*****Warning********

[hunter480]

Failure to plan appropriately could be dangerous.....or fatal.

Most of us hunt off the ground.....it`s almost a non-thought anymore. We trudge to our tree, climb a ladder stand, climb our screw-in`s, or climbing sticks to our chain-on stand, or, we use our climber to get up the tree that offers us our best chance to get a shot at a buck.

We all, or at least, most of us, tie-off once we get up into our stand. We`ve all, by now, heard the horror stories about the guys who fell from their stand, and were found dead at the base of their tree. Or, the guys who fell, were tied off to the tree, but were found dead anyway. A victim of not being prepared to recover from a fall.

Ok, regardless of the type of stand you use, you`re up off the ground, maybe still assending towards your stands platform, or maybe you`re up in your stand, and the unthinkable happens....your stand gives way beneath you.....now what?

Even if you`re tied off to your tree, have you considered what happens IF you find yourself out of your stand and hanging by your teather?

I`d love to hear what YOUR plan is, should you fall.

More than that, my hunting buddy and I discovered a device called the Life Line by Hunter Safety Systems. We both have the Hunter Safety Systems Vest anyway, but we hunt mostly out of ladder stands, so, thought we didn`t need any fall-protection until we got up in the stand. My buddy had a close call when an old ladder stand folded in on the ladder one afternoon as he was climbing up. It was a wake-up call for us both.

The life-line system uses a prussic knot on the life line, and it keeps you safe from the moment you leave the ground to the moment you come back down.

The cost of this system in nominal, and is MUCH less than an Emergency Room visit, or worse. Even if this isn`t the system you decide on, do some research, and choose SOME safety system to protect yourself and keep yourself safe. People who love you are counting on you to come back to them.

[Sailfish]

I have the feet climbers from Summit, and I carry the webbing that Summit provide's incase you cannot get off the tree it allows you to "stand" up periodically to get your legs circulated.
 
I was talking to my hunting budd about this the other day, and he said "You know, I never thought about it."
 
 
Good thread. 

[JOEL]

my summit climber came with a rope and prussic hitch that you attach to the tree before you climb up you move it up as you go and down as you decent.easy and simple to use

[jonny5buck]

I THINK ANYONE WHO USES A HARNESS,SHOULD  AT LEAST,TRY THIS ONCE. W/HARNESS ON TIE OFF ON A TREE FROM GROUND LEVEL WHILE STANDING ON THE GROUND.SLOWLY DROP TO YOUR KNEES TILL HARNESS IS TIGHT! LET ALL OF YOUR WEIGHT GO TO YOUR TETHER STRAP,AND FEEL WHAT IT IS LIKE.YOUR HARNESS IS ONLY GOING TO PREVENT A FATAL FALL.ITS UP TO YOU TO GET BACK IN YOUR STAND, OR 'SHIMMY DOWN THE TREE,HANGING FOR LONG PERIODS CAN B FATAL ITSELF! 1-ALWAYS TELL SOMEONE WHERE U WILL B HUNTING AND WHEN U WILL B BACK!  2-CARRY CELL-PHONE ON YOU & MAKE SURE IT WILL NOT FALL OUT OF POCKET! 3-ALWAYS CARRY KNIFE ON YOU IN CASE ,AS A LAST RESORT, YOU HAVE TO CUT YOUR TETHER AND SHIMMY DOWN TREE.4-I CARRY A WHISTLE AROUND MY NECK,MAY SOUND SILLY BUT IF YOU FALL YOU CAN HEAR A WHISTLE , FARTHER THAN YOU COULD YELL FOR HELP 5-USE YOUR HARNESS EVERYTIME! BE FAMILIAR WITH IT,AND DONT HAVE A SENSE OF FALSE SECURITY WHILE WEARING IT,ITS UP TO YOU TO PRACTICE WHAT YOU WILL DO IF YOU FALL-STAY ALERT-B SAFE--5BUCK

[ranwin33]

If I fall and I'm hanging from the tree, I'll be cutting myself loose if I can't grab hold of the stand and get myself back in.  I carry two knives, a small one in my breast pocket and a larger one in my pants pocket.  I've also taken to carry a screw in tree step that should help me take weight off the harness if I can get it into the tree.  If I can get the tree step in, I should be able to leverage myself over to the ladder on my stand.

[BROWNING7WSM]

Good Post !!
 
Tie, or Die ...

[msbadger]

Great post and some important points from jonny5buck....I'll add this..... when you tie or hook off make sure you do so that if you fall..... your not falling below your platform......in all my permenant stands I have eye hooks(checked several times per year)set so that when I'm seated my harness tether is just taught...if I pass out or fall asleep the worst will be to swing out and hit tree....I also have screw in steps on  side of tree ..should platform break away....use these to hang hunting pack and binocs.  

[drdaven]

Great point hunter480.

I make my own Life Lines.  For about twice the cost of one of the premade units I can outfit nearly all of my stands, all 19 of them.  Camo 1/2 inch nylon rope available at Lowes for the ascending line and 1/2 inch white nylon rope for making the prusic knots and I am tethered at all times.  Takes only a second to figure out how to use this system.

BTW....they are looking for you in the general discussion forums.

[DEGOINS]

I tie a half inch rope to the tree at the top of my stand and attach a rope grab to it.  I can ascend and decend at will without fooling with a knot.  Falling or should I say jumping out of a tree sucks.  I'm ex-82nd and my stand gave way a few years back without a harness.  I did a PLF from about 18 foot and got away un hurt but man was I sore for a week or so!

[MountainCatt]

The Prussik knot system works really well. I've not used it specifically for climbing in a tree stand, but have used it for other climbing related purposes.

In the same vein is the Klemheist Knot, some prefer it over a Prussik for such applications.  http://www.animatedknots.com/klemheist/index.php?LogoImage=LogoGrog.jpg&Website=www.animatedknots.com