. I fell once with it and it saved my hide. Iwas easily able to re-position the platform and get back on it. I didn't suffocate, but it definitely didn't feel good. Maybe once I get old, weakand brittle like you, I'll need a full harness with the vest and all the trimmings.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Quick PM your address I have an extraharness at my house. When you fall the wrong way with one of those, your in trouble.

I need you around here in the future.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I have 2 full harnesses already that came with other hangers. I'm gonna buy a HSS vest with the quick-connectors after xmas when they go on sale.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Thank you, I need you to around. MI is going to keep the streak going against Penn State:D

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

AAAHHH! [:-]. What is that thing?

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

That's what's behind most of these.....

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

To Quick and a couple of others.........be careful what you wish for. It would be easier to enforce a law against using tree stands than enforcing wearing a safety harness.

By the way, though a safety harness will keep you from falling you can still pass out and die within minutes if you don't stay calm and know what to do if suspended by a harness. Check out this link:

http://www.cdc.gov/eLCOSH/docs/d0500/d000568/d000568.html

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I tend to agree with Quick on this one. I live in a state that has a motorcycle helmet law. My dad has been riding Harley's for 30 years. His helmet has literally saved his life 4 times now. My whole life I heard him complain about the helmet law. The only reason he wore a helmet was because of the law! And I'm glad we had a helmet law, because I would have grown up without a dad otherwise.

This last spring he almost died whena car pulled out in front of him at 65 mph. Once again, the helmet saved his life (his leg is another story). After years of hating the helmet law, he finally admits that the law is a good thing. It took 4 near fatal crashes to convince him, though.

By the way, he's never worn a safety harness while bowhunting either - until we went to Illinois and the host MADE him wear one or go home.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Exactly...

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Would it? I don't see how.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Very easy. In fact what if legislation was enacted to ban the manufacture, selling, and use of treestands?

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Then they would be banned. Seems simple enough... I guess I'd have to build some nice ground blinds in all my favorite stand sites, and move on with my life.

I still don't see how banning elevated platforms is easier than requiring harnesses. That's a leap in logic that I'm not following.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

My take on it is there's 1 in 3 hunters that shouldn't be in a stand in the first place. Just hunted with some buddies. There's been stands (home made) on the property for years. They were shocked when I told them to stay out of them. Out of all the guys that will be there this week, maybe a dozen only myself and another, should be in a stand.

The guy who quoted the 3 saftey rules is right on and in defense ofat least one old dude, a friend. When I handed him my shotgun to check out the first thing he did was check to see if it was loaded. Kind of guy I like to hunt with. He shouldn't be and wont go in a stand.
entioned building him a box blind and the mentioned 15' height was disturbing to him. He'd like it a lot lower. Love to make it happen for him.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Bottom line is if you don't wear a harness EVERY time your in a stand your STUPID!!!! I don't care if your up trimming shooting lanes, taking pictures or whatever...you owe it to your family to wear a harness no matter what!!!!!!!! JMO!

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

It is sad to see another hunter lose his life needlessly in a preventable accident. Additional game laws. won't make much of a difference. You can't legislate common sense.

HH

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

My safety harness is like my American Express, I never leave home without it!!! So sad.:(

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Geez, you guys...............didn't mean for this to go all political and stuff. A guy is dead, and we read it every year. Stupid or not I wish it would end.

A DEC officer CAN walk right up to your stand right now each and every day if he wants. You have to have a license, proper size broadheads, a legal poundage bow.........you are not supposed to be in before sunrise or out after sunset.

There are many rules we already agree to abide by when we buy a license and a game officer can check those whenever they see fit. I know it would be near impossible to enforce but maybe it would scare a few guys into wearing one.

Just a thought.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Hell, falling to their death doesn't scare them enough to care, orphans ,widows ora law will not prevent any more Darwin award candidates from climbing trees with out a harness.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Imagine a town meeting where this new recommedation is brought up to try and ensure hunter safety and it is met with the "We don't need anymore laws" reaction. To which the person presenting the new idea replies "You didn't say that when we presented antler restrictions".........."When a new law means you might see a bigger buck you are all for it but when it means maybe saving the life of a fellow hunter you are against it"

Yikes


Can you really say you don't want anymore legislation if you have previously voiced approval for or a want for AR's???

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

A "law" law.....or a GAME law?

They change game laws every year. It's a "breathing" document (the regs book). They change buck harvest restrictions in states every year. They changed our doe harvest regs, this past year. Duck season is different every year.

In my eyes.....there's a HUGE difference between a game regs change and a tort law enactment.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Smoking & bee stings kills more hunters than gravity does and both are still legal.Where are we goning to start?

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Not sure if any states are doing this. i hate hearing this every year, i read where one had died in Indiana also the other day from not wearing one.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

its your own life you are risking by not wearing one. obviously these stories are horrible to hear and we hear them year after year, so why dont people get the point and wear one? its your life not mine, but im wearing mine

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I feel sorry for the man's family. Two years ago i fell 38 feet out of a climbing stand and i honestly do not know how im alive today and can still walk. I was one of these ppl. who thought he's bulletproof climbing trees and i would never fall....YEAH RIGHT I will tell you this, it happens in a blink of an eye and once you start falling your screwed, there's no catching surrounding treelimbs cause it happens just to fast. It was undoubtely the worst feeling i have ever felt (completely helpless). I climbed 30 ft up the tree which was beside an 8 ft. ditch that had maybe an inch of water in it and i was still facing the tree on a tree lounge and i sat down on the stand to lock it on the tree, then stood back up on the foot climber and all i remember is hearing the top part of the stand hitting the foot climber and i was immeadiately airborne. All you can hear is the air rushing by your ears like a jet flying by and thinking Oh Sh*t. Not good fellas, wear a safety harness. I should have died that day but im still hear for a reason, (still haven't found the reason). I had multiple fractures and got busted up pretty good and was out of work for over 3 months. But today im almost fine, my rt. ankle bothers me alot but i can walk fine for the most partso i feel very fortunate.
Don't think i can't happen to you, wear a safety belt for your family if for nothing else...

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

i love the harnest and wont go without it

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

In order to hunt in Europe, you have to have hunting insurance. Had to provide proof to get my license. I believe it was 5 or 10 million.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

It's 2007, these are no longer "accidents" , they are (attempted) suicides.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Would anyone really be that upset if they had to show a harness to a DEC agent as part of any routine check?? Why is that so bad?? If they ask you to see your broadheads to make sure they are not barbed, and have the minimum cutting diameter you would show them right?? How much longer would it take to show your harness strap?? I just don't see it as a major inconvenience and especially when it could/would save lives.


Some people only want more legislation when it might provide them a shot at a bigger rack in the woods............but when it comes to saving another hunter's life we don't need anymore game laws?? C'mon guys..........where are our priorities??

I'm just sick of seeing other hunters die every year in a way that can be prevented so easily.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

It's like anything else in life, it's all about decision making.;)

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

Atlas my questions is where are their priorities?

A lot of these guys do not where a belt because it might ruin there chance at a buck. I have no issue with a law, but it won't help. We have a seat belt law, and yet people still die from not wearing a belt[&:] We have piles of information about smoking, and yet people still start smoking in 2007[&:]

In Sept I had a youth hunter out in Ohio with me. He walk in without his headlamp on. I ask him why "I though a deer would see me" I ask is a deer worth your life? He got the point.

We can show video of guys falling, guys in wheel chairs can speak to kids. For some small % it will make no differnce.

I think it should be automatic man slaughter charge if you kill someone while hunting, for the life of me I cannot figure out how people shoot other people. First thing we learn "Know your target", yet every year we lose good people. Why? because Stupid people are every where and they're breeding[&:] Now I would be all for a law or a test to have children, now that would truly save lives IMO.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I know it is stupid on their part............maybe the fear of a fine would change their mind. Maybe not. If it saves 1 hunter a year I am all for it.


I would say that many more people wear their seat belts then don't wouldn't you??.......and surely more then before it was law. Not everyone will wear a harness even if it was a game law........but more will. As far as smoking goes their is as much or more encouragement out there to smoke as their is against it.


Agree 100%..........and if you say "I thought it was a deer" the charge should be worse.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I see you point

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

All I can say is that if making the law would get 4 more people to wear a safety harness that originally wouldn't of then I believe the law is worth it.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I'm sure there are a lot more cases of fall injuries that we don't even hear about. My buddy hunts out of a 12" ladder stand. He doesn't wear a harness. Doesn't think that 12' is that far up. I've tried to convince him of the dangers, but unforutnately he won't listen. I was on a volunteer fire depta few yrs ago, & we got a call for a hunter that fell out of his stand. Same thing, ladder stand, he shot a large buck. He got buck fever & walked right off his stand to go see what he shot. Now he's a quadrapalegic. No good reason for him being injured. If had a harness on, he'd been okay. Unneccessary injuries. I always wear mine.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I don't. Said it before and I'll say it again. A free society must be willing to live with mistakes.

Take your nanny state and... I already have a mother.

Ya think people are stupid because they don't think like you and you want to pass a law. Won't be long because of the president set that someone will come along and claim you stupid and pass a law aginst you. They are already trying to claim more people mentaly unstable. The result, you can't own a firearm if you havebeen clasified that. EVER. You people are so quick to give freedom away.

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I agree with nodog 100%.

How many people could be saved if we legislated wearing helmets in automobiles?

I mean c'mon......if it saves ONE life, right????

:eek:

RE: PA Hunter dies in fall
 

I mentioned a game regs change........no different then lights on sights, bow poundage or antler restrictions. The constitution won't go up in flames and no one is coming for your guns. I don't see where freedom comes into the equation........you are hunting under a state issued license no different then driving and each has rules for safety of both the license holder and those around them.