Team JustNorth posted on September 17, 2006 08:01 :: 5770 Views
Courtesy of Wisconsin DNR
Tree stands are popular among hunters - especially among those who archery hunt because they help improve the hunters’ visibility and decrease the chance their scent will spook prey. But the stands also can result in injuries or even fatalaties if they’re used incorrectly or carelessly, hunting safety experts say.
“Research shows that one out of three hunters who hunt off the ground will fall from a tree stand sometime during his or her hunting lifetime,” says Tim Lawhern, hunter education administrator for the Department of Natural Resources.
Falls can be caused by a variety of factors, including a weakness in the stand’s structure, incorrect installation of a tree stand, failure to use a safety harness, and hunters dozing off while on the stand, Lawhern said.
Lawhern recommends that hunters who plan on using tree stands follow these precautions to avoid accidents:
- Check permanent tree stands every year before hunting from them, and replace any worn or weak lumber before it breaks. When checking these stands always wear a fall restraint device like a safety harness.
- Read, understand, and follow the factory recommended practices and procedures when installing commercial stands.
- Inspect portable stands for loose nuts and bolts each time the stand is used. Use either a safety belt or harness anytime you leave the ground to hunt from a tree stand.
- Know what you should do if you slip while using a safety device.
- Use a haul line to raise and lower your equipment – and keep firearms unloaded and arrows in a covered quiver.
- Select a tree – one large enough to support your weight -- before the season. Some mishaps occur as hunters are hurrying to set up their stands on opening morning.
- Make sure someone else knows the location of your tree stand and knows when you will be hunting there.
- Stay awake; and
- make sure you use a short tether between you and the tree when attaching your fall restraint device. The object is to keep you in the stand should you slip or fall; not catch you after you have fallen several feet.
While the term tree stand is used, these principles apply to anytime someone is hunting off the ground, including from elevated platforms, hay wagons, and elevated tripod hunting stands.
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