Treestand Tragedy
 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqfkK3h2jqM

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

should have left "all kinds of stuff" at home and just went hunting

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

Couple years ago I was wearing a safety strap that was put on incorrectly. I put weight on the belt and the fastener slipped. I went down 20+ feet and thank God.. can still walk. Thought I did everything correctly and still ended up on my back. Not fun. I wish no hunters fall out of any stands this year. It is terrible.

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

I don't sit on a ladder stand without a harness on, much less a climber.

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

We have a family friend that fell asleep in a deer stand with no harness, fell out of the stand, and is now paralyzed from the neck down.

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

ditto. Nothing is worth the chance of falling

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

The sad thing to me is to read the posts after the video. Their are some heartless, cruel people in this world. You don't see stuff like that on hunting sites very often. This is a tragedy and I can't imagine going through what Mike has endured. I have hunted without a safety belt on more than one occassion. Thankfully old age and common sense are catching up with me. I fell about 15 feet climbing down a stand when I was 19. Back them it knocked the breath out of me, but I don't think I'd be so lucky now.

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

thats horrible its shows you how you need to be extra careful when hunting especialy in a treestand atleast he is not paralized thanks the Lord for that safe hunting everyone

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

The usage of nail and board homemade stands should be addressed IMHO. I only use welded, well made heavy aluminum ladder stands most of the time that I check over each season before opening day.

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

In this case being careful or experienced had nothing to do with it.............The stand broke!

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

saw on the news a guy here in wi died last week from a fall. Almost fell once myself so made the investment on a hunter saftey system. hope I never have to test it out.

RE: Treestand Tragedy
 

This is the information I eluded to in a response about safety harnesses here a while back. I could not recall the details of how to get to the video.

In the overall scheme of what most of us hunters will spend in 5-10 years of hunting, the cost of a safety restraint is not much. Most very easy to use, comfortable and strong ones can be had for about $100. That is about what I spend in fuel for one trip to the camp.

I have hunted for every sort of tree stand imaginable starting as far back as the 1970's. A few were terrible, and when I look back on it, I was stupid to use these at all. I fell one time. I had disconnected my harness so that I could lean out a tad farther to cut a branch that was blocking a clear shot to a trail. I slipped off the ladder. I was able to slow my fall by grabbing hold of heavy vines on the way down and only had the wind knocked out of me. It was a lesson learned "cheaply".