hunter trapped in treestand
12-10-2005, 11:02 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Grain Valley, MO.
Posts: 3,030
hunter trapped in treestand
don't know if anybody here has heard this or not, but took it off of our local news website.
MOUNT HOLLY, Ark. -- A hunter suffered hypothermia and kidney damage after becoming entangled in his deer stand and dangling upside down 30 feet above the ground in sleet for 8½ hours.
Raybon E. Upton was hunting by himself Wednesday when his ankle became caught on the deer stand and he slipped. He was trapped there until about midnight when rescuers called by his wife were finally able to free him.
"I had cooked a big supper and he wasn't home, then I just got this gut feeling that something wasn't right. And I went out there and found him," Tammy Upton said Friday.
Upton was conscious but trapped when his wife found him about 8:30 p.m. and call for help. A firefighter was able to secure him with a rope until a fire crew with a ladder could free himself.
[/align]Upton underwent surgery on Thursday and had another scheduled Saturday and Monday, his wife said.
"He thought he was going to die there," Tammy Upton said. "He had made his peace with God and everything."
thank god he was all right! Mastevt.
MOUNT HOLLY, Ark. -- A hunter suffered hypothermia and kidney damage after becoming entangled in his deer stand and dangling upside down 30 feet above the ground in sleet for 8½ hours.
Raybon E. Upton was hunting by himself Wednesday when his ankle became caught on the deer stand and he slipped. He was trapped there until about midnight when rescuers called by his wife were finally able to free him.
"I had cooked a big supper and he wasn't home, then I just got this gut feeling that something wasn't right. And I went out there and found him," Tammy Upton said Friday.
Upton was conscious but trapped when his wife found him about 8:30 p.m. and call for help. A firefighter was able to secure him with a rope until a fire crew with a ladder could free himself.
[/align]Upton underwent surgery on Thursday and had another scheduled Saturday and Monday, his wife said.
"He thought he was going to die there," Tammy Upton said. "He had made his peace with God and everything."
thank god he was all right! Mastevt.
12-10-2005, 02:04 PM
#2
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Livonia,new york
Posts: 564
RE: hunter trapped in tree stand
jess thats scary. I've had a couple of times were i thought i was in trouble climbing trees, old stands or whatever.thank godthe guy will live. man it just makes ya think of all those close calls you've had while hunting ya know.
12-10-2005, 02:46 PM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: VA, USA
Posts: 3,116
RE: hunter trapped in tree stand
Sounds like he was very lucky. I worry about falling from a stand even though I wear a full body harness. I think a person would stand a chance at getting back in their stand if they just slipped off the platform but what if the stand broke and you were just left dangling with no platform to try and climb back on to?
12-10-2005, 02:51 PM
#4
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: rapid city sd
Posts: 92
RE: hunter trapped in tree stand
I hung from my full body harness when my stand broke and fell to the ground(25ft).I had to hug the tree and cut the harness then"shimmy' down the tree. Glad to hear he was ok.No more stands for this little jedi.Ground hunting only
Nathan
Nathan
12-10-2005, 02:53 PM
#5
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 258
RE: hunter trapped in tree stand
It almost sounds as if he didn't have a safety strap on. Otherwide he could've pulled himself back up or at least free enough to shinney back down. I suppose what happened is still better than falling and breaking ones neck. How many guys a year die that way?
12-10-2005, 02:58 PM
#6
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 25,116
RE: hunter trapped in tree stand
but what if the stand broke and you were just left dangling with no platform to try and climb back on to?
I was thinking about that today as I was in my Summit. Sure my mind tells me to just grab the tree etc. etc.etc. BUT...when you are over weight and are older you are going to be in trouble. It seems reasonable though that if you are on a platform and the platform breaks you will be hanging upward. i carry a razor sharp knife in my vest pocket. Like a paratrooper stuck in a tree......simply cut the harness. ..and jump.I never go above 12 feet anyway. You fellows going above 12' ....you may be in trouble unless you can lift your own weight and grag the tree , free yourself and shimmy down. OUCH
I was thinking about that today as I was in my Summit. Sure my mind tells me to just grab the tree etc. etc.etc. BUT...when you are over weight and are older you are going to be in trouble. It seems reasonable though that if you are on a platform and the platform breaks you will be hanging upward. i carry a razor sharp knife in my vest pocket. Like a paratrooper stuck in a tree......simply cut the harness. ..and jump.I never go above 12 feet anyway. You fellows going above 12' ....you may be in trouble unless you can lift your own weight and grag the tree , free yourself and shimmy down. OUCH
12-10-2005, 03:12 PM
#7
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: VA, USA
Posts: 3,116
RE: hunter trapped in tree stand
I normally don't go any higher than 15-18' in my Summit but there are a few locations that I will go 25'. I carry a knife as well but I wonder if I could cut the harness, and drop the knife without puncturing myself on the way down. I think I could shimmy down the tree but I really do not want to test my tree shimming abilities at this point in life!!!!
12-10-2005, 03:42 PM
#8
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Central Florida
Posts: 25,116
RE: hunter trapped in tree stand
I think I could shimmy down the tree but I really do not want to test my tree shimming abilities at this point in life!!!!
I don't think the cables on my Summit will break. I did have one come out before about 3 feet off the ground because I did not have the cable lined up appropriately ...it was a little crooked and slid out. So now I make sure the cable is straight dead center before I get in it. I usially use long leaf pine trees in Florida so the stand bites very good into the tree. In Missouri I used the oak trees. Great trees. They really bite in them. They have Red Oak, White oak and Black Oak. You are right about that knife.I never thought about that.The sudden drop will be instant . Your main thought will be landing on your feet. With all this in mine I may start putting a hook inthe tree to hold my rifle like I do my bow in archery season. It's good to have a plan just in case. This is one reason I didn't go cheap on buying a stand. I studied the reviews and Summit won. Money is no object when your safety is on the line.
Chuck7
I don't think the cables on my Summit will break. I did have one come out before about 3 feet off the ground because I did not have the cable lined up appropriately ...it was a little crooked and slid out. So now I make sure the cable is straight dead center before I get in it. I usially use long leaf pine trees in Florida so the stand bites very good into the tree. In Missouri I used the oak trees. Great trees. They really bite in them. They have Red Oak, White oak and Black Oak. You are right about that knife.I never thought about that.The sudden drop will be instant . Your main thought will be landing on your feet. With all this in mine I may start putting a hook inthe tree to hold my rifle like I do my bow in archery season. It's good to have a plan just in case. This is one reason I didn't go cheap on buying a stand. I studied the reviews and Summit won. Money is no object when your safety is on the line.
Chuck7
