While no deer hunter would go a field with a firearm or bow that he or she had not tested for safety, a surprisingly large number of hunters never check the safety of their elevated tree stands. Failure to check or properly use tree stands can result in accidents, with injuries ranging from minor scrapes and bruises to paralysis and death.
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A recent study conducted by the International Hunter Education Association found that 7 percent of hunters using tree stands had experienced an accident in the past 10 years. Twenty-two percent of the accident victims required medical treatment. A 1993 survey conducted by Deer and Deer Hunting magazines found that more than a third of tree stand hunters will at some time fall from a stand, and that about 3 percent of them will suffer crippling injuries. Both surveys found that the majority of falls occurred when hunters were maneuvering in or out of a stand.
Tree stand accidents are not inevitable. Improper installation and use of tree stands and safety belts are among the major causes of tree stand accidents. If you’re using a permanent stand, make it a part of your pre-season scouting to check the stand and the steps that lead up to it. Also, practice using your safety equipment in conditions similar to what you’ll experience during the hunting season.
The following safety rules can reduce a hunter’s risks of serious injury or death from a tree stand accident.
• Use only equipment that has been certified as safe by the Treestand Manufacturers Association. Certification is given only to stands that have been tested by independent labs and found to be structurally sturdy.
• Inspect your stand before each use. On portable stands, look for loose bolts or nuts, slick gripping surfaces, cracked or bent chains, cables or straps. Check permanent stands for loose steps, rotten wood and exposed nails or screws.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installing and using your stand.
• Practice setting up the stand at ground level until you are skilled at using it. Also practice during low-light conditions similar to those you’ll experience during the early morning hours.
• Choose the location of your stand carefully. Avoid trees that are leaning, dead or dying, have excessive leaves, loose bark, or other features that will prevent proper use of your stand.
• Always wear a safety harness while climbing up to or down from a stand and while on the stand. Choose a harness that distributes your weight around your torso. Single-strap belts can cause internal injury by tightening with sudden, jerking movements by the wearer. Furthermore, the pressure from a single strap on the abdomen or chest can cause rapid loss of consciousness.
• Keep yourself on a short leash. A foot or two of slack in your tether is plenty. The wrenching stop that occurs when a hunter falls as little as three feet before reaching the end of a safety strap can break bones or cause internal injury. Some harnesses have devices that slow the hunter’s fall gradually, reducing the chance of injury.
• Put your belt on before stepping onto a tree stand. Hold on to the tree trunk while slowly transferring your weight to the stand. Then lightly bounce on the stand to check for secure mounting.
• Always use a safety chain with portable stands.
• Never carry a firearm, bow, arrow or other gear while climbing up to a stand. Use a rope to pull these items into the stand after you are securely positioned. Placing a piece of tape over the muzzle of your firearm can help prevent dirt or tree bark from plugging the barrel.
• Don’t leave equipment directly under you while climbing up or down. You could fall on an arrow or other item, making your injuries worse.
• Never hunt without telling someone where you will be hunting and when you will return.
• Carry survival gear, including food, water, a whistle or air horn to signal for help, a blanket and matches. Several hunters carry walkie-talkies, cell phones or emergency strobe lights to call for help.
If you use a tree stand, whether portable or permanent, please make sure that you are following all of the safety rules. The ultimate goal of any hunting trip should have nothing to do with harvesting an animal. Instead, the ultimate goal should be to return home safely.