Please check your stands!!
 

I was hanging a last second set-up today and using an old stand I've had for 10 years or more. I don't remember the brand but it's a good stand and been taken down and stored in a dry barn in the off season. I looked it over but didn't see any problems.

20+ feet up I step over into my stand and POP! A link in the chain snapped! Thank God for a harness! I've seen a few posts about not wearing one this year and never thought about leaving the ground without mine. My 17 year old son was standing at the base of the tree and, after seeing this, I don't think I will have to remind him to wear his either.

It's totaly your choice but the next time you think about climbing, imagine your child, spouse, or parent standing there watching you fall to your death.

It's not all about falling out of a stand. If you have a piece of equipment fail like this YOU WILL FALL. The links looked fine. Pics are on my phone and I'll post them tomorrow after I get back with NEW chains for all our stands.

WOW, glad your ok. You are right, NEVER!!!!! get into your stands without your harness, NEVER, your family depends on you to come home...
Chain?? my stands are all straps...

Never thought to check chains - I have only one of that style. Still use a rachet strap on it for back-up though.

Great reminder. I went for years not wearing a safety harness, thinking as long as I was careful nothing would happen to me. About three years ago, I was in Gander Mtn. with my wife and she saw an HSS vest. She had been on me for a few years about wearing one. When she saw it, it must have reminded her again about nagging me. She asked me again and I said; "oh, I'll get one some day." She bought it for me right then. Last season, I had two stands break while I was in them. If I hadn't been wearing the safety harness, the outcome could have been quite different. Just goes to show you, you can be as careful as you can be but you can't do anything about equipment failure, which usually occurs without warning.

Blessings.....Pastorjim

Glad your alright.

I use ladder stands myself. I replaced the rachet straps this yr as the old ones were a few yrs old. Got the stands put up with the new rachet straps and really didn't like them. They were thinner than the other straps yet rated for the same load. Went this past weekend and bought some more straps to use that were more heavy duty looking.

I am sure they would be fine but being thinner I didn't like much. The trees do sway in the wind and don't need the straps rubbing and breaking premature.

If anything I will be more at ease in my mind.

Your right your family expects you to go hunting and come home safe and sound.

glad you're ok......

Yikes, glad you are ok, great post for this time of the year, thanks for the reminder!!!

Do you guys harness yourselves to the tree while climbing also? I just climb up to where I'm going to sit and strap on then.

I do what u do, but honestly most people fall in the transition up or down. I'm not even sure how to go up the tree with a harness on...

Get te Hunter Safety System Lifeline. 40 bucks at Cabelas or Bass Pro. I got one last week and it's the quickest way up and down a tree. Plus, I'm always connected from the moment I leave the ground till the time I get back onto the ground.

F--- Obama

Thanks folks. I use a LifeLine brand( I think). It's just prucics(sp) cord on a rope. I strap in at the top of my tree. Most of my stands use straps but a few of my old ones have chains.

So I looked at that Lifeline thing. It's basically a rope that is attached at the top of the tree and you hook on to that. That really does me no good when using a climber.

Glad to hear your alright!

Great reminder of why it's so important to wear a saftey harness!

I don't use it with the climber Crenth. I just leave the loop on my harness loose and slide it up as I climb. Every harness is a bit of a pain but WELL worth it.

Can't believe you relied on the chain. I always add ratchet straps to any lock on. Chain can fall off a stand with additional straps and a person won't even know it. Better check that harness.

Never trust a stand out of the box.

A climber is 2 harness's. Keeping them attached and you have something that's very strong. Keeping attached to both would be almost impossible to fall to the ground. I can't see it happening at all. If it slides down the tree all the better. You'll come down slow and not hang there. Can't see that happening either.

How many points does a person need attached to a tree? Attach to the tree when you get where you want to be. Use the stand as your attachment on the way up.

I do also but was just hanging stand and stepping into it to set it before I put straps on. FWIW, a chain has a much higher working load rating than nearly any strap depending on size.

That's stinks. I personally don't wear one mainly because the stands me and all the other hunters use are either home made, or about 10 feet off the ground. I use a home made stand that helped my uncle out with, which is securely built in a large tree with three very thick branches that kind of form a Y about 20 feet up. The stand would easily hold 3 times my weight with the way the floor is built and I only like climbing up stands with a good ladder so in my opinion, its pretty safe as long as you know what your doing.

Or it could just be one of those things that rednecks just do. I wouldn't recomment it with any of my family, but usually I'm in a hurry to the stand and I've been to the same one so much I'm just used to it. Probably not the wisest thing to do, but its just me.