jd4223 wrote:More than likely the home made harness was a strap/belt that he wore around his waist and attached to the tree.When he fell from his stand the belt/strap tightened around his waist cutting off circulation resulting in suffication.Just my guess.The waist belt/strap type harness was standard since the beginning.Finally manufacturers woke up after realizing year after year hunters were dying as a result of this type of harness.I'm sure you can still find many hunters relying on this type of harness not realizing the danger they pose.
I used one for many years ..it was called the Hide-um-Hunter.
Year before last I ungraded to a HSS and decided to try some tests..
I found that if I fall the HSS will save me. and I practiced some methods for getting back in my stand..
Then I decided to try my old Hide-em-Hunter. I found that within 30 seconds I was losing air. within one minuet I was out!!! Within 5 minuets I would be dead!! never will I use it again.
on a side not I do keep it in my truck as it makes a great harness to drag deer with
That's very sad news. Hopefully it can also be a reminder to the rest of us not to be complacent with safety.
Strum made a good point about a waist harness. Even a full harness will cut off blood supply after a longer period of time, so its important to have the ability to cut ourselves out if necessary. There's a lot of ways you can kill/injure yourself or someone else when hunting. We all need to stay sharp when doing what we do.
hetichunter wrote:Even with the best full body harness you can still be found dead hanging from the tree if you do not have an SRD (Suspension Relief Device).
Yep. And with the HSS the SRD doubles as a deer drag. As far as I'm concerned, the HSS Pro Series Harness is the best combination hunting vest / deer drag made. I have it on when I leave the house even if I hunt from the ground because it is my deer drag and has pockets for all of my stuff. It just so happens to be a safety harness at the same time.
Prayers to the family.
DuckHunt
Micro Wolverine/Matrix 350 SE
Recovering Excalaholic