Treestand falls

[bucky]

I just had a friend fall from a tree stand 2 weeks ago and sustained some major injury's, stand failure caused his fall and of course he had no safety harness on . I have fallen twice before portable stands and  safety harnesses existed back in the 70's. Back then it was find a good tree branch you could sit/stand on or build a wooden stand. I always chose a good limb, that's how I fell my first time, I got in place and leaned back against a dead branch which broke resulting in a back flip landing on my stomach in a sticker bush. I was around 12 years old at the time and thankfully at that age you bounce, second time  my friend was a machinist and he started building portable stands at work, I had one collapse because it wasn't attached to the tree properly and again resulting in no injuries do to my youth and of course some luck. My question is how many guys have fallen with or without a safety harness from a tree stand and what caused you to fall ? Was it a bad move on your part or was it equipment failure ? 

Edited October 21, 2019 by bucky

[hunterbob1]

I bought a Baker.

[Nomad]

I was climbing up into a 16 ladder stand that was chained around the tree up wear you sit.   I had my shotgun slung and my pack on my back.   I got up to the top and got my knee on the platform, only to find that someone had unchained the stand.  I tried to grab the tree, but could not. I hung onto the ladder and went for a ride, with the ladder arching back away from the tree.  Landed on my back with the ladder on top of me.  Was happy that nothing was broken and landed on relatively soft ground.

[MGHunter66]

Never fell but have had close calls, all were wooden permanent stands. Only use portable today. I am still guilty of only attaching my harness once I am up there though.

[nmc02]

Almost fell once setting seat on climber...very lucky. I started using a lifeline religiously when my daughter was born...3 yrs ago

[Greybeard]

Long ago I also stood on limbs.  They were wet one morning and I tried to turn to get a shot at a buck.  Ended up hanging upside down with my legs wrapped around the limbs below the limbs I had been on.  Lost and bent all the arrows that were in the quiver.  Still had the one that was nocked, but couldn't get a clear shot at the buck that stood there looking at me as I hung like a kid on monkey bars.

My first climber wasn't very good, and we were still using a loop safety strap that I tied into the tree with once up.  Between the rubber spikes was square tubing that would hit the tree first unless it was a pretty wide tree.  Got up 20ft and reached out to grab a limb with one hand, and cut it with the other.  Without weight on the seat section, it fell, hitting the back of the bottom section, knocking that lose.  I went straight down, still standing upright, like riding down the teeth of a handsaw.  Platform grabbed the tree 4ft off the ground and came to an abrupt stop.  I went backwards with feet still in the straps.  Luckily there were 2 saplings that formed a V wedge behind me that I fell between.  They stopped my head from hitting the ground, and my ankles from breaking.  Ankles were stretched back to the max.  Think I compressed a disc.  Hurt for at least a year, worse than usual.

[Greybeard]

27 minutes ago, Nomad said:

I was climbing up into a 16 ladder stand that was chained around the tree up wear you sit.   I had my shotgun slung and my pack on my back.   I got up to the top and got my knee on the platform, only to find that someone had unchained the stand.  I tried to grab the tree, but could not. I hung onto the ladder and went for a ride, with the ladder arching back away from the tree.  Landed on my back with the ladder on top of me.  Was happy that nothing was broken and landed on relatively soft ground.

Takes a real scumbag to do something like that.  Should have made a dummy bloody corpse, and placed it under the stand for the guy that did it to find.

[hunterbob1]

Been lucky in my life.Or stupid!Gettin old for climbers,goin ladder and blinds.Did the climb a tree sit on a branch thing many times.8 hour's sometimes.Nod and wake n hold on.Fell outa permanent, hadda pull super hilbre outta leg.Didn't feather platform to seat,platform down,my dumb ass hanging in seat climber.Horrible true story.....I was a member of Barbertown Sportsmen's. Friend fell from climber,landed on his back on a rock. He's paralyzed from the waist down.Attention to climber safety is NO joke!

[Mixbaghunter]

I do not hunt much out of tree stand put did fall on a permanent  stand I found  on a piece of state land climb up th ladder  about 4 steps  the next think I remember is hitting the  ground.  Nother hert  but my pride 

[TouchofGrey]

Had a Baker Slim Jim in the 70s. Went up early. Light rain had started but I stayed until I was soaked. I didn't notice the ice that had formed. When I kicked out the bottom platform it slid down the tree with me hanging onto the climber. I hugged the tree and slid down to a rough landing.  Black and blue everywhere in touched tree and bruised feelings. Used it again but not as high and more aware of the situation. I have a ladder but use ground blinds these days.

[BHC]

1993 I was leasing a farm in Sparta, I had a lock on stand with screw in treesteps, climbing up I was at 10' half way up when a tree step came loose, even today my left ankle hurts

[Haskell_Hunter]

Always used a climber and a full-body harness.  I used to climb trees every day as a kid.  I know what it's like to fall out of a tree.  I didn't want to experience that as an adult.  I've never fallen (intentionally) with the harness on.

[Bucndoe]

Slid down a tree in a Loggy Bayou while climbing. Almost broke both my ankles

[Bucndoe]

Slid down a tree in a Loggy Bayou while climbing. Almost broke both my ankles

[electric10162]

Had the upper tree step pull out as a tried to descend one night. I remember pushing off the tree as to not hit the rest of the steps on the way down. Landed flat on my back. I was probably 17 at the time. Luckily no injuries.