Treestand safety measures.

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Axis II

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Hey guys,

I wanted to share a couple things I recently found for treestand safety. I had a strap on a set of climbing sticks fail and send me for a small ride a few years ago and its still got me on edge. I searched online and found the Treestand Wingman by Black Ash Outdoors and began my research. I read multiple threads on several hunting forums and they all say the product is legit. I was using a hangon stand the other day that is on a leaning tree and thought, If I fall I will be away from my sticks and no way to get on them. I then made my choice to purchase the Treestand Wingman.

For my climber my buddy had an incident where his bottom fell because it wasn't connected so we purchased the Third Hand Archery stabilizer straps. These straps keep the climber together and also keep the top from moving. I was skeptical but man are these things legit. Links to both items are below. Everyone on this forum seems to be very nice people and I would feel terrible of someone should fall and get hurt without knowing there are safety measures out there that will prevent this.

Now, some maybe skeptical because these items aren't TMA certified. I contracted TMA when a muddy treestand and ladder became a rusty POS within months and welds started breaking and was told they don't test anything its just a standard they provide. It costs these small businesses like Black Ash and ThirdHand a lot of money to get TMA certified but a lot of people use and trust these products.

http://www.thirdhandarchery.com/product.asp?PRODID=13
https://treestandwingman.com/
 
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Almost every time I hear of a hunter falling from a tree stand, it's a climbing or strapped on tree stand. Some may be better than others, but they all have a higher risk of shifting weight and error on the part of the user. Accessories may address certain weaknesses in design, but the entire concept seems flawed.

We only use permanent stands, ladders/steps, along with a safety harness as a backup. One of the advantages of owning your own land and trees....rather kill or disfigure a tree than have a family member injured. We hold people to a high value than whether we harm the trees.
 
If hunting from a tree stand, make that safety harness a permanent part of your gear.
I have a fixed blade knife attached to my shoulder strap. Sometimes a handgun holster on the other.
I think the lifeline system is the best for a permanent stand.
As a volunteer fireman in our rural community, I have been on remote rescue operations for hunters who have fallen.
 
When I first started hunting, while it was legal to hunt deer from a tree, you could not use any form of platform, permanent or temporary. So you climbed up and stood on a branch. Few years down the road they made platforms legal and Baker came out with their new and innovated "Climbing deer stand". Pretty simple, small and dangerous compared to treestands available today. No such thing as safety harnesses. Yep folks fell because of treestand failure and Baker was sued outta business, even tho most of the problems were not with the stand, but with the individual's common sense. Still applies today. High percentage of injury related accidents at home and at the jobsite are ladder/climbing related. Some times it's equipment failure, but the majority of the time it is operator error. You see welds breaking or the tree is slippery, maybe you shouldn't get more than 6 feet off the ground. You stand is not stable in a crooked tree, don't blame the treestand or TMA. Odds are there is a warning about it in the instructions that came with the stand. Most every stand I have bought in the last4 decades came with warning labels and several pages of warnings in the instructions along with the generic warning ''Any activity that includes climbing and or heights is dangerous and puts you at risk!". Comes with the territory and one needs to accept it and the responsibility that come with it.
 
I’ve been wearing a harness since late 80’s.

My dad got me one from work when he saw the “safety strap” that came with stands then.
 
I backpack in with Blind stands, light weight easy to set up. Do not like hunting from a tree stand, and I do not trust them or ladders. When I was a kid, I was painting the house. Ladder fell and I went head down into a Pyracantha ("from Greek pyr fire and akanthos a thorn" hence firethorn). One bloody mess Was in it for about a hour before help came. Also fell out of a tree stand. I have learned to listen to that inner voice that say's WARNING WILL ROBINSON!

Large sharp thorns. Like being caught up in Barb wire. Every move hurts like hell.
DQVTngJ.jpg
 
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Where we deer hunt the guys son builtvtwo home made tree stands and fell out of both of them.
Here is a picture of one of them. It has shifted postion over the years.

20191002_112549.jpg

The other one was made out of wood.
Both we hazardous to use. He bought a double seat stand with a ladder. Still no harness or safety strap.

I'll stick with setting my arse on a stump or stand next to a tree. If I was ment to be up in a tree I'd have fur and four legs.

I have shot plenty of deer in New York, Pennsylvania and some out here in Washington State. No need to go over my head to shoot one.
 
buck460XVR said:
When I first started hunting, while it was legal to hunt deer from a tree, you could not use any form of platform, permanent or temporary. So you climbed up and stood on a branch. Few years down the road they made platforms legal and Baker came out with their new and innovated "Climbing deer stand". Pretty simple, small and dangerous compared to treestands available today. No such thing as safety harnesses. Yep folks fell because of treestand failure and Baker was sued outta business, even tho most of the problems were not with the stand, but with the individual's common sense. Still applies today. High percentage of injury related accidents at home and at the jobsite are ladder/climbing related. Some times it's equipment failure, but the majority of the time it is operator error. You see welds breaking or the tree is slippery, maybe you shouldn't get more than 6 feet off the ground. You stand is not stable in a crooked tree, don't blame the treestand or TMA. Odds are there is a warning about it in the instructions that came with the stand. Most every stand I have bought in the last4 decades came with warning labels and several pages of warnings in the instructions along with the generic warning ''Any activity that includes climbing and or heights is dangerous and puts you at risk!". Comes with the territory and one needs to accept it and the responsibility that come with it.
Click to expand...
Ill accept responsibility when muddy doesn't put out complete junk. I purchased a muddy boss xl and xl sticks and put in a strait oak tree. As I would climb the horseshoe brackets that lean on the tree bent and flattened against the tree. Welds began rusting within a month, the stands mesh platform was covered in rust and about 10 tack welds broke. I was 260lbs at the time and the stands "rated" to 300lbs. I found countless comments online about muddy welds breaking. Muddy said take the stand back to the store. I said I will not be taking a stand back to the store because its been over 30 days, its assembled and the box has been tossed. Its also not the stores responsibility. I took pictures of my bank statement, stand and breaks and sent to them. I was told take it to the store or pound salt. I again said the store wont return it cause its been almost 2 months. My buddy who is 5ft8 and like 180lbs had the same stand and sticks and had the exact same issues. TMA said they only set standards and don't inspect or have anything to do with stands.

I own a millennium stand-no issues, summit-no issues, hawk sticks-no issues, anything muddy I own has rusted and broken within months.
 
Well I tested my treestand wingman this weekend with a 10ft drop and it works like a charm. Lowered me down very slowly 3 times. My buddy sat in a hang on Sunday and had the strap break and he almost fell.
 
I have several ladder stands, blinds and climbers and try to match the stand to the terrain. I really like the two man ladders and my climbers. I am to tight to spend money on the Summit stands but have three by Hunter's View that are similar. They are comfy, solid and you would have to try to fall out of one. My only gripe being the weight. It is like $80 + shipping from Sportsman's Guide for the HV vs. $250 for the Summit. I can carry 26 lbs.
 
ohihunter2014 said:
Well I tested my treestand wingman this weekend with a 10ft drop and it works like a charm. Lowered me down very slowly 3 times. My buddy sat in a hang on Sunday and had the strap break and he almost fell.
Click to expand...
y'all are making me feel better about shooting myself out of that tree in highschool......also about staying on the ground.....
 
I'll confess to never having worn a harness in a tree stand and I have no plans to start. I know should but I'm not going to, rarely use a seat belt either, call me "pro choice".
I prefer ladder stands, much easier to set up, move, get onto quietly and sit comfortably.
 
One of the places i used to hunt was on the border of costal mangroves and keawe (mesquite) forest, it also was where a rather large ravine dumped into when it rained. Anyway i was hunting right after a major rain, and the california grass was taller than me.
So i decided to climb a keawe tree that was over a small clearing.
Deer came in at an angle I wasnt expecting, so I was leaned way out and using my legs to keep me from falling.
The 3" 1oz slugs I was using generated enough recoil to unbalance me, and I slipped and fell out.
I was only about 10' in the air so it wasn't horrible. landed on my back with the gun pointing straight up. Took a couple weeks for all the thorn tips to come out tho.

copied from the previous thread.
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/who-hunts-by-themselves.821946/page-2#post-10561111
 
Some very interesting post and all enjoyable to read. No, I will not go into a tree stand and have learned to stay away from any ladder. Too easy to end up in wheel chair for the rest of your live. It is always that one second mistake that is deadly.
But that is just me. I spend more time in the woods scouting than I do any shooting. Love to see what is around the next bend so to speak. Each step in the woods another learning experience from Mother Nature. Not to say you cannot learn a lot sitting in a tree stand, because you can. When do I stay out of the woods throughout the year? Opening day. In fact most of the first week. Prefer the end of the season. In fact, even when hunting, I usually let the Buck go. Sometimes like recently had one come within 10' of me. I just waited and at the last minute, let loose with a shotgun blast to the air. There Mr. Buck, go live another year longer. And Wise UP! I am sure by the way he jumped, lesson learned. (Situational awareness)
I have killed more than my share of deer over the course of decades. Just no longer have that desire and most of the time, I am so far back in, that I could not drag out one if I had to. I will be using a camera in the coming years, the shotgun can stay home.

Had a dove slam me in the chest one day going down the interstate at around 65-70 mph on a motorcycle. Felt like I was the one hit with a shotgun. Feathers flew everywhere. Later I figured his name was "Will Robinson". Never got on a bike again.
 
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Well this year, Saturday actually, I did climb up into a short ladder stand that is in the NW corner of my place. The prairie grass along the fence line is just too tall this year to ground hunt that spot. The stand is only 6' tall and it's pretty well stabilized. Cept when the wind was blowing...:uhoh:
 
I have never hunted here in the East; all of my hunting was out West. Since there weren't any trees, no need for a tree stand! :p. And, since food plots, feeders, dogs, camping near water holes were all illegal, one had to actually go after Bambi, not sit and wait......;)
Just a much different way to go about it.
 
I still use the continuous strap Loggy Bayou supplied over 20 years ago. Maybe 25. Ha.
I place the strap with about 16 to 18 inches of slack. Just enough to stand or sit.
I dont look at it as a fall decelerator. I look at it as a stabilizer.
I have hung on the strap at lower elevations just to see if it could hold my weight.
I also understand that falling could likely break the strap.
I climb and descend with it in place and have a knife in an upper pocket should I ever need to cut free.
In construction, I have used safety belts, safety harnesses and for fun, rappelling harnesses.
I also do not climb smooth barked trees.

The Loggy still works just fine as does its safety strap.
I like being up in those trees.
My home stand is a permanent platform which I remove the lag screws every season to check for wear and corrosion.
I have an extension ladder to access it and tie off immediately when I get up there.
 
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