Yet another reminder
09-15-2008, 03:48 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location:
Posts: 854
Yet another reminder
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.
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.
09-15-2008, 04:09 PM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Portage WI/Racine WI
Posts: 2,320
RE: Yet another reminder
I usually attach my harness once I'm getting ready to hang the stand. That way all I have to do once the stand is hung is loosen up the tether a little bit, and slide it up the tree, tighten her down again and we're ready to hunt. That's about as safe as it can get without sitting on the ground all the time. I'm glad people post these things up - I don't like the circumstances that people remember to post these things, but it's good to hear none-the-less. I'm glad to hear you made it down ok as well. That could've ended very very badly. Falling and hitting the forest floor is one thing, falling and landing on your stand is another.
