SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

What a day!!!

I have not hit a deer too far back in more than 10 years....until today..........a nice sized doe. I watched her for quite awhile from stand hoping she would lay down...then a horny spike came out of the thick stuff and started chasing her....my bad day started.

After watching the spike chase her out of sight, over the hill, I prepared to climb down and find my arrow. Before I knew it, the bottom of my climber skiddered down the tree and hit the ground with a thud...bad day.

I was able to hang by my arms and dig my knife out of my pack, but my right arm (I am right handed) was pinned by my seat, above my head...like a sleeper hold. I managed to get my knife in one had and simply put my faith in my harness to hold me and let go of the top part of my stand, the only way I could cut myself free. I hung precariously and cut my seat, freeing my right arm and allowing myself to grab the tree with one arm and cut the strap with the other.....and then did a mighty fine fireman's slide down the tree.

The top of my stand and my pack are still hanging more than 20 feet up...and unfortunately my deer is still in the woods. My flashlight was in my pack and it was last light and more than 20 miles from the nearest flashlight store....so going back in the morning with high hopes of finding the doe.

Hopefully that spike did not chase her too far....

Bottom line, thanks Seat-of-the-pants.....myself, my wife and my 11 month old daughter thank you....

Please, everyone, wear a harness. If I did not have one today, I may not be sitting here typing right now...watching my daughter play.

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

WOW...

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Glad to hear your ok. The pucker factor runs high when the bottom drops out. I had my climber slide a few feet last week. Glad I was coming down the tree anyway. The harness can be a pain but not as much as the pain of hitting the forest floor.

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Ditto

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Glad to hear your OK!! Get a piece of rope and tie between platform and seat! I always put a ratchet strap around tree and seat, as well as tree and platform pieces. I feel safer and it only take 2 minutes!:)

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Take a piece of rope and tie the two parts of the stand together. My bottom platform can never fall more than a couple feet. Glad to hear your ok.
BowHuntingFool beat me to it

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

I always wear my belt all the way up and down with my climber. I also have the top connected to the bottom.

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Thank God you're okay, SG. I just talked to my brother-in-law on my way home from work and he told me that his neighbor is in critical condition in the intensive care unit because he fell out of his tree stand on Saturday...
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO WHERE THEIR SAFETY HARNESS.
I'm glad you're alright...

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Great story!!!!!

Fortunately, you are unharmed. You learned two leasons tonight. The obvious one of wearing a harness at all times. TWO....tie the top and bottom of a climer together!!!!!

jay

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Hope you tie your stand together tomorrow, and recover your deer. :)


And I hope you get a new S-O-P harness.

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

I, too, am glad you are OK. My brother fell out of his stand a couple years ago. Broke both arms and a collarbone. Not lifethreatening, but bot pretty.
I use a bungee cord to attach the top and bottom of my climber. Small and easy to carry, and definately easier than a ratchet strap.
Brian

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

It DID sound like a bad day; I'll echo everyone else's sentiments in saying that I'm glad you're ok.

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

I have always used a bungee, instead of a rope, to keep my top and bottom together. Needless to say, it came unattached.

Moreso than the story of what happened, I wanted to simply reiterate the importance of safety when we are all in our stands....

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Holy crappers,glad your OK

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

No one can beat gravity, but in that game, a tie is as good as a win :) Congratulations to your wife for marrying the smart guy :D

ditto

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

thank goodness bro! thank goodness. nothing like a little nde to make you rememer not to take stuff for granted huh?

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Close call. I'm glad you were wearing the SOP and I'd recommend what sharkey said and tie the top and bottom of your climber together. It just 1 more safty net to keep you from hanging by the harness.

Good luck finding your doe.

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

glad your are ok. That is why I usually hunt on the ground.

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

dangit! I read this post yestarday and then had a dream about falling out of my stand last night.

One of those where you are falling and falling and falling and falling and then you wake up when you hit the ground. I always wear my safety harness anyway, but I didn't in my dream.[:@]

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Could not have sead it better my self!

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Glad to hear your okay Pat. Hope you find your deer. If the spike didn't run her to far she shouldn't be too far from where you last saw her.

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

good to hear your ok!

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Hey gobbler, hope you spring back;) Glad your ok and hope you make a hastey recovery. Now go get a length of 1/4 inch nylon, atach a clip to one end and tie the other to the seat. This also helps to hold your pac if you carry it like I do. Also on one of my stands I use a wratchet that came with it, it attaches to the seat via hook and goes around the tree and attaches again with a hook, then just snug up, and it also keeps things in place and quiet. My other climber instead of a wratchet came with 2 bungees attached to both the seat and one for the platform. I never take any weight off either till they are attached around the tree trunk. Onc again glad your ok and enjoy those steaks.:)

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

I may have to start using one--I have had a few close calls, but am just hard headed. I just can't find one that isn't a "full body" harness--I hate those, and want something simple! Any ideas?--Is "Seat of the Pants" a name brand?

Thanks,
God Bless and Happy Hunting,
SL

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Sapper,

I have the harness that came with my API stand. I'm Mk1 Mod 0 simple and this thing is no problem. It says "Right Shoulder"/"Left Shoulder" :) Give me 3 minutes at the truck and I'm set, my coat goes on over it, all that hangs out is the short lead and carabiner that I hook to the strap that I push up the tree as I climb.

Once you figure out where your underparts need to be, it's very comfortable;)

UR

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Almost had a similar tumble yesterday. Morning hunt was good. Found a nice tree in a hot area but I think the snow on Sat threw them off a bit. Yesterday afternoon we went into an area that we typically see deer 75% of the time and my buddy took a nice 8 pt last weekend. I get there about 2PM and find a tree. I set up the Viper and begin to climb. At about 12 feet I drop a few arrows. Back down the tree. I start to climb and get up around 15ft and the platform seems tilted and is not catching the tree right. I figue I will go a little higher. At about 20 feet it still does not want to grip the tree right. So I go a few feet higher. Now the upper half doesn't seem to want to catch the tree right. No matter what I do at about 25ft the stand portions are sliding sideways on the tree. It was a red oak. Now i try to kick the platform into the tree and due to the melting snow my boots are a bit wet and the right foot comes out of the bungee as the stand tilts to the right a bit. As I am calmly trying to avoid the big drop gathering my thoughts being perfectly still resting on the upper portion it slips a bit. The old pucker factor runs high and the heart is in overdrive. All I could think of was not the fall but oh how it is going to hurt when I smack face first into the tree as I swing from my harness!. I finally managed to catch the toe of my right boot in the toe strap and stabalize the platform situation. Once all was under control I decided to gingerly climb down the tree and hunt from the ground. I didn't want to push my luck twice in one day.

I checked the stand over and all the teeth are fine as are the straps. Just seems to be a hard tree that won the battle. I even thought about shooting a field tip into the tree to see if it would penetrate the rock hard beast. However, I figured I'd let common sense prevail and save an arrow. It's amazing the thoughts that run through your mind when dangling precariously 25 ft up a tree. Some were my kids are going to have a paralyzed father, after all this there ain't a deer for miles, I'm going to kill my buddy for talking me into buying this stand and bow hunting on the Sunday of opening wek of rifle, man that tree is gonna hurt, well if I cut my strap I can deal with a broken leg. You name it it ran through my head. I don't feel so bad today as my buddy who I mentioned in my negative thoughts called me early this morning and it sounds like he has a poison plant rash of some type in his groin area!!! I'd rather hang from the tree for a while!

RE: SOP Saved My Arse Today!
 

Glad you are okay! Thanks for sharing the story and reminding us that it DOES HAPPEN!