Tree stand hunting: your safety device can kill you

[Mr VJP]

Tree stand hunting: your safety device can kill you

                        If the average deer hunter has heard it once, he’s heard it a hundred times: “Wear your safety harness!”

Climbing a tree presents a clear advantage for hunters but it also  presents dangers. Any number of things, from a tree stand malfunction  to a hunter simply losing his balance and falling from the stand, can  cause a hunter to tumble 20 or more feet to the ground. Each year,  hunters are killed in tree stand falls, while others suffer broken  backs or other debilitating injuries that leave them permanently  disabled.

Full-body safety harnesses and safety vests are designed to save hunters’ lives in the case of a fall. And usually they do.

But very few hunters are aware of the secondary danger associated  with tree stand falls: the same device that keeps you from tumbling to  what would almost certainly be serious injury or even death can slowly  kill you as you await rescue.

The culprit? Gravity, the body’s weight and the fundamentals of human circulation.

Full-body harnesses, which are considered substantially safer than  safety straps that simply go around the waist, include straps that  fasten across the chest and around the legs. It is the latter that can  ultimately lead to death. The weight of the human body resting on the  leg straps causes a tourniquet effect on the veins in the legs and does  not allow blood to return to the heart. As a result, blood pools in the  lower extremities at an alarming rate, causing blood pressure to  quickly drop. Within minutes, unconsciousness results, followed quickly  by death.

A 68-year-old Georgia man, Weyman Chandler, was found hanging dead  in a tree in Pike County, Illinois, last November. In 2008, a  48-year-old Ohio man and 35-year-old Ohio man were each discovered dead  at the end of their safety harnesses.

Each year, hunters who did everything right are still killed in tree stand accidents.

Dr. Norman Wood, who designed a safety harness system to prevent  such tragedies, says death from “suspension trauma” can occur in as  little as five minutes or as much as 30 minutes. The clock starts as  soon as the hunter falls from the stand. It doesn’t start until he has  managed to return to a standing position, whether by returning to his  stand—not an easy task—or being rescued.

“The longer you hang in your harness the less and less blood there  is to circulate through the heart and lungs to keep you alive,” Wood  says. “Meaning your blood pressure starts to drop the moment you start  being suspended because the heart has less and less blood to pump. The  heart, sensing this loss in volume, increases its rate and pumps harder  to try and keep the pressure up. It is killing you at an increasingly  faster rate.

“If you cannot get back to a standing position either back on your  stand, on the ground or on a suspension relief strap to get the  pressure off of your legs so the blood starts circulating again, you  will become a suspension trauma victim pretty quick,” Wood adds. “It is  only a matter of time and you will never know how much time you have.”

Because the chances are significant that help will not arrive in  time to rescue fallen hunters, it’s pretty much on the hunter himself  to make sure he can return to a standing position in the short window  of opportunity.

Fortunately, avoiding tragedy is relatively easy.

Wood’s system, Mountaineer Sports’ Rescue 1 Controlled Descent  System, is designed to take pressure off the legs in case of a fall and  retails for nearly $200. Other, cheaper harnesses include suspension  relief straps designed to allow a suspended hunter to stand up in the  strap, relieving pressure on the legs while he awaits rescue or figures  out how to return to a standing position.

Hunters using traditional safety harnesses without the added  protective measures should secure their harnesses to the tree as high  as they can reach while standing on the stand platform. In case of a  fall, the hunter would then be suspended nearly level with his stand,  allowing him to climb back into his stand more easily. Experts say it  will be almost impossible for hunters, even those in good physical  condition, to climb back into their stand if they’re hanging with the  platform of the stand higher than their waist.

Some hunters advocate carrying a screw-in tree step in a pocket, so  that the suspended hunter can screw it into the tree and climb onto it  in order to relieve pressure on the legs. However, others say that it  can be difficult to screw in a step while suspended, especially if the  hunter is suspended in a non-upright position. Failed efforts to screw  in the step could waist valuable time, those hunters say.

Still other hunters carry pocket knives or some other cutting device  tethered to their strap or in a shirt pocket. If they cannot climb back  into their stand or otherwise regain a standing position quickly, they  prefer to cut the strap and take their chances with falling than slowly  losing consciousness while suspended, they say. Many suspended hunters  have managed to bear-hug the tree while cutting the strap and painfully  sliding to the ground.

Of course, it’s always a good idea to carry two-way radios if  hunting with partners or a cell phone if hunting alone. While help  might be slow arriving, it’s better than no help at all.

The average hunter wears a safety strap that he purchases for a few  dollars or receives with his tree stand and is never aware of the other  potential dangers. Almost any hunter will quickly say that it’s foolish  to climb a tree without a safety harness, and they’re right. But as it  turns out, a harness used improperly can be almost as dangerous as no  harness at all.

[sits in trees]

i keep a razor sharp utility knife in my leg pocket.

[WNYBuckHunter]

There are pressure relief straps that some of the harnesses have where you can get a foot into the strap and take the pressure off of the leg straps. The mentioned Woods Rescue One harness has a built in system that allows you to lower yourself slowly. I have been looking at that one lately, and am deciding whether I will replace my current harness with that one or a Gorilla Exotech after this season.

[Lawdwaz]

Is this an ad for the Rescue 1 CDS?

I've also been looking at them.  Gander Mtn and a local shop, Doc's Archery carry them.  I talked to Mark at Doc's about them last week.  The ones he had would not fit either him or me.  I think it is a terrific idea that could certainly save your life in the right circumstance.

[Lawdwaz]

i keep a razor sharp utility knife in my leg pocket.

WTF are you going to do with a utility knife?

[WNYBuckHunter]

Is this an ad for the Rescue 1 CDS?

I've also been looking at them.  Gander Mtn and a local shop, Doc's Archery carry them.  I talked to Mark at Doc's about them last week.  The ones he had would not fit either him or me.  I think it is a terrific idea that could certainly save your life in the right circumstance.

They make a "Big Boy" model to fit ell, big guys lol. I think they will fit 3Xl and 4Xl and handle up to 400lbs.

[Lawdwaz]

400 lbs?  That would cover me, my wife and  part of my Lab!

240 on a good day.

[Mr VJP]

I wasn't trying to sell anything with that post other than the idea that 90% of hunters are using safety systems that will kill them.

They aren't even aware of the danger either.  So, I looked up the info on the web and put it up for all to see.  Hunting from an elevated stand is becoming very expensive with the cost of the stand and the safety system you need to use in it.

Then you have to learn to use it properly in order for it to be effective.  Getting everything set up in the dark isn't easy either. 

My bow hunting is still done from a tree, but I'm only 10 feet up in the crotch of three trees.  My gun hunting is less and less from a tree stand.  The older I get, the more I hunt from the ground.

[Dinsdale]

Good info, thanks for the post.

[UpStateRedNeck]

From the advice of a friend I bought the Hunter Safety Vest, I don't regret it at all.  There is a "pressure release" safety strap that I keep in the vest pocket, and I keep the safety rope in the pocket.  If my ladder stand falls out from under me, or I somehow over balance and fall over the shooting rail on my hangers, should be able to climb out with the rope and pressure release strap.

The day I can't climb hand over hand down down a rope though is the day I stop hunting from a tree.  Or get one of those super specialty harnesses you guys are talking about.

The most dangerous part to me is the getting in/out of the stand, theres no safety strap when you're climbing up those tree pegs, particularly when you're making the step from the pegs to the stand itself.

[WNYBuckHunter]

Use a prussic setup to attach to while climbing and decending from your stand. They are easy to make. There's a thread in the DIY forum that shows you how to do it.

[fasteddie]

I'll stick with my Hunter Safety System vest . I am hunting from 15' ladder stands and hopefully can reach the ladder should I fall .

Mountaineer Sports’ Rescue 1 Controlled Descent  System might be the way to go . I saw an ad for it a couple months ago and it looks pretty safe .

[First-light]

I do the same exact thing Eddie. No problem getting to that ladder. I had the kid get a HSS vest and pushed him towards using ladder stands.

[Mr VJP]

What if the ladder breaks and falls down to the ground?

[fasteddie]

What if the ladder breaks and falls down to the ground?

What if the brakes fail on my vehicle , I go over a cliff and I never make it to the ladder stand ?  ???

[erussell]

to funny fasteddie  ;D ;D  I have the plain old adjustible strap. I hang it high enough behind me on the tree so I can sit and thats about it. I keep it loose enough under my arms so i can turn and it has worked pretty good so far.  I tied it to the tree my shooting platform is attached to in my yard and stepped off the platform and just kind of swung to the side of the tree, no drop. I had it loose enough I was then able to turn around and pull myself back up onto the stand. It did chafe my underarms a little though.

[noodle one]

to funny fasteddie  ;D ;D  I have the plain old adjustible strap. I hang it high enough behind me on the tree so I can sit and thats about it. I keep it loose enough under my arms so i can turn and it has worked pretty good so far.  I tied it to the tree my shooting platform is attached to in my yard and stepped off the platform and just kind of swung to the side of the tree, no drop. I had it loose enough I was then able to turn around and pull myself back up onto the stand. It did chafe my underarms a little though.

erussell,

If I am reading your post right ,you are using the adjustible strap that goes around your chest. You want to be very careful using that type. I know you live in broome co. and if you remember ,last year a hunter fell out of he treestand on North Road and was using that same type of strap. The strap compressed his chest and he was unable to get air and die hanging from the tree.

[Cabin Fever]

Maybe in some cases, but I'm willing to roll the dice with this one! If you use what is available to you with the HSS, you'll be much better off than if you didn't use it!

They also say that seatbelts kill. I wear mine and not just because it's the law. A seatbelt has already saved my life!

[Mr VJP]

What if the ladder breaks and falls down to the ground?

What if the brakes fail on my vehicle , I go over a cliff and I never make it to the ladder stand ?  ???

Then you won't have to worry about falling from your stand.

;D

Seriously, when a ladder stand breaks, it falls to the ground.  Assuming you will be OK with your harness in a ladder stand because you can just climb back on it, is a mistake.  If you want to be safe, you have to be sure your preventative measures are going to work.

If you have a qualified mechanic checkout your brakes, you won't need to be worried about them either.

[bushnell]

And people wonder why I hunt from the ground.

[Isles323]

I would consider installing climbing sticks as a back-up

[steve863]

A big problem with tree stands and safety devices is that way too many people that are out of shape get into them.  From the hunters I have seen over the years, there surely isn't any shortage of them.  These people shouldn't be getting up into tree stands in the first place.  If someone is agile enough they will either swing themselves to hug a tree or maneuver themselves enough to avoid the suffocation that some of these safety devices can cause.  If one is 250 + lbs and can't even walk very far without difficulty on solid ground, they surely have NO business getting up into a treestand.  NO safety device will help someone like that.

 

[WNYBuckHunter]

A big problem with tree stands and safety devices is that way too many people that are out of shape get into them.  From the hunters I have seen over the years, there surely isn't any shortage of them.  These people shouldn't be getting up into tree stands in the first place.  If someone is agile enough they will either swing themselves to hug a tree or maneuver themselves enough to avoid the suffocation that some of these safety devices can cause.  If one is 250 + lbs and can't even walk very far without difficulty on solid ground, they surely have NO business getting up into a treestand.  NO safety device will help someone like that.

Even if you are considered "in shape", the ability to swing ones own weight back up into a treestand when it is above your waist and to your side is still not something most can do. Think about it, you are usually wearing more than a pair of shorts and some tennis shoes and a tee shirt when you are hunting, you also have extra gear, etc. Saying that one that is not in shape shouldnt get into a treestand is just silly. Fits with your "Im the ultimate" attitude on alot of subjects though. 

[steve863]

A big problem with tree stands and safety devices is that way too many people that are out of shape get into them.  From the hunters I have seen over the years, there surely isn't any shortage of them.  These people shouldn't be getting up into tree stands in the first place.  If someone is agile enough they will either swing themselves to hug a tree or maneuver themselves enough to avoid the suffocation that some of these safety devices can cause.  If one is 250 + lbs and can't even walk very far without difficulty on solid ground, they surely have NO business getting up into a treestand.  NO safety device will help someone like that.

Even if you are considered "in shape", the ability to swing ones own weight back up into a treestand when it is above your waist and to your side is still not something most can do. Think about it, you are usually wearing more than a pair of shorts and some tennis shoes and a tee shirt when you are hunting, you also have extra gear, etc. Saying that one that is not in shape shouldnt get into a treestand is just silly. Fits with your "Im the ultimate" attitude on alot of subjects though. 

"I'm the ultimate"  LOL!!  OK wiseguy, have it your way!  I have seen plenty of lard butts in the hunting field who can barely walk on a sidewalk.  Can't even go the 150 yards to their stands without needing to fire up an ATV to get there.  Just keep telling them it's OK to get up into a treestand in the shape they are in.  I hope your not the one they call when it's time cut them down.

[WNYBuckHunter]

A big problem with tree stands and safety devices is that way too many people that are out of shape get into them.  From the hunters I have seen over the years, there surely isn't any shortage of them.  These people shouldn't be getting up into tree stands in the first place.  If someone is agile enough they will either swing themselves to hug a tree or maneuver themselves enough to avoid the suffocation that some of these safety devices can cause.  If one is 250 + lbs and can't even walk very far without difficulty on solid ground, they surely have NO business getting up into a treestand.  NO safety device will help someone like that.

Even if you are considered "in shape", the ability to swing ones own weight back up into a treestand when it is above your waist and to your side is still not something most can do. Think about it, you are usually wearing more than a pair of shorts and some tennis shoes and a tee shirt when you are hunting, you also have extra gear, etc. Saying that one that is not in shape shouldnt get into a treestand is just silly. Fits with your "Im the ultimate" attitude on alot of subjects though. 

"I'm the ultimate"  LOL!!  OK wiseguy, have it your way!  I have seen plenty of lard butts in the hunting field who can barely walk on a sidewalk.  Can't even go the 150 yards to their stands without needing to fire up an ATV to get there.  Just keep telling them it's OK to get up into a treestand in the shape they are in.  I hope your not the one they call when it's time cut them down.

HAHAHA, I thought youd appreciate that. 

Im just trying to say that just calling yourself in shape doesnt mean youd have any easier of a time getting yourself out of a situation like that unaided.