One extremely lucky 73 year old DUMMY!!!

[Deerstalker]

One extremely lucky 73 year old DUMMY!!!

I was climbing into my 16’, 2 man tree stand this morning about 5am after securing my rifle to the pull rope, with my pack in one hand & NO SAFETY HARNESS. I have a Camo shroud attached to the shooting rail so that when climbing in you have to sort of pull the Camo over your head as you wiggle into the stand part. I was attempting to place the pack onto the stand floor & pull the Camo over my head when I slipped and fell 16’ to the ground. Nothing broke but I sustained some severe bruises and light cuts. I was very lucky for being so STUPID for NOT wearing a safety harness as it seems the older one gets the dumber one gets!!!!! Please guys ALWAYS wear your safety gear as it can happen to you. No one would have been looking for me for about 10 hours and if something serious was broke I would have just lain there all day!! Stay safe!

[Woodspike]

x2 on the safety equipment.

Glad to hear you're alright!

[Joshua 24:15]

Thank the good Lord you survived that fall with little damage. Did you get back in and make a kill?

[mr meat]

Glad your alright!

[papa bear1]

Glad to hear your alright, Now get back up there and kill something. [Safely]

[Hester0305]

I'm so glad you are ok and nothing is broke. One of my friends fell about 10 feet from a ladder stand trying to secure it and shattered his ankle.

[MADMAX2]

Hey thanks for the reminder!!

[Cossack]

You are indeed lucky. A friend who fell hast year spent most of that yr in institutions at a cost of some $750,000. Two total knee replacements interrupted by a blood infection.Suggest you use a haul rope as well as a safety line. On average, one in three stand users will fall, perhaps not seriously, but some fatally. Just read that 1 in ten falls were fatal in Wisc. this season. Bad odds. You can make a safety line with Prussic knot for bout $6.00, hardly not worth climbing without. Hope I scared the hell out of you (72 yr old, have fallen 3 times, in my younger days.)

[vixenmaster]

OK you tied yer rifle off on pull rope where was the pull rope fer yer pack? #1 mistake ppl. make is havin something in their hands while climbin their stand! I use 2 pull cords on every stand at no time will you pry me fingers off me ladder rungs! I put me harness on & when i get up in the stand i connect it. I feel so sorry fer you & pray you recover not only from the cuts n bruises but from the mental shock of such a fall

[j.krug]

Man that's scary. Good to here you weren't seriously hurt. Safe hunting to you.

[Deerstalker]

After the fall I did climb back in and hunted until about 10am but only saw tree rats. I have a pic of a deer in full flight on my trail cam at the time that I fell but of course it was still dark. I am really stiff & sore today but I will have a safety harness tied to a 5/8" rope using a Prussic knot system,

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/whi ... afety-line

Remember it CAN HAPPEN to you so always be safe!

[bugs]

Glad you are safe and learned something at 73! I had a cousin before my time die from falling from a tree stand and know of another who was in a wheelchair from it. Not worth the risk.

[montana4me]

I stay on the ground! It's much safer. If I fell 16' I'd be FUBAR for sure or killed. I bust up nicely.

[Deerstalker]

This is the some of the result of my 16' tree stand fall. I will ALWAYS be tied in after I recuperate where I can move freely again!!! Stay safe.

[vixenmaster]

You are so lucky that yer ribs n shoulder didn't get all busted up. Nasty lookin!