Hunting Safety

By Jeff Berti
With archery season opening in about three weeks (Sept. 15), the Department of Conservation would like to remind hunters that not all accidents in the field involve firearms. Many injuries result from falls from tree stands.
Archery deer and turkey hunters commonly hunt from tree stands that are 10 to 20 feet above ground. Hunting from an elevated stand offers the element of surprise, since deer generally don’t look for danger from above. Tree stands also give hunters a better view of their surroundings and make their scent more difficult for deer to detect. But on the down side, falls from stands easily break bones, compress spines, and puncture lungs or worse. Almost one in 20 falls proves fatal.
Tree-stand hunters, just like occupants of a car or truck, can increase their chances of surviving accidents and reduce the severity of injuries by wearing safety belts. Even better is a harness that distributes the weight of a fall over the whole body. In a fall, a simple body belt restricts breathing more than a harness.
Hunters should buy the best safety equipment they can afford, including belts, harnesses and tree stands. All such equipment should be inspected and thoroughly tested before the beginning of each hunting season and periodically during the season.
In a survey, “Deer Hunting” magazine found that more than one-third of all tree stand hunters will at some time fall from a stand, and that about 3 percent of them will suffer crippling injuries. The magazine noted that more than 70 percent of falls occur when a hunter is climbing a tree or descending from the tree. Their survey showed that only about 20 percent of hunters wear a safety belt while doing these things.
The statistics show that, at the very least, hunters should attach their safety belt before stepping onto a stand, and not remove the belt until safely stepping off the stand. Hunters should show extra care during periods of rain and snow when tree bark and stand equipment are slick.
If you hunt from a tree stand, then you should use the following safety tips:
• Tell someone where you will be hunting, and leave a note at your vehicle detailing your location to help searchers find you if you do not return.
• Securely attach the tree stand no more than 12 feet high.
• Use a safety belt to secure yourself to the tree. Harnesses made for this purpose are much safer than a rope.
• Use a rope to raise hunting equipment to your stand after climbing up. This keeps hands free for climbing and avoids injuries from falling on gear.
• Keep your tree stand in good condition. Replace any worn or missing parts.
• Climb down if you become drowsy. Falling asleep is a common cause of tree-stand accidents.
• Never use alcohol or drugs before or during any kind of a hunt.
• Keep your safety belt on when climbing up to or down from your stand.
Keep these safety tips in mind every time you climb into your tree stand. Although most hunters are, hopefully, thinking firearms safety while in the field, most of them rarely stop to think about tree-stand safety. We know that a bullet or an arrow can be fatal, but so can a fall from an unsafe tree stand.