What percentage wear a safety harness
07-19-2009, 06:40 PM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio (Buckeye= Big Bucks)
Posts: 333
I do ... Well most of the time. I know that I should all of the time, but I think that I get so comfortable in my summit viper climber that sometimes I don't use it. If i'm tired I do, and I will if it's windy out I do. This year though...everytime I hunt I will have it on. Too many times I have read of hunters falling out of there stands and dieing because of it. So 2009-2010 hunting year will have a harness on at all times.
07-20-2009, 04:15 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: elmira ny
Posts: 1,676
In 1987, I had Cervical Lamonectomy Surgery on my C-7, C-8 Vertebra; taking bones from my hips, going through the front of my neck, removing the disc, and doing alot of rotor-rootering. I was in a brace from my shoulders to the top of my skull for 8 weeks. I followed Drs. orders to a " T ", and never cheated.
October rolled around, still having 3 weeks left in the brace. I asked my Dr. about bow hunting and he said, " I'm not recommending it ". Since it wasn't a no, I took it as a yes. Fast forward to Oct.15. Half-hour before daylight, I'm 22 ft. up a tree, on a Lok-on my brother set up for me, with the brace on. { I wouldn't reccomend climbing trees with one of these on }. Right below the stand was a brook, on the edge of a field, with a crossing that looked like the Rawhide cattle drive was using it. Just after shooting light, I hear a noise; the chain of my stand rattling, and realize, having nodded out, I'm pitching forward, out of my stand, head first. I flipped over into a " sit-down " position, legs out stretched, buried my chin into the chin craddle of the brace, and landed in the brook below my stand, fortunately with the brook, instead of across it.
It completely knocked all the air out of me, and everything hurt, bad, EXCEPT my neck. There was about 1 foot of water and two feet of muck in the brook, and it saved me from a fate that gives me chills just to think about it. It's easy to say I shouldn't have been there in the first place, but I survived it without any problems. It was a valuable lesson. I was extremely lucky, and have since ALWAYS worn a safety harness since. I was fortunate to survive once, what many hunters haven't.
Frankly, only a fool would be without one, and this fool turned out to be "once bitten, twice shy".
October rolled around, still having 3 weeks left in the brace. I asked my Dr. about bow hunting and he said, " I'm not recommending it ". Since it wasn't a no, I took it as a yes. Fast forward to Oct.15. Half-hour before daylight, I'm 22 ft. up a tree, on a Lok-on my brother set up for me, with the brace on. { I wouldn't reccomend climbing trees with one of these on }. Right below the stand was a brook, on the edge of a field, with a crossing that looked like the Rawhide cattle drive was using it. Just after shooting light, I hear a noise; the chain of my stand rattling, and realize, having nodded out, I'm pitching forward, out of my stand, head first. I flipped over into a " sit-down " position, legs out stretched, buried my chin into the chin craddle of the brace, and landed in the brook below my stand, fortunately with the brook, instead of across it.
It completely knocked all the air out of me, and everything hurt, bad, EXCEPT my neck. There was about 1 foot of water and two feet of muck in the brook, and it saved me from a fate that gives me chills just to think about it. It's easy to say I shouldn't have been there in the first place, but I survived it without any problems. It was a valuable lesson. I was extremely lucky, and have since ALWAYS worn a safety harness since. I was fortunate to survive once, what many hunters haven't.
Frankly, only a fool would be without one, and this fool turned out to be "once bitten, twice shy".
07-20-2009, 04:37 AM
#8
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: uniontown, kentucky
Posts: 570
Up until 2004 it was hit or miss sometimes I would wear it mostly in the late season. However, in August of 04 while putting stands up I fell. I was luck and only dislocated by left elbow after falling 25 feet. I was able to get back in shape for rifle seson however archery is my love. After that fall I now wear mine evertime I go into a tree. Up till 04 I never thought much about it until it happened. I lost out on most of the archery season, was on lite duty at work and for a while had to ride with someone to work. The biggest let down was I could not hold my son or play with him like I usually had. I'm like a lot of us we get in a hurry and forget to put it on we get to our stand and that is when we relize we forgot it. Take it from me and go back and get it. I have a friend who has fell over 4 times and last two times have almost killed him. He now has pins in his body and is sore during cold weather.
07-20-2009, 05:22 AM
#9
Dominant Buck
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: On an Island in Vermont
Posts: 22,605
According to something I read...One in 4 tree stand hunters will fall some time in their huntng lives. Those statistics don't bode well for going without a harness. Only a fool would risk it.
