What's your plan if you fall from your stand ?
 

OK ...
I'm overweight...and 56 years old..I use the Seat of the Pants Harness..and let's say..your stand malfunctions and you are hanging from the tree at 15 feet.

I understand ..that if you don't do something quick your circulation being cut off will kill you. I hope this doesn't happen to any of you but it would be nice to brain storm and see what some of you would do..NOw if your as over weight and old as me..I doubt seriously if your going to get back into the stand..

Tell me if my plan is stupid..

I now carry my folding buck knife in my front pocket..

Try to relax..so you won't be shaking and freeze.

Take out the knife..


IF possible grab one of the pieces of stand that is still attached..with knife..reach over head and cut your support rope..now your circulation can flow easily..throw knife to the ground away from tree..

If you can get in your stand...call for help..

If you can't ..push off the tree..and drop I don't beleive 15 foot will kill you..Cut off circulation certainly will

Any other thoughts..

You guys who climb high...not sure what you would do..

Chuck, if you're that concerned, get some suspension relief straps. The construction industry has several available that clip right onto your harness, you simply deploy them, and you have relief. Summit even has their own version.
http://images.ebsco.com/pob/summit/c.../stand_srs.pdf

I had the brilliant plan of going Bow hunting with a buddy about two weeks after I had ACL reconstruction. I was still technically on crutches... but thought hunting sounded like a great idea. He carried a ladder back in for me, then ran my climbing stand up the tree to around 12 feet. We set the ladder up and I went up and got situated. I had the brilliant idea of tying the ladder to the bottom of my climber with my drag rope and then lowering the ladder to the ground so that the deer wouldn't see it.
Wellllll The bottom of my climber ended up dropping out of the tree. The ladder was tied to the bottom of the climber and now I'm stuck.
I called my buddy several times and couldn't get him. So I decided I'd better come out of the tree before it got worse. I lowered my bow with the rope I use for it, Unhooked my harness, Hung from the front bar of the top part of my climber, lined up my drop and let myself fall.
Thankfully I was able to safely land on my good leg and didnt cause any damage.
I think having a plan in place is a great idea, I didn't have anything planned but it worked thankfully. And my drop was relatively low.
-Jake

I just read about one man's plan..His bow/gun pull up rope is a strong 1/2 inch or bigger rope..500 pound strenghth..It's tied around the tree...If you fall grab the rope around the tree..cut the other rope from you harness..and use the 1/2 inch rope to get down the tree.

Hunter Safety System sends an extra strap with their harness that has a loop in one end. If you fall, you just put your foot in the loop and step up, thereby relieving the pressure on your lower legs. Always, always, always keep your cell phone on your person so if something does go wrong, you have access to it as opposed to it being in your pack or somewhere else you can't get to it.

Blessings.....Pastorjim

I have the relief straps..but after reading some horror stories of huys who have fallen...I plan to buy the 300.00 vest that comes with the build in life rope..I wanted to lose some weight first ..for their is a big difference in weight for us fat guys..LOL

BUT I'm getting one before next season....my family needs me ;;;I'll use my income tax money..I just hope the darn thing works..I know it's pretty heavy..

I don't hunt high except in permanent stands where it'd be easy to get back onto the steps or stand if I fell the small amount allowed by the harness. Thinking about it, it wouldn't be a bad idea to keep a rope hanging down. At the least you could slide down at a safe rate if you needed to cut your harness strap. A 15 foot fall has the potential of causing serious injury, especially if you don't know how to land.

Anyone ever seen or known anyone that uses one of these..Here is what I plan on getting,,,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFaDxFcx6Zc


I'm a little concerned that he had to hop around some to get that thing to work..trust me..when your in a situation like that..you are going to be very shakey..

I use a treestand that straps on. It also has a strap at the bottom to keep it from swinging. Not much chance of it coming down. I also use a 4 section strap on ladder to get into the stand. If the stand did come down or I fell out and couldn't get back in, I would get on the ladder.

I'm 55 and WAS overweight... :)

Last April, my doctor told me I had to do something about my weight, I'm 6ft 5 and weighed 262...The problem, my blood sugar had gotten too high...I had 2 uncles that had diabetes...

On April 23rd, I went on a low carb diet...By July 4th, I was down to 232, a loss of 30 pounds...I haven't had a soft drink or sweet tea since April...I've had exactly 2 baked potatoes, I don't eat french fries and very little bread, rice and pasta...

Take my advice, lose the weight, you body will thank you...A side benefit, I don't get tired anymore...Hiking, carring a tree stand, doing yard work, it's like I'm 35 again...

Appreciate the encouragement..your right..the weight can kill you

I find when I trip..there is no stopping myself.. I must have tripped and fell 10 times this year..where normally I would have caught myself..now it's like i'm carrying an 80 pound bag of concrete...the weight itself puts you to the ground..

Which can move your scope, move your bow site..sprain an ankle etc..a real handicapp

its good to have a plan. i usually dont stand hunt, and i dont use harness's which i should. but my dads friend fell from a tree stand. sharp peice of a tree stump went through his head, one of his buddies was a doctor and saved his life, they said he would never walk again. A couple years later he was able to walk with a cane. its a frightening wake up call when you here these kinds of stories.

I just bought the Rescue One a few weeks ago. I have only tried it on inside the house so far. It is a very well built harness and feels about like a HSS vest style harness in terms of weight. I have read over the instructions and it looks like repacking the rope in the harness is pretty straight forward. It comes with a very detailed instruction book and a DVD.

Appreciate the replies guys.

You should always keep a SRS on your person when hunting in an elevated stand. I have the one Ameristep includes with their tree stands.

My dad fell out of a tree stand years ago (before cell phones) and broke his ankle. It was when he was climbing down and was lucky he did not land on his bow. He fell about 12 feet. It was getting dark so he took off his camo shirt and put his white tee shirt on over his camo so he would be easier to see. He crawled about 300 yards to get to a easier place to find him. He even had to crawl through a drainage ditch with a foot of water in it with a flash light in his mouth. When he did not come home my mom got worried and we went out to find him. That was one crazy night. I still remember our van with cornstalks hanging from the undercarrige when we drove through the corn field to get him.

Break out the cell phone/2 way radio and make a call for help...

I'm 6'1 and around 250...but heading lower! I've been hunting out of high stands my entire life. As embarrassing as it is...I'll admit that until I had kids, I never wore a belt of any kind. That was about 7 years ago. I fell when I was young, but walked away and thought I was bullet proof. My kids mean so much to me that I now take tons of precautions.

I started with the single strap and now wear a shoulder harness. I always carry 2 screw in steps and a knife in my front pocket. If need be, I can screw in a step and cut the harness. Then alternate steps until I get down the tree.

Using good equipment and taking your time, imo, lessens your chances of falling...but there's always a chance.

In many areas I hunt cell phones do not work and two way radios have a limited range.

Well son, you do know
 

your own fallibility clearly. And the rules of gravity, too.

Cell works great there..but 90 miles away won't do much good.LOL

Who makes this vest?

I'll post the company when I get home..working now..

Rescue One CDS II. I just purchased one a few weeks ago. Very well made harness. Here is a link:

http://mountaineer-sports.com/

btw the 4 point harnesses are designed to not cut off circulation the way the old ones that just went under your arms were accused of doing...

and don't fall in the first place! (of course I know sh*t happens) but get yourself a quality ladder stand, big platform, arm rests, shooting rail. If you don't take it down every year, loosen those straps so the tree can grow, and snug them up before each season. or just replace them every year.

An oz. of prevention is worth a lb. of cure...

Vahuntr

Is the pin and brake esay to understand...I was al little concerned that the manin the video had to jump a little to activate the rope / brake assembly..


How long does it take you to set the harness up after you practice with it.

Does your climber feel funny to carry when you have the harness on.??

.I usually where my harness right over my t shirt and then put the rest of my garmets on..over the harness...does this harness HAVE to be worn on the outside of your hunting coat?

Thanks,
C7

Not so!

You need to do a google search on "suspension trauma". If you fall from your stand and can't get back into it you are in trouble. Even with a full body harness. You have got to have a way to do one of the following:
A: Get back on the ground or
B: Relieve the pressure on your legs with a suspension relief strap.


The Rescue One CDS(Controlled Descent System) Harness allows you to lower yourself to the ground if you can't get back in your tree stand.

Chuck7, I have only tried the harness on indoors so far. It is a little more bulky than the Seat O The Pants harness I was wearing but you can tell it is a quality made product. It will take some getting used to I am sure. For the benefits this harness provides, I will take a little bulkiness.

I spoke with the owner about wearing the harness under your coat. He stated that he wore his under his hunting coat but to make sure you could get to the shoulder strap if a fall occurred.

All I have done thus far is remove the back cover and verify the pin was installed properly as it shows in the book. I plan to practice with it next month.

Thanks man....

After you practice with it for a while...I want to get your review advice again..

I generally dress like this since I am big..
in the winter time..in this order..

socks

long jons

pants

t shirt

seat of the pants harness..

light sweat shirt { Hunt in Florida}

Camo hunting coat without liner

slip on La Crosse boots.


I have the cheap orange vest in my pocket..I go to the stand in the dark...keep camoflaughed..when I climb down I have the orange vest on..and wear it to the truck.

If i wore your new harness and fell..I would unzip the camo coat..pull out the brake mechanism..and come on down the tree.

put my head between my legs and kiss my ass good bye

"put my head between my legs and kiss my ass good bye "

Hey..if that your attitude your drop may be much farther than 20 feet..
:devil:

Agreed!
 

We weld up our own stands, take them down after the season for inspection and maintenance, new straps every year. Myself, I don't use a safety harness, I don't encourage it, it's just me. If I'm not in by a certain time, people know where to find me.

I'm 28, not overweight, and I get great cell phone reception on my hunting land. I don't use a harness.

If I fall, I plan on hitting the ground, shaking it off, and climbing back up. If I can't shake it off, I'll walk out. If I can't walk out, I'll call someone. If Im a quadriplegic, I'll freeze.

I have a wife and child that I want to come home safely to and continue to provide for. I can't afford not to wear a safety harness of some kind.

I have a wife and child that I want to come home safely to and continue to provide for. I can't afford not to wear a safety harness of some kind. Va huntr

Same exact reason here sir...I'm my families sole support

while hanging,grab onto the ladder and then cut off your supports.im only fifteen,and dont use a tree support.if i fall my ass will hurt but thats all.

i was going to suggest this but forgot the name. i was think about buying this but i havent bumped into someone that has purchased one. i had a buddy you fell out of this tree stand he was going down the ladder and fell i guess it messed him up pretty bad. but again this product looks nice.

You mean to say
 

you fellas aren't ready to parachute out of those tree stands.

I'm 50, lost 40lbs, and still won't go up in a stand. I gotta move, stretch my legs, and back. a ground blind is fine. much safer.

My concern is if I trip and fall in the woods, I'm probably screwed.