Safe tree stand hunting

The CDS system described below works and I feel safe in tree stands.

It’s time to share a bit of my past, present and future. I’m a tree stand hunter, and I’m really not afraid of falling from a tree stand but now I’m ready if it does happen.

Where my one greatest fear exists is falling and really hurting myself. I’ve broken my back twice in falls that were not associated with tree stands, but  what terrifies me is the thought of falling and becoming a paraplegic or a quadriplegic. I’m afraid to see my deer hunting come to an end because of a mistake.

A short history on my four falls from a tree stand.

I’’ve fallen four times from a tree, and all were all at least 10 years ago. While bow hunting in the December cold, i was coming down a ladder and cold hands and feet caused me to lose my balance. The snow was deep, and I jumped, landed, rolled in the snow and was not hurt.

The next time I took another hunter’s word about a tree stand. He said it and the steps nailed to a tree on private property were safe. I passed up a nice buck that evening, and at the end of shooting time, I began climbing down. One step broke beneath my feet, and I plunged through the second step, and pushed away from the tree. I fell 10 feet but wasn’t injured,

The third time I was climbing down from a ladder stand. I don’t know what happened, but I busted down through cedar branches and hit the ground hard, I was badly shaken but again, managed to escape serious injury. The last time was while climbing up into an elevated box blind, and who knows what happened. I don’t know, but me and the ladder came unglued.

Now, at the age of 71, I still love tree stand hunting for whitetails. However, I’ve come full circle when it comes to personal safety this year. The older we get, the more brittle our bones become and I don’t see how I could survive breaking my back again and become paralyzed for life. That thought brought on my fear of falling.

I spent a lot of time last winter studying safety harnesses, and this past winter I contacted the folks from Mountaineer Sports in Keyser, West Virginia.  Go to <www.mountaineer-sports.com>, and inquire about trademarked Rescue One ‘CDS.’ They also can be reached at (304) 298-4343.

The instructions for the safety harness and other gear are lengthy but not terribly complicated, and a CD helps a hunter work through the various steps. This easy-to-use system allows safe, controlled descent to the ground from heights up to 30 feet. The super-strong light-weight harness is easy to put on, to adjust and to install on any tree.

Follow the detailed instructs rather than the abbreviated ones here.

The low-profile, OSHA approved dual lock, netal safety buckles and special shock absorbing system lessens shock if one does fall. In a fall, it keeps a hunter in an upright position, and it comes with an attached Reserve Suspension Relief Strap, lineman’s safety rope and a tree stand anchor strap.

The Rescue One ‘CDS’ (controlled descent system) personnel feel that tree stand accidents occur when climbing up to a stand, getting into or out of the stand, and while climbing down. And, as I can swear to, accidents do can and happen. It’s not so much whether an accident will happen but when, and that means that hunter should be fully protect from the ground to the stand and back down again ... every time.

Now is as good a time to discuss suspension trauma as any. Make no mistake: you can fall from a tree, and if left suspended without adequate means of regaining access to the stand or the ground within a few short minutes, blood will collect in your legs and feet, hampering circulation, and death can occur. Few harnesses manufacturers want to warn hunters of this danger. A rapid decline in blood pressure results, and in as little as five minutes, a person could lost consciousness or die.

This safety harness that I’ve worn all season has a Reserve Suspension Relief Strap  to allow the user to use a foot loop in which to stand to eliminate blood pooling in the legs. This strap is  used to allow the hunter to stand upright during a controlled descent to the ground. The Protector full-body harness system prevents you from hitting the ground during a fall.

The harness may be worn over or under clothing. There are dual lock safety buckles on both leg straps, and across the chest and waist. It includes a Lineman’s Safety Rope with a prussic knot and two carabineers. This rope is placed around the tree, and is attached to a Lineman’s Loop to steady the hunter when climbing up or down the tree or when placing or taking down a stand.

Peace of mind is as simple as using this safety harness while in a tree.

A tree stand anchor strap and carabineer is used to attach the harness tether line loop to the tree. The tree stand ascent and descent safety line with prussic knot provides additional security while climbing into or our of the stand. Thirty feet of soft ½-inch double braided nylon rope has a 5,000-pound breaking strength with a prussic knot made of stiff 8mm prussic cord. Attach the  safety strap to the safety line when climbing up or down. In the event of a fall, the prussic knot grabs the ascent-descent safety line, and the  strap plays out of the harness and insures a safe and slow descent to safety or the ground. Always use a one hand and two feet, or two hands and one foot, means of contact with the tree or stand while climbing.

I used this safety harness and other equipment every time I climbed into any of my tree stands. Going up or coming down was always a concern before, but  it no longer bothers me. I feel safe and secure when I begin climbing up and down, and while sitting in the stand.

There no longer is that gnawing worry about a possible fall. I feel secure, and am secure, and that makes hunting from a tree much easier and safe. It is said that falling from a tree is not a matter of if you fall, but when.

This system keeps you in contact with the tree at all times, and if the manufacturer’s instructions are followed to the letter, you’ll have a safe hunting experience next year.

Posted via email from Dave Richey Outdoors