Hi all, I have a 15 yr old son who's been hunting with me since he was 10. He's a good kid, but as like many boys his age, I think he feels a bit indestructable. He's always worn his safety harness while hunting with me, but he's got a car now, and soon will be going hunting with his buddies, and I won't be around all the time. He has questioned this safety practice before,(wearing a harness),as I have a couple of buddies that never wear a harness, and "They never got hurt." I also know personally of 2 guys, one who disemboweled himself on a screw in tree step, and another who broke his back when his lock on's buckle failed. If a couple of you would take the time to share any bad experiences you've had, or your buddies have had, and how it may have changed their lives, I think it would make a good read for him at this time. Thanks to all in advance. Mike

Tell him to do it for you! Ask him if he'd like for you to change his colostomy bag if he gets paralyzed. Ask him if he wants you to bathe him every day if he gets paralyzed. I think you get the picture. Tell him to wear his harness or forget about hunting!

if he loves his family, a gf or even his dog, he'd wear it....just takes a few seconds and it does save lives.

I would take your son and visit one of the guys that injured himself so that he can hear and see what happens when things go bad.

Do what my dad would have done to me, beat the S*** outta him if he doesnt do what you say...

besides, what is there to lose by wearing a harness? Certainly not your life...

I had a hunting spot near where I used to live. The family that lived there were avid hunters too. The son in his teens fell asleep in a treestand and broke his neck from the fall. He is confined to a wheel chair for the rest of his life now. Wear a harness!!! Ya it's inconvenient at times but you really can't afford to take a chance like that.

i fell 25 feet out of a tree stand becaus i didnt have a safty harness i didnt get hurt think got but i was really sore the next day. i had a budd get killed by one too he fell out of the stand an hung his self but with my own personal experience i think every one should wear one

Even if you do just break a leg or something like that, now you are wounded animal, do you want to be eaten by wolves?

This year one of my dads friends was coming down the ladder of his standand one of the steps broke and he fell about 20 feet and landed on his back. His hunting knife cut through all of his clothes and almost into his leg, which would have been very bad because the nearest hospital was about 45 minutes away, plus the 50 acres of land he would have had to walk just to get to the truck.He wasnt permanently hurt but the whole experience has changed his opinion about wearing a harness.

Theres a guy wheeling around where I live because he didnt have a harness. I also saw on tv a guy fell out of a tree broke his back/neck (cant remember which) he landed on a fireant hill and layed there for several hours getting manhandled by ants, But hey at least he looked cool up in the tree with no harness!