I’m going to say this and I hope it doesn’t come across too preachy. If you climb a tree…you NEED a safety belt. Period. End of story. More hunters are injured each year by falling from their tree stand (or attempting to climb into the stand) than by either guns or archery equipment. If you climb a tree enough times sooner or later you’re going to take a tumble. It happens in a split second. The next thing you know you’re lying on the ground in a heap of hurt. Believe me, I’m talking from experience.
Several years back I was a medic working for an advanced life support (ALS) ambulance service one Saturday afternoon when we got the call. The dispatcher stated “bowhunter fallen from a tree.” In my heart I just knew it couldn’t be good. Many times when a hunter falls they are going to be sore or perhaps even break an arm, etc…but when they need an ambulance it typically means internal injuries.
Indeed, the injuries were nearly life-threatening. After driving as close to the hunter as we could get the ambulance, that last quarter mile or so was on foot carrying all our gear. Upon reaching the hunter he was quite banged up. He had taken a fall from a tree about 17 feet or so up in the air. We suspected a fractured leg, multiple broken ribs, possible internal bleeding and even a potential collapsed lung. To make matters even worse, the hunter had fallen 6 or 7 hours earlier and nobody else was in the woods. In fact, his own family wasn’t really even sure that he went hunting that morning.
This dude was quite lucky. As medics we backboarded him, started IV’s, gave him something for pain, and radioed in for an air ambulance helicopter for transport to the closest trauma hospital. From what I understand he had a long road to recovery and being middle-aged things never were quite the same with his body.
Before that day I never gave much thought to the dangers of climbing trees. Oh sure, we’ve all heard the horror stories about some guy falling from a tree on a fencepost, or something similar with horrible sounding endings. The truth is we always figure it won’t happen to me. Well, I’m here to tall ya that NOBODY is immune from having an accident. The hunter in this story had hunted for over 40 years…and he was no slouch when it came to experience. He knew better. He was embarrassed it happened to him. He was also upset that it happened to him. Perhaps most importantly, on that particular day, he was worried that perhaps his carelessness might have ended his life.
Guys and gals, I can’t stress to you enough that if you climb a tree while hunting you need to invest in and use a good safety harness. I know that to use one takes a few extra minutes of your time. I also know that sometimes they may decrease your mobility when moving. Nevertheless, if you aren’t going to do it for yourself then do it for your hunting buddies or your family that has to deal with the consequences of your accident. Finding someone injured and laying in the woods can be a traumatic experience even for those of us who have had the training.
One final note. The hunter I assisted also made a terrible mistake by not telling anyone where he was or what he was doing on that particular day. For heaven’s sake, when you go outdoors no matter if it is grouse hunting or picking morel mushrooms…tell your family or a friend what you are doing and where. It makes the task of assisting you much easier.
This fall please do me a favor…BE SAFE and hunt smart with safety in mind at all times. 
2008 Jim Braaten. All Rights Reserved. No Reproduction without Prior Permission.
Filed under: Hunting, Outdoor Techniques
Very good post. Many hunting bloggers write about the importance of wearing a safety harness, but it’s even more meaningful when the post includes a story like the one you related. Keep up the good work!
I have some experience with this. My wife received a call last season that her father had fallen from his tree stand. He was lucky and unlucky at the same time. He got himself snagged on one of his foot holds and ended up with a 10 inch long and 2 inch deep gash in the back of his leg. Thankfully this stop in momentum probably kept him from breaking his neck. We are glad that he managed to crawl the 1.5 miles to his truck and drive to the hospital without bleeding to death. This will be my first year bow hunting and I will be more than careful about it.