Dumb luck I call it..

[Lawdwaz]

59 minutes ago, zag said:

Funny you say that, I'm currently arguing with my wife as she wants me to go to urgent care, she called my doctor...ugh

Hmmmmm, sounds like you (hopefully) dodged a bullet.  We only get just so many do-overs and as you get older you start running out of them, trust me I know. 

Keep us posted on your Urgent Care visit.........

 

[mlammerhirt]

Fell like that a few years ago when the top of the ladder detached from the seat....the ladder twisted on the middle support and off I went. Knocked the wind out of me but once I collected myself I thought i was ok.....until about 2 am when I woke up with a horrific pain in my back. Sure as hell I had a wicked muscle spasm and I thought I was dieing. Took a good week to rent days before it stopped spasming. Almost impossible to sleep at times and just the bit of wrong movement fired it off. Wish ya luck.....we all need it sometime!

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[Culvercreek hunt club]

Hmmmmm, sounds like you (hopefully) dodged a bullet.  We only get just so many do-overs and as you get older you start running out of them, trust me I know. 
Keep us posted on your Urgent Care visit.........
 

If I had known I was gonna live this long I would have taken better care of myself. Lol

[nyslowhand]

Culver's process is pretty good. Only improvements I might add/use are:

• Know the rope string included with ladder stands? Throw it away and invest in some thicker, better rope. Secure one end between platform/last step before raising the stand. IRC, you need ~22-25' lengths pre-cut for each side of ladder for the typical 15-18' ladder stands.
• I always use a 2"x2" stake or crowbar driven into the ground on the outside of the base of ladder if you're erecting the stand like you do an extension ladder. This helps to keep bottom of ladder in place while raising it. This is only step where a 2nd person would be helpful.
• Once ladder stand is erect & against the tree, you can carefully make slight adjustments for positioning on tree & getting platform semi-level.
• When in place, install vertical brace and as Culver mentioned place a ratchet strap criss-crossed around tree just below brace. Then you can cinch the better ropes around tree and to ladder section between 1st/2nd steps, tightly!
• Depending how tight you have gotten the supporting brace, ratchet strap and ropes - now you can go up the ladder carefully. Depending on my nerves that day, I have even looped a long ratchet strap around the tree and gone up ladder while slinking the strap up with me. When you get near the top, you can temporarily put that ratchet strap in place just below the platform section. Just a little added security when you 1st climb onto the platform w/o any straps installed yet. Believe every one does this, but I use 2X straps, one at "claw" and other at base of platform.
• Reverse process for taking down a ladder stand.

JMO, so take it or leave it - The rope string and flimsy ~500# ratchet straps included with most ladder stands are crap!! Give them to the landowner or a neighbor, they'll love your gesture! I always invest in ~1/2" rope and a min of 1000# ratchet straps. The 1500# straps are better, 2k# straps are the best. IRC, around the platform you'll need ~10' straps and a longer (IRC ~15'..?) one for supporting the vertical brace. These upgrades are $$, but IMO make the stand exponentially more secure. They'll even make a cheapo ~$100 ladder stand as secure as the more ruggedly built & expensive models. Only other thing I do that helps me where I hunt is to place a PT 2x10/2x12 & ~22/24" long under the base of the ladder. Keeps stand from sinking into the ground &/or mud. Finally, two people are not always better for erecting a ladder stand, unless both are totally in sync with each other & what's going on!! 

[Robhuntandfish]

5 hours ago, nyslowhand said:

Culver's process is pretty good. Only improvements I might add/use are:

• Know the rope string included with ladder stands? Throw it away and invest in some thicker, better rope. Secure one end between platform/last step before raising the stand. IRC, you need ~22-25' lengths pre-cut for each side of ladder for the typical 15-18' ladder stands.
• I always use a 2"x2" stake or crowbar driven into the ground on the outside of the base of ladder if you're erecting the stand like you do an extension ladder. This helps to keep bottom of ladder in place while raising it. This is only step where a 2nd person would be helpful.
• Once ladder stand is erect & against the tree, you can carefully make slight adjustments for positioning on tree & getting platform semi-level.
• When in place, install vertical brace and as Culver mentioned place a ratchet strap criss-crossed around tree just below brace. Then you can cinch the better ropes around tree and to ladder section between 1st/2nd steps, tightly!
• Depending how tight you have gotten the supporting brace, ratchet strap and ropes - now you can go up the ladder carefully. Depending on my nerves that day, I have even looped a long ratchet strap around the tree and gone up ladder while slinking the strap up with me. When you get near the top, you can temporarily put that ratchet strap in place just below the platform section. Just a little added security when you 1st climb onto the platform w/o any straps installed yet. Believe every one does this, but I use 2X straps, one at "claw" and other at base of platform.
• Reverse process for taking down a ladder stand.

JMO, so take it or leave it - The rope string and flimsy ~500# ratchet straps included with most ladder stands are crap!! Give them to the landowner or a neighbor, they'll love your gesture! I always invest in ~1/2" rope and a min of 1000# ratchet straps. The 1500# straps are better, 2k# straps are the best. IRC, around the platform you'll need ~10' straps and a longer (IRC ~15'..?) one for supporting the vertical brace. These upgrades are $$, but IMO make the stand exponentially more secure. They'll even make a cheapo ~$100 ladder stand as secure as the more ruggedly built & expensive models. Only other thing I do that helps me where I hunt is to place a PT 2x10/2x12 & ~22/24" long under the base of the ladder. Keeps stand from sinking into the ground &/or mud. Finally, two people are not always better for erecting a ladder stand, unless both are totally in sync with each other & what's going on!! 

i actually put a ratchet on the mid brace as well and around the tree.  A minimum of three straps on a tree for each ladder stand.  And i actually like when they sink in the ground some - i wouldnt put a board under them.  I want those pegs sticking in the ground as much as possible to make it more stable and harder to kick out.  And i disagree that two people ARE always better cause if someone gets hurt you have help there.  Love the idea of upgrading the ratchets - I do that as well.  

[crappyice]

Hope your feeling ok this am zags...scary stuff but a good reminder for any work still left to be done in the woods


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[Zag]

I won the argument and passed on urgent care, all in all not to bad today, little sore in areas but not bad at all. Damn lucky

[Zag]

Well my wife forced me to urgent care tonight. Yesterday I felt fine but I do think I have a concussion. I'm sensitive to staring at my computer at work and TV's and today I came home early to take a nap to rest my eyes. That sent her over the edge. So urgent care said I should have gone right to strong trauma center, do to how far I fell but since I'm not showing signs they said I most likely have a concussion and referred me to the concussion center. 8 lives left!

[ny hunter]

Feel better bro...

[Steuben Jerry]

Wow, Zag - hope you feel better soon!