Tree Stand SAFETY questions

[GREY OWL]

No problem Wabi. Any time for a fellow Xbower.

Grey Owl

[wabi]

Got my fancy harness system today so I can be attached to a safety line any time I'm off the ground. Went to the local hardware/surplus store and bought a 50' hank of 2200# test (1/2" dia.) rope for $10. Tied one end about 5' above the stand's seat, the other end about 6' off the ground, and then took a short loop and attached it with a prussic knot. I can now clip the carabiner on my full body harness to the prussic knot and be attached all the way up & down. The hank of rope was enough for my hang-on stand and my ladder stand, so I'm all set for only $10.
The retractor systems I was looking at were $59.95 each!
Now all I have to do is get my wife to look at the math and see how I saved $110. before the new custom recurve gets here

[Basel]

I recently saw a thread on Archery Talk about people falling out of tree stands. http://www.archerytalk.com/vb/showthrea ... stand+fall
I was suprised at the number of incidents. I have had a couple of close calls while using my Summit climber. Usually while climbing and decending. On certain types of trees, the climber slipped a little and then came to a sudden stop. Shock loading equipment is not very good for it but the Summit is a well designed stand. I never leave the ground without my body harness being attached to the tree.
Basel

[Gerard Dick]

According to my rigger's manual that knot is also known as a triple sliding hitch. It is imperative that the load be applied to the bottom line and that the top free end be at least 2 feet long.

[dsr]

I haven't read all of the replies in this discussion so maybe somebody has already mentioned this. I bought a Baby Gorilla stand the other day at Canadian Tire for about $85 +tax. The package included a linesman's climbing strap,a full body harness and a video about using the equipment and hanging the stand. It covers a lot of safety issues and rather scared me when I thought about the "safety " precautions that I had been using. One of the main points in my mind is if you do fall and you are using proper gear --Get back in you stand or onto a limb or your ladder fast as you could pass out and die from being syuspended.I think the suspension cuts off circulation and you could black out and possibly die. Also as a last resort have a knife handy .If you cannot get back to the stand you may have to cut your safety straps so you can get to a more secure place before anything unfortunate happens.
I felt that the safety harness,linesman's strap and video were worth the amont that I paid for the whole set.

[stump]

I've never fallen out of a stand but last week I was building a platform stand by securing 2" x 4" boards to 3 pine trees. Because of the number of branches and the fact I was constantly going over and around them to get materials and tools, I wasn't wearing a safety harness, despite the fact I was over 20' up. I had one board nailed onto two treas, and another was nailed on one tree and resting on a branch on the third tree, which was the smallest of the three. I figured it was safe to hand-walk across the board to the other tree. It was only about 6.5' but the tree was a little shaky. For once, good judgement kicked in and I decided to tie an impromptu safety harness with the rope I'd used to pull up the boards. I got about 5' across and was just about to grab onto the tree when the 2" x 4" slipped off the branch it was resting on. The next thing I knew I was dangling from the rope I'd wrapped around myself. I took out a few branches and scared the ---- out of myself, but didn't have a scratch on me. Lesson learned. From now on I use a harnes or some make-shift safety measure when I'm building or attaching stands.

[wabi]

stump,
Exactly why I keep an old chest type harness in the feed barrel at my hunting site. If I forget my full body harness I still have something to put on. It isn't the best system, but it would still be better than hitting the ground! I might try one of the new vests this year, and if I do the old full body harness will be kept in the feed barrel.

[xboman]

Putting up a portable stand in '02
Everything was secured
Me standing on the ladder
Reached up to grab a branch
To climb on and test portable stand
Branch broke
Fall was 16-18 ft
Didn't break anything
Suffered a concusion
Although I continued hunting
Didn't feel quite myself for the next 2 days

will say this....sure knocked some sense into me

[Hi5]

According to my rigger's manual that knot is also known as a triple sliding hitch. It is imperative that the load be applied to the bottom line and that the top free end be at least 2 feet long.

Gerard

I'm not clear what you mean by "the top free end be at least 2 feet long".

I thought the rope having the knot was in a closed loop, or that is how it appears in the pictures to which other posters have referred.

[BigBird-VA]

I use a linesman belt when going up or down. While putting up a stand last year a rope-on ladder section slipped. I had my gear on and it took a few seconds to regroup and finish hanging the stand. Not a scratch. Made a believer out of me.

I've heard it's a question of when not if you'll have a treestand accident or what could be an accident.

[striper]

WABI: I had a bad fall in 1987 while attempting to move a steel ladder stand. Two surgeries, 3 months off from work, $25,000 worth of hospital and surgeries. I only fell about 12 feet, but the ground was hard and I crushed my left wrist. I now use a Summit Viper stand and their really nice harness. When I climb into the stand to go up the tree I am secured. Don't take a chance! Striper. Hello again, WABI!