Did you know that 1 out of every 3 hunters will fall out of their treestand at some point in their hunting careers? That’s why now is as important of a time as ever to remember to practice treestand safety. The story below is testimony to this, although this hunter was luckier than some. 

On Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, Dustin Wood was moving a climber to hunt a new spot on his land. “I’ve hunted out of this climber for years never thought to look it over as long as it’s still working it’s still good (so I thought). I got to the top of the tree yesterday evening about 25 foot up and [hadn’t] gotten the chance to put my harness on the tree yet,” he said in a letter to Star City Whitetails. 

He bounced on the rail to dig the teeth of the climber into the tree and when he did, the top cable of the stand broke. He flipped upside-down, hanging by his feet from the bottom part of the climber. He was able to do a sit up and grab the stand with one hand but needed to get his feet out to do a pull up and get back in the climber. When he got his feet out, his grip slipped and he fell 25 feet to the ground. 

Luckily, he only broke his arm and suffered a concussion and bruises. “I’m sending this to you in [hopes that] it spreads the word to look over your stands regularly and most importantly make sure someone knows where you’re at if something goes bad. I’m blessed to tell this story and lord willing be able to hunt later this year.”

Here are some of the top comments on the post:

“Man they sell a thing called a throw ball. It’s for tree cutters mostly but I set my rope in the top of a tree and climb up like I am working. You couldn’t pull me out of a tree if your life depended on it, which also means I cannot fall. People tell me all the time ‘be careful and don’t fall.’ At this point I just roll my eyes because I can’t fall unless I do it intentionally. Safety first.” — Caleb Ogden

“Always be attached to the tree. What’s an extra couple seconds to move your line up? Especially climbers. I run a repelling saddle so I’m attached in the front. Even if I fall out of a hang on it spins me toward the tree to be able to grab on to the ladder. Glad you’re okay but we all know too many people who didn’t use a harness and aren’t able to be in the woods anymore.” — Woodie Riley

“God is good and he has reasoning for you my brother ! Get well soon the woods are calling you back. Ps stay strapped from the bottom the top !” — Tyler Murks

“Glad you are okay!! Let this be a lesson to all hunters, connect your harness Tether to the strap around the tree at the BASE of the Tree and slide it all the way up and all the way down with you as you climb!!!! It is imperative! It is not worth your life to try and short cut.” — Tyler Turner

“My nephew fell out of an old wooden stand 4 years ago and he is a quadriplegic today. He laid there for two days and three nights because he didn’t let anyone know when he went. It has cost him dearly. Please wear a harness and let people know when and where you are going and when to expect you back. Just a few things and he would be okay today. Think about it. He never thought it would happen to him either.”  — Chuck Weaver

“I don’t care how stupid I sound, I treat climbing any stand, like it’s my first time going up that tree. The moment you get too confident, or comfortable in the woods while hunting in any way, that’s when accidents can happen. Especially for us that hunt alone, more often then with company. Speedy recovery bro.” — Jordan Watt