Fell out of a tree stand
 

A friend of mine fell out of a 15ft tall lockon tree stand the other day. He fell asleep and took a nose dive. He did'nt get hurt thank goodness. I asked him if he wears a harness and he said no in a tone of voice as to say "no, stupid". I don't care how old you are you can't defy gravity. He assured me he was going to wear one from now on. Thats like the drunk guy that will no longer drink and drive after he kills someone while driving. Doing something after the fact is just to late to do any good. Take advantage of all the great new safety products on the market and use them whenever you leave the ground. Do it for your family and friends even if you feel like it can't happen to you.

i almost fell once, now i just dont sleep in the stand..i know i should get a harness, but there is always sumthin better at the time to get.

im the exact same as you halfbaked, i havent fallen from tree nor come close (knock on wood). Theres always something id rather buy than a harness. ill look at one and say i should get that, but by that time i will already have 200$ worth of things in my hands and i say maybe next time, and than next time rolls around and the same thing happens.

Guys, you have to live to hunt another day. Hunting without a harness is risking everything. Even if you don't die from a fall you still risk serious, permanent injury. I'm confused as to why hunters even contemplate the notion of hunting from a tree stand without some kind of protection from falling. No item in any outdoor store is worth your life and limb.

I agree with Chazspot. Hunter saftey system or the new Spider on sale at your favorite outdoor store now! If you are leaving the ground you better have a safety harness on other wise stay on the ground period. Life is too short as it is.

CVG Ohio

My wife bought me a harness its got a loop on one end she said to just slide it over your head and tighten it around your neck because if your dumb enough to go up in a tree stand without a harness your dumb enough to use it!

my problem is i am a college student, so the funding to buy a harness isnt always there. i know i should have one and its irresponsible to not have one but im hoping i can get buy until i graduate and have a steady income. Thanks for the concern though, its nice to see people caring about everyones well being.

most every tree stand you buy Comes with a harness. Are they Hunter Safety Systems? no. but something is better than nothing. whether it be a simple around the waist old school, or an actual upper body harness from the same nylon material, cost should be the last factor...you can get those for next to nothing. Nothing is worth risking injury or death at least to me.. (and yes death can occur, i've known of a few cases.) Wear a harness!

You guys who don't wear a 5 point Safety harness while in a tree stand (and now the vest is the best way to go) are a statistic waiting to happen!

That is just plain dumb!

Safe Hunting is NO accident!

Wow... glad he's ok JW... Scary stuff... definately makes you think...
heading out this afternoon for the CT opener w/ my new Gorilla full body harness... can't even tell you are wearing it...

This in one of those situations where you may not get a second chance to reconsider wearing a harness, I'm glad my API stand came with one and I always wear it hoping I never need it to save my neck,I mean back.

Hey partner, when I was in college (2 years ago), I was in the same boat. A good harness is $100+! So one day I was at our local Rural King, and noticed the $40 hang on stand came with a harness. Granted it wasn't top of the line, but it would have saved my life it I needed it too. Just one way I was able to get ahold of a full body harness, and I got a new stand out of it for $40! You may be able to buy one on e-bay too for cheap.

From the age of 13 - 21 I never wore a harness, but for the last 3 years I don't go without it. I guess what they say is true, the older you get, the wiser you become.

Big game tree stands makes an EZ harness for 34 dollars on Amazon. 2 pounds and quick connects. YOu have to be able to save that kind of money up! Just my 2 cents.

I tell my son, if you can afford to bow hunt, you can afford a harness. He can't go on the property without a harness...period.

i use to not wear one until a couple of my buddies was telling me about them falling out of a tree stand and now has hip problems. and there was one guy that hunted a few miles from our lodge he was hunting in a lock on about 25 feet up he had the screw in steps going up to it. he fell out and caught his throat on one of those steps and one of his family members found him that night dead.

my first harness was 50 bucks it aint no HSS but its something to keep you from dieing. i finally ordered me the HSS bow hunters one and they are nicer but it does the same thing.

green and halfbaked i have a couple of the big game harness that comes with the stands when you buy them. if i can find them i will give them to you guys if you want them?

Some folks will always do it
 

Fall out of tree stands and hit bridge abutments with a vehicle. Next thing you'll know they'll be selling safety parachutes for hunters, for those high dive freefalls. And don't forget those pink safety helmets for those concussions.
According to statistics, I've been climbing so long, I'm suppose to be dead fifty years ago.

my dads friend fell 20ft out of a treestand, a broken stump when threw his skull. If his hunting buddy was a trauma doctor he would be dead. he is still recovering and can walk with a walker. everyone should were a harness

just takes that one time to mess up.

xGREENx,halfbakedi420 just went out to the shop found those two saftey harnesses if you want them there yours. i already have a HSS and a extra saftey vest harness so i dont have any use for them. there just laying around collecting dust.

Pearson, i really appreciate the offer! I actually do not need one now. I talked to one of my buddies and he had an extra one and gave it to me. but thank you anyways!!!

I have one not being used either came with my lone wolf but I have a HSS, anyone that needs one let me know.

You guys that refuse to wear a harness. Do your family a big big favor. Go get more life insurance or accident insurance. One mishap and you could become a parapelegic or a corpse. Why would you not wear a device that could possibly avoid such a tragedy?

Many of you already have life insurance. For what? What's your chances of dying suddenly? You have homeowner's insurance in the event of your house burning down. What's the odds of that happening? Same goes for auto insurance. You pay out hundreds, maybe thousands to prtect you and your family in the event of some tragedy that will most likely never happen.

You go to work and make money. For what? To provide funds for you and your family to live on. Think what they'd live on without that income if you were gone or even worse, in a wheelchair the rest of your life. How long do you think they could sustain their lifestyle on the measley life insurance money?

You have hundred, maybe thousands wrapped up in equipment for your hobbies. Is $100 or so so important that you would jeopardize your families well being? Is five or ten minutes more time getting into a treestand so important? Leave the house 10 minutes earlier.

Buy and wear a harness. They'll be glad you think so much of them. Cemetaries are flush with poor soles that once said "It can't happen to me".

those that wear the harness live to hunt another day , those that dont cant tell stories anymore, i personally wont do the tree thing , because i am a avid sleeper lol ,i really do like waking up ,seen too many hunters maimed for life ,wont get near a tree anymore ,and there just plain crippled fer life , NOT WORTH IT imo, 2 feet on the ground werks fer me good luc

Let me be perfectly clear about this. You all are just plain playing with fire if you don't wear a safety harness. I too didn't wear one for many years. My wife kept nagging me about it and I would always tell her I was going to get one but I never did. One day we were in Gander Mountain and she just up and buys it for me. I started wearing it and do you know the very first time I put it on and got into a stand, the stand BROKE. Had I not been wearing that vest, I would have fallen to the ground and who knows what the outcome would have been. Later that same year, believe it or not, I had another stand break. Again, I would have been pitched to the ground without the vest. You can be as careful as you know how, I always was too, but you can't do anything about a stand suddenly failing. Now, I won't get in a tree without one. BUY ONE. NOTHING IS WORTH YOUR LIFE OR HEALTH.

Blessings.....Pastorjim

One very good reason I never hunt without a NoDoze product. Keeps me alert on stand.

If your going to sleep tie yourself off even if you have a harness on and make sure your stand is tilted slightly back towards the tree.

Your stand broke because you didn't make sure it wouldn't. Your careless nature was something your wife was aware of and that is why she was on you. She was right. You definitely should wear a harness and truthfully, you should stay on the ground with your record.

Hard for a stand to break strapped down tight with way more straps on stands that never come with enough.

A harness is betting you'll fall, I don't gamble. I completely took apart my climber last season and completely went through it, it's ready. All other stands are very secure and I don't use a strange ones without a great deal of caution.

Wearing a harness is good. Not wearing one isn't playing with fire, besides "playing" with fire is what people do who don't use caution when climbing, they definitely need an extinguisher handy. People who use fire with caution will never need one. Some of you guys advocate still playing with fire after being burnt as long as you wear an extinguisher when you do. I'd rather take advice from someone who doesn't play with fire than someone who's pr oven they have and still do.

man you guys need to get a harness this is not hunting related but maybe it will make you think about it next time my friend drives a sprint wears all the saftey stuff and then drives home and wont wear his seatbelt i dont see the difference you can get killed at 100 mph or at 40 mph.bottom line you need to wear a saftey harness.

I never hunt without my safety vest, or will I let my buddies hunt without one, I wouldn't want to be the one to have to tell someones loved ones that they are dead because they were stupid...

Had a harness save me a couple times. I work nights so falling asleep in the stand is a regular occurrence for me. The harness is also useful for shooting. I can lean a little farther at an odd angle without worrying about falling.

Do you leave your house without turning the gas off? Do you drive your car without checking the tires? Do you eat meat without checking the temp?

No you make sure the meat, tires and gas supply are good or do you go around with all kinds of safety equipment for when it happens?

Most harness advocates are like people who sit on a couch smoking. Time and time again they fall asleep while smoking and the dear wife says your going to catch fire one of these days. Shazam it happens and then they take action. They now never sit on the couch without a fire extinguisher sitting right next to it. And to prove the wisdom of the new safety measure not long after they implemented it, they caught on fire again, but this time the extinguisher saved them.

After that they go on forums and tell everybody that unless they do the same they are playing with fire. They are by many the experts at giving advice on how not to burn your house down. I don't take gun safety advice from people who admit they are no expert when their advice is always wear a bullet proof vest. :)

With the types of climbing aids and harness's available now, I have zero sympathy for anyone falling while hunting that is not using one. I won't say a prayer, put money in the jar with your picture and story on it or attend the benefit for the funds needed to hire someone to wipe your butt, drool from your chin, or help with the funeral expenses. I will feel a great deal of sorrow for your wifes, children, parents, etc who had someone they loved not care enough about them to take the basic steps that would have easily prevented the burdan thrust upon others.

Very interesting view from someone who is promoting the use of articial stimulants.

Fake Cocaine = Good
Safety Harness = Bad

But then again, this poster also thinks he can predict when something is going to break. He seems to forget that something may appear perfectly solid, but it can still break.

No matter how much you check your gear before the hunt, it can still break.

But the world may be better off having these genes removed from the pool anyway!

People fall out of tree stands all the time. Last year I watched a buddy of mine fall 25 feet. The entire left side of his body was black for a week. And wouldn't you know it everybody in our party had safety gear except him