By Staff
You may have noticed my columns have been few and far between lately.
After fighting forest fires in the Upper Peninsula I promptly headed to Alaska. That didn't leave much time for column writing. I'm just now back and had planned on detailing my fishing trip to Prince Of Wales Island. However, a close to home tragedy urges me to go with another topic first.
Several days ago my niece's husband was deer hunting at our Marcellus farm and was killed when he fell from his tree stand. That's something you only read about, one of those things that happens to someone else, not one of your loved ones. But, as we found out, it can happen to anyone. Tree stand falls happen much more frequently than you think and they usually result in serious injury, paralysis or death. I was discussing this with a retired Conservation Officer buddy from Traverse City and he pointed out that tree stands are by far the most dangerous piece of hunting equipment yet they seldom get the respect they deserve. He remembered one opening day in just his Region alone six people died from tree stand falls. Just one day!
I write this as a reminder to everyone that hunts from a tree stand to be extremely cautious and fully alert when utilizing the stand. If you're not a tree climber pass this on to others that are. I won't bore you by detailing all the obvious tree stand safety rules. You've heard over and over about safety harnesses, lining your equipment up and down, ensuring the stand and steps are secure and all that common sense stuff. Most hunters follow at least what they perceive to be the more critical ones. I think the biggest problem is becoming overconfident and lackadaisical.
According to Kevin Davis, Michigan DNR Hunter Safety Coordinator, nationwide one out of three people hunting from a raised platform will at some time in their life fall out and be injured or killed.
We may never know all the details of the accident at our place but it appeared to happen as he was leaving the stand. This is by far the most dangerous time. As anyone that's climbed a ladder onto a roof knows, it's awkward to make the transition from the roof top to the ladder. Factor in that a tree stand is small, you've sat motionless for hours, your whole body is stiff and it's dark out it's no wonder this is when the most falls occur. Take a few minutes to flex your muscles and get your mind fully focused before leaving the stand. Of the many stands I've seen in the woods a lot of them don't have adequate steps. You have to be part monkey. There are typically a few screw-in steps spaced too far apart and often limbs that must be awkwardly negotiated. It may not seem so bad when going up fresh but the descent after a long sit becomes another adventure all together. When my son took up bow hunting one of the first things I did was buy him a big bucket full of steps. Quality steps may seem expensive but considering they're literally your lifeline they are priceless. Another thing you rarely hear about is boot soles. Most of the Vibram type soles typically found on hunting boots are slicker than roller skates on smooth, wet surfaces such as wood and metal steps or ladder rungs. For all these reasons experienced tree monkeys follow the three contact points rule. Always maintain at least three solid contact points, meaning two feet and a hand or two hands and a foot.
The items that will most likely save your life are safety belts and climbing harnesses. There are uncountable styles and versions available that prevent a free fall to earth. The catch is you have to use them. Most hunters strap themselves in once they're in the stand but very few utilize any safety device while climbing and descending, the most dangerous times.
Lastly, do you really need to be thirty feet in the air? Many hunters don't place the stand any higher than they're willing to jump down. And then there's the old school way of staying out of trees altogether. I've taken my share of deer with both bow and gun from good old terra firma. Carpe diem.