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Please read! and wear a safety harness...


Otto

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I hate these stories. So senseless. I’ve gotten to my hunting spot at least once or twice only to forget my harness. I turned around and went home. I now carry a spare in my truck just in case I forget again. 

"A sinking fly is closer to Hell" - Anonymous 

 

https://www.troutscapes.com

https://nativefishcoalition.org/national-board

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That article says that there has been (2) fatal tree stand falls in NY since 2017.  I am surprised that there has not been more.  One of my neighbors was the other one.  He was around 80 years old, when he fell from a stand, in the late fall of 2021.  I didn’t know him well, but my sister is a good friend of his wife.  
 

I lowered my last “high” tree stand, after that happened.  Besides all of them now being less than 9 feet up, I have sturdy safety rails around most of of them.  I’ll probably do something about the 3 or 4 that don’t, after reading the story of this other fatal fall.  

Another good thing about a safety rail, is that it makes a nice gun or crossbow rest.   

In addition to a safety rail or safety harness, and a lower height, another great idea is to let someone know where you are hunting and when you expect to be back.
 

 My neighbor was found barely clinging to life, the day after his fall, a block away from where everyone thought that he was hunting.  Had someone found him the first night, he might have survived the head injury that he suffered from his fall.  

 

 

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Ok first of all the DEC numbers are far from accurate, 33 accidents since 2107 lol ! I know or heard of falls near where I hunt that are at 5 or 6 alone in the last few years . My daughter has a handful a year at her hospital when she’s working so times that by four ( 40 hours out of 168 in a week .)  then multiply that by all the hospitals! 

The DEC will tell you they have no way to track them ,as many just go get treated without a 911 call .

I,personally know two who broke legs, one who broke a rib and two who were partly de- gloved over the years . Oh and one guy on the job,who never showed up for his night shift and the Deputy chief sent a crew out of the city to find him lying under his tree…

33 lol ! 

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6 hours ago, Otto said:

https://www.syracuse.com/outdoors/2023/02/he-didnt-need-to-die-cny-hunters-family-tries-to-move-on-after-fatal-accident.html

 

Such a sad story - a young man in the prime of his life with new wife, 3 year old son - could it get any worse?  

 

Agree such a sad story and made even worse by the investigators:

They told her it was suicide, and assured her that in these cases the family never saw it coming.

One improbably lurid detail in particular stuck with her: “One of them told me, ‘The barrel was in his mouth, I’m so sorry.’”

WTF is the point of saying this to the widow or family.  Think it okay, investigate it okay, but say it without an ME cause of death, is unacceptable.

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Knew Michael very well. Sad to have to read this article. Was just talking to a guy Saturday night at a neighbors house who said he never wears a harness anymore because a few years ago it got in the way of him getting a shot at a decent buck. Seriously??  Don’t wear a safety harness because of a getting a shot at a buck??  I’d rather make it home to my wife and kids without a deer than take a chance in a stand without a harness. 

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Extremely sad to hear this. Sorry for his family.

Bottom line is you have guys who will swear by wearing their harness everyday and never climbing without it and you have guys who think that they are invincible and it's not going to happen to them. And those guys are on borrowed time. The only one time I've ever climbed without a harness. I literally set 4 ft up just to clear the brush and no higher.... And that's my ass at 4 ft. 

Absolutely not worth the repercussions. Not to mention, I used to work on a TBI unit in pediatrics so I know the direct result of trauma to the head.... Being the stealthiest deer hunter out there because you can't move a muscle. 

To anyone thinking they're good without it, please rethink it. Liken it to this: Go find your busiest double yellow road in your area and just walk that double yellow line in moderate traffic moving 40 plus miles an hour. The cars will see you. There's a good chance nobody's going to hit you. But that's all it is....a good chance. That's exactly what climbing without a harness is IMO.

Edited by NYRturkeycall

Palma non sine pulvere 

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On 2/7/2023 at 8:44 PM, boo711 said:

Knew Michael very well. Sad to have to read this article. Was just talking to a guy Saturday night at a neighbors house who said he never wears a harness anymore because a few years ago it got in the way of him getting a shot at a decent buck. Seriously??  Don’t wear a safety harness because of a getting a shot at a buck??  I’d rather make it home to my wife and kids without a deer than take a chance in a stand without a harness. 

this is a legitimate reason in many people's minds. he wasn't alone. standard belt style tree straps are horrible trash of an idea. they do get in the way. then people set them way low on the tree and leave it there the whole sit. if they fall they'll take a beating pretty good as you want the minimum slack needed. also people give up on the standard TMA harnesses that are a spaghetti mess to get on and don't hold adjustment. aftermarket ones and a prusik knot rope style tree strap are well under $100 if you shop around and you have have tons of adjustment on the fly. if i really get sleepy on stand i cinch that sucker up tight and i can't even flop over falling asleep let alone fall off the platform.

if i was the CEO of a treestand Mfg i'd eat any cost of providing a good harness and rope style treestrap vs the TMA cheap minimum. do it for every stand no exceptions. 

Edited by dbHunterNY
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  • 4 weeks later...

If I had to take a guess, maybe half or more than half of hunters refuse to wear a harness. I have eloquently pulled these numbers from my ass but they sound feasible in my mind. 

Someone should start a new thread with a poll, I wonder how many would answer honestly. 

Edited by HeavyUser
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