Man hangs from treestand 20 hours

[Bigfoot 327]

Don't be this guy. Have a plan. Please see link below.

 

 

Edited September 2, 2018 by Bigfoot 327
bad URL

[turkeyfeathers]

broken link

[grampy]

Can't even imagine the suffering he went through! Hope he pulls through.

I wonder if he was using the old strap style harness, instead of the newer  full body type with the leg loops?

I know for me, every year, I feel less comfortable in a tree stand.

[Red]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/articles.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/08/hunter_who_hung_upside-down_in.amp

 

[Bigfoot 327]

Sorry, I can't make the link work. Hunter was tangled in his harness and hanging upside down. He was found by another hunter by dumb luck. Apparently no one even knew he was missing. He was reported to be in critical condition. Rescuers brought in a bucket truck to get him down. He was about 30ft. off the ground. 

[Bigfoot 327]

3 minutes ago, Red said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/articles.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2018/08/hunter_who_hung_upside-down_in.amp

 

Thanks RED!

[Red]

You're welcome.

That was a crazy story. Nuts that the man was able to stay conscious upside down for 2 days.

[turkeyfeathers]

3 minutes ago, Red said:

You're welcome.

That was a crazy story. Nuts that the man was able to stay conscious upside down for 2 days.

Scary stuff right there .  

[jperch]

41 minutes ago, grampy said:

Can't even imagine the suffering he went through! Hope he pulls through.

I wonder if he was using the old strap style harness, instead of the newer  full body type with the leg loops?

I know for me, every year, I feel less comfortable in a tree stand.

It's amazing that he survived for two days.  He must be one very tough seventy year old man.  It is hard to understand how, with a modern harness, one could end up hanging upside down.  Also, in the story it says his hunting dogs were still with him.  That's confusing, what kind of hunting involves using a tree stand and a couple of hunting dogs?

[Bigfoot 327]

40 minutes ago, jperch said:

It's amazing that he survived for two days.  He must be one very tough seventy year old man.  It is hard to understand how, with a modern harness, one could end up hanging upside down.  Also, in the story it says his hunting dogs were still with him.  That's confusing, what kind of hunting involves using a tree stand and a couple of hunting dogs?

Hunter was camping nearby. I believe the dogs and some gear were retrieved by the family from the camp. I don't think he was using the dogs to hunt.

[Red]

Im picturing him wearing one of those old school harnesses/straps that only went around the waist.

[jperch]

You are probably right Red, that makes sense.  My first harness was that type, decades ago.  I think it came from an old VW.  Bigfoot, thanks for the information about his dogs.  Hope the hunter makes it.

[wolc123]

18 hours ago, wolc123 said:

 

As hunters gain experience and wisdom, they often develop the ability to kill deer consistently from the ground or from lower stands.   That is very fortunate, because they also loose the ability to recover as easily from a fall, as they get older.   Proper use of a safety harnesses is good, but they can increase risk due to overconfidence or improper use.   Risk of injury always increases in direct proportion to height whether a safety harness is used or not.

    

This unfortunate fella must have never "wised up".    I bet that he will learn how to kill deer from the ground pretty quick after he recovers.  Safety harnesses are not the "end all be all" that many folks seem to think that they are and this event very clearly illustrates that fact.   Everybody out to let that sink in for a while before heading out there this fall.     

[Doc]

I was just trying to think how many decades that I evolved into a ground stand hunter. I wish I could say it was because of some fantastic piece of intelligence, but it really is merely a reaction to a developing phobia about heights....lol. Actually, I put a lot of man-hours into treestand hunting, and not really with all the current safety recommendations that we have today. I am pretty sure that even without the "heights thing", I probably would have eventually made the change anyway. I had a cousin that died from a fall out of his stand. He was taken from the family at way too young an age.

I do realize the benefits of treestand hunting. But I have discovered the excitement of hunting eyeball to eyeball with the critters on their level, and while it has restricted my success somewhat, I do enjoy the additional challenge.

[Merlot]

12 minutes ago, Doc said:

I was just trying to think how many decades that I evolved into a ground stand hunter. I wish I could say it was because of some fantastic piece of intelligence, but it really is merely a reaction to a developing phobia about heights....lol. Actually, I put a lot of man-hours into treestand hunting, and not really with all the current safety recommendations that we have today. I am pretty sure that even without the "heights thing", I probably would have eventually made the change anyway. I had a cousin that died from a fall out of his stand. He was taken from the family at way too young an age.

I do realize the benefits of treestand hunting. But I have discovered the excitement of hunting eyeball to eyeball with the critters on their level, and while it has restricted my success somewhat, I do enjoy the additional challenge.

I agree with your sentiment about " EYEBALL TO EYEBALL" excitement hunting deer on the ground. I usually post up against a tree, with good visibility and some ground cover, and wait for ambush shot. I still like tree stand hunting, but more often than not, I'm on the ground hunting, even with hunting buddies with me. I never go into a tree stand when I'm hunting alone. 

[Nomad]

He’s in a coma, went into cardiac arrest as soon as they got him down, something predictable and they were ready for .. ( compartment syndrome) 

From the looks of it ,since his shirt is hanging down I’d say he’s hanging by his feet. And that’s a bit short of 30 feet . Almost looks like a ladder stand, hard to tell .

Edited September 5, 2018 by Stay at home Nomad

[Marion]

Duhnnnananananananana BATMAAAAAANNNNNNNN!

You Can't Beat My Meat!!!

[grampy]

On 9/3/2018 at 4:15 PM, Doc said:

I was just trying to think how many decades that I evolved into a ground stand hunter. I wish I could say it was because of some fantastic piece of intelligence, but it really is merely a reaction to a developing phobia about heights....lol. Actually, I put a lot of man-hours into treestand hunting, and not really with all the current safety recommendations that we have today. I am pretty sure that even without the "heights thing", I probably would have eventually made the change anyway. I had a cousin that died from a fall out of his stand. He was taken from the family at way too young an age.

I do realize the benefits of treestand hunting. But I have discovered the excitement of hunting eyeball to eyeball with the critters on their level, and while it has restricted my success somewhat, I do enjoy the additional challenge.

You describe me to a T Doc !  Spent a lot of time in my younger years, in various contraptions up in trees, both homebuilt and purchased. Many years, with no fall restraint at all. Except for one incident, I was lucky!  But as the years went by, I found I was less and less comfortable being off the ground. I also enjoyed the added challenge, of hunting eye to eye with deer on the ground. It actually made me a better hunter I think! I still do hunt a ladderstand or two, but rarely. And with a full body harness clipped in from the ground at all times,

 I hunted with moog last year and forgot my harness. He put me in a GREAT spot, in a ladderstand. But even after seeing deer, I still did not feel comfortable at all, and climbed down to sit on the ground, at the base of the stand. Still saw deer! Including a very nice 8pt, that was only a step or two from meeting my Muzzy!!! 

Very soon I will not hunt above the ground at all.

[Meat First]

WOW I have a nice couple of tower blinds in my future

[Doc]

I found that it is very difficult shooting a bow when you feel compelled to bear-hug the tree-trunk for dear life.....lol. My last treestand was made out of pressure treated 2x8's and was fastened to the tree with 5/8 diameter x 6" long lag bolts. It is a 5' x 5' platform with railings all around. The whole thing was just 9' off the ground. And I still had to hang on to the tree trunk to stay up in there. That is one very serious affliction. I have tried to get up in it several times over the recent years, but no luck. It's a phobia that simply is never going to go away.

[Steuben Jerry]

On ‎9‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 7:18 AM, wolc123 said:

This unfortunate fella must have never "wised up".

There's a lot of ways to hunt from a stand safely. I've always been pretty shaky with heights. You'll never find me doing any roofing or chimney work - lol.

Gave up hunting from a hang-on in my early 30's. I've got about a dozen 16 ft ladder stands and a 15 ft tower built on 6x6's. They're all stable and I wear a harness with all of them except the enclosed tower. I won't hunt a ladder stand without a harness. I never feel like I'm in danger of falling.

I think one of the main issues with this guy is that he didn't seem to have anyone looking for him immediately after being overdue on the very first night. That wouldn't have prevented the predicament of falling in the first place, but it sure would cut short his 2 day ordeal. Hope he's 100% soon!

Edited September 6, 2018 by Steuben Jerry

[Jeremy K]

On 9/3/2018 at 7:18 AM, wolc123 said:

This unfortunate fella must have never "wised up".    I bet that he will learn how to kill deer from the ground pretty quick after he recovers.  Safety harnesses are not the "end all be all" that many folks seem to think that they are and this event very clearly illustrates that fact.   Everybody out to let that sink in for a while before heading out there this fall.     

Are you talking to yourself?

[wolc123]

10 hours ago, Steuben Jerry said:

There's a lot of ways to hunt from a stand safely. I've always been pretty shaky with heights. You'll never find me doing any roofing or chimney work - lol.

Gave up hunting from a hang-on in my early 30's. I've got about a dozen 16 ft ladder stands and a 15 ft tower built on 6x6's. They're all stable and I wear a harness with all of them except the enclosed tower. I won't hunt a ladder stand without a harness. I never feel like I'm in danger of falling.

I think one of the main issues with this guy is that he didn't seem to have anyone looking for him immediately after being overdue on the very first night. That wouldn't have prevented the predicament of falling in the first place, but it sure would cut short his 2 day ordeal. Hope he's 100% soon!

I still have one ladder stand that is about 12 ft up.  I plan on removing the lower section of the ladder, and dropping it to about 8 feet.  I will also wrap it, below the shooting/safety rail, with barnwood for cover.  Not only is it safer lower (with or without a safety harness), but the odds of a clean double lung shot are better, with the lower shot angle.  Not being able to recover a deer that I shoot is my biggest fear when It comes to hunting.   Fortunately, I have not struggled to obtain plenty of venison from the ground, or close to it in recent years, so this tree-stand height thing is a non-issue for me.   I suppose that the young and inexperienced, and even a few seniors (like the guy in the coma) still figure that the sky is the limit.   It is good to keep bumping this thread, at this time of year, to help those folks "wise up" so they don't end up like the poor fella in the OP.  Does anyone have more info on how he is doing now ?   We could all pray that he makes a quick and complete recovery.

10 hours ago, Jeremy K said:

Are you talking to yourself?

?

Edited September 6, 2018 by wolc123

[Steuben Jerry]

11 hours ago, wolc123 said:

to help those folks "wise up" 

I don't believe hunting from a tree stand makes you "un-wise". If you do it safely, what's the problem?

[wolc123]

11 hours ago, Steuben Jerry said:

I don't believe hunting from a tree stand makes you "un-wise". If you do it safely, what's the problem?

Would you agree that it might take a little more wisdom to kill deer from the ground ?  That is what I am talking about.   With risk comes reward, but wisdom can eliminate risk and still get the reward as many on this site have demonstrated.    The problem is that crap still happens even if you "think" you are safe.