Returned To Where I fell Last Year!!!!!
 

I took a couple pics. The first one is where I fell after the stand broke. The second one is what happened to cause the fall.

Glad all turned out well...Just talked to the wife tonight about replacing 3 stands that have been out in the weather for years now. Same cable setup as yours. They will be replaced this fall....

I always replace the cables and straps of the stands I leave out through the season. No matter how good they look. At my size, no need to test the limits! After my fall earlier this summer and wrecking myself up too much to really go hunting much this year I discovered I no bounce like I used too!!! I pretty much just splatter.

Besides replacing rusty or worn cables, my first question is why weren't you wearing a harness and a tree belt or life line?
You're fortunate to be able to still walk or be alive. A harness is a small price to pay.

Well, unfortunately so many of us have to learn the hard way. I was on the shelf for 9 weeks after the fall and still had quite a bit of pain for 9 months. I still have some lingering effects from the fall like numbness in my upper right leg and swelling in my lower back and upper right leg but nothing serious. The doctor said some of these symptoms may never go away or if they do they could take as long as 5 years to disappear. I know I was very lucky. I'm glad my misfortune shed some light on your situation BigTime1. Hopefully it saved you from a possible accident. This year I have checked every tree stand I have. I have replaced straps, ratchets, tree steps (they break too), and even completely removed one stand. Good luck to all out there in tree stands this year. Stay safe!!!!!

I was just thinking about that the other day. Amazing you came out as well as you did! Be safe all!

Glad to know you're ok! While we're on the Safety Harness subject, does anyone have a suggestion on a good harness for a reasonable price? Looking to get one this year. The one that came with my hang-on is just not cutting it.

I use one of those Realtree Hunters Safety Systems. It's a harness made into a light vest which makes getting in and out of MUCH easier than other harnesses. No tangled up straps and such. It's not cheap but it is highly functional and comfortable to wear. Whichever harness you decide to get, get a FULL body harness. And also make sure it has the shock absorbing fall system. Lot of back injuries from falls in harnesses without those.

Hunters Safety System. Cost about $100. Not much when you consider your health. It comes with the harness, tree belt, climbing belt and 2 extra heavy carabiners. It also comes with an instructional DVD and a smaller strap that you can attach to the rear loop and stand on should you fall to take away the pressure from your groin and waist.

Yeah, hanging there with your pearls constricted wouldn't be what I would call fun! In my hanging stands that I leave out I also use a rope hung from a close by limb to attach onto for climbing. I use an anchor (soil use eyelet screw) to tie off the rope to the ground. That way I'm tied in when climbing and descending as well as transferring into the stand. In case of a fall, I can just come down the rope.

Ever heard of a Lifeline? If so, how does it work & is it worth the money?

http://www.huntersafetysystem.com/lifelines-1/

That right there is what I was talking about. Except I Just rigged my own. The slip knot (prusik) used to go up and down is a very easily tied knot



All those cowbell carabiner covers and reflective stuff in the rope are bells and whistles I can do without. My carabiners are coated with the same stuff (tool dip) I put on my shop tool handles so they don't clank and the reflective rope would be your choice if you think you need it. But the idea of it is fantastic since you are locked in on the way up, transferring into and out of your stands and on the way down. If tied properly the prusik knot slides easily.

I saw those as I was browsing around the web looking for harnesses. The knot actually looks really easy to make, especially from the diagram you posted. Still looking around for harnesses. I don't want a cheaply made one, but I definitely don't want to be spending $150 or more on one. Don't have that kind of spare change laying around.

This is the one I use. http://www.huntersafetysystem.com/hss-lil-treestalker/ It's comfortable and easy as heck to put on. I used to use my old tree climbing harness that was always such a MAJOR pain in the rear. Everything all tangled up, in the dark it was near impossible to figure out which strap went where. I'd get so dang mad I'd just say to hell with it and go up without one.

one thing I notice is a lot of people attach their system to the tree at the seat level. if you attach it as high as you can reach, and you should fall it will catch you in a shorter distance, therefore eliminating injuries from the system. remember that the weight of a falling object (and stopping force) is greater as the distance of fall increases. Another issue is people building their own system with carabiners you get at walmart. Those are for utility use only and are not rated for life safety usage. I personally orderd life safety rope and locking carabiners that are NFPA certified . to make my system.

This is a good thread which should be read by all tree stand hunters. I once read that one out of four tree stand hunters will have an accident within their hunting lifetime. Not good odds no matter how you look at it. People say it can't happen to me because I am careful but a friend of mine who is a hunter ed instructor with years of experience had a bad fall while bow hunting in Illinois. He was using a climbing tree stand and had his HSS vest on but didn't connect the safety harness with the prussic knot as he went up. He got to his hunting height and before he could hook up his safety strap the stand fell. He broke his neck, ribs and did something to his spleen. He had a cell phone and called for help otherwise he would't have made it. That safety strap with the prussic knot is real easy to slide up as you go. The HSS vest has a lineman's belt which hooks up and allows you to use 2 hands when putting up lock on stands. Money well spent and costs less than a single stand. Glad you shared ManofTheFall

If it saves one it is well worth it. I can't say I'm glad it happened but I can say I'm thankful it happened when it did and my injuries were minimal. The paramedics said they get about 4 tree stand accidents per year and I was the first one they ever saw walk away without being carried out. When they saw where my stand was they just couldn't believe it. I believe I had a little more than luck on my side. I am almost 49 years old and definitely can't afford or handle another fall like that again. It definitely woke me up not just to harness safety but to all aspects of stand safety.

Glad you walked away. Just to clarify that prussic knot safety strap. The strap is about 5' long and has a loop so you can run it around the tree and pass the end through the loop so it cinches when pulled. The prussic knot looks like what is pictured and goes around the strap. You can cinch the strap on the tree and slid the prussic knot up or down the tail of the strap. The HSS safety tether hooks to the loop on the prussic knot by a carabiner. With the climber just go up a few hitches then slide the safety strap up another 3' and climb to it then push it up again. You are always attached to the tree.

Glad your better ManoThefall, I remember reading the thread about your accident, good luck healing the rest of the way. I fell out of a stand a few years back, i was drawing back on a nice 10 point when the old stand collapsed, i knew the stand was in bad shape but was to "busy" to fix it and thought i'd be careful and get one more year out of it. After i went down i thought the arrow stuck me as i was bleeding, fortunately a branch just cut me. I just got bruised and cut, but learned a valuable lesson the hard way also. Some guys get to busy with things and can neglect safety to get out hunting. They're some bad storys out there with tree stand falls. Champlain Islander, did your friend get paralyzed?

You bet, good thread! Hey Champlain Islander, did your bud get paralyzed? I hope not?