MyHuntingForum.com
MHF US Northeast => Hunting New York => Topic started by: SilentStalker on Nov 15, 2010, 12:18:14 PM
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http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/rochester_area_hunter_dies_aft.html
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http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/rochester_area_hunter_dies_aft.html (http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2010/11/rochester_area_hunter_dies_aft.html)
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Any stand I get in to over my home made 8 footers I ALWAYS wear it!!!!
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My hunter safety system is ALWAYS on. I dont do it so much for me as I do for my family.
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I got a HSS last year, much more comfortable than the cheap ones. I leave a strap or rope in each stand so I can just tie off fast and easy.
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Terrible to hear about this. There are so many variables that can go wrong when climbing into your stand that it is a necessity to be strapped in at all times. I installed something very similar to the HSS life line in all my stands. They are very easy to make yourself and give you the added security that you are always attached to the tree from the time you take that first step till you are in your stand.
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It is always sad. Take this into consideration, you hit the ground at 22 mph from 12' high. Even from 8' MDH your only going 3.7 mph slower.
Kind of like standing and letting a car hit you. Only cats have the ability to right them selves in less than a second that it takes to go from stand to ground.
I've been told that they now discourage the safety rope next to your ladder or steps, and using the Prussic knot. I use one a lot as a firefighter and in my stands.
Tied correctly they work awesome as a restraint when climbing in or out. Or tying off things while setting a stand. I personally am an advocate of them.
If the harness you use doesn't have a climbing belt. Problem with those when not using climbing stands is getting them around your lock on, or with a ladder stand you have to remove your hands from the stand to get it moved up. That's where a safety rope with a Prussic knot works very well.
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Upstate, why are some discouraging the use of the safety line next to the stand. Tangle issues? I love the prussic knot attached to a safety line. As you said... if tied correctly its a great knot.
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Yes, mostly. I also read in one of my safety educator newsletters that people are forgeting to slide the knot up all the way. Also most were trying to use to
small a rope. With the mass weight hitting the rope you need one that has a medium stretch, high break rating. Something in the 3/8" woven nylon, 2ton rated.
NYS asked us as instructors to stop using them in our classes. Not sure how many are doing so. I don't include it in the course but may mention it in passing
during discussions after the class. I've always sworn by them, I slipped on a ice covered ladder stand one morning. Yes I banged against the tree a little.
But I didn't hit the ground. Plus I was easily able to pull myself back out to the ladder and get back on.
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I got to be honest here. I have never worn a safety harness and i am feeling foolish for having not. I remember when i was a little younger (I'm 31) and not feeling any loss in balance being in a small lock on stand. Now a days i only put my stands in trees that have plenty of things to grab onto. I realize that this is not a safe alternative but it made me feel more comfortable being in the stand. Sad thing is i have a pile of safety harnesses sitting in my garage that came with every stand i have purchased. As i was reading the accident i cant help but think about my family and what they would do without me or me being seriously injured. I will be going in the garage and getting one out for my next time in the stand.
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My father has fallen from treestands twice, both times he landed on rock walls I think. The second time he woke up on the ground in the pitch black. He had landed on his head/neck and had neck problems for a long time after. He was extremely lucky considering he was hunting alone and no one knew exactly where he was. I make sure someone always knows what stand I'm in.
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rocky, I have a whole pile of those harnesses laying around too and I refuse to wear those ones that come with stands way to much of a pain in the A**! I ended up coming up with some extra cash and bought a hss vest three years ago and its so sweet you can put it on in two secs and you dont even know its there and I have a quick release on it so I can hook up or off the tree in a second. I would highly recomend you get one I bought one when my daughter was born. I think I shoot better with it on bc I dont hafta worry either. Just sumpthin to think about.
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You would think the stand manufacturers would take note that their harnesses suck and include the ones that are comfortable, easy to put on and non restrictive while drawing your bow or shouldering your firearm or crossbow. But then again it would probably cost them too much. I would think that more hunters would wear them if they did.
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To be honest skidda, I've always thought the price they ask for the HSS system is ridiculous. Wouldn't it be more profitable if you truly have a Superior
product to make it affordable so everyone buys it. Seems like it would make you more money in the long run.
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Thanks for the info Upstate. I agree that the price of the HSS system is a bit high. Great product, but not affordable for everyone. It would get very expensive in a hurry to install some kind of safety system on all 4, 6, 10 etc.. tree stands, but at the same time what price is too high for peace of mind? I am thinking about buying one of those HSS vests, but I am getting pretty efficient with putting on my run of the mill harness that comes with all tree stands.
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I bought the expensive HSS vest with all the pockets. I wish I had got the cheap one now. I started wearing the vest under my outer jacket and pants so there's no need for the pockets. Plus there are three pockets on each side but they're all stacked in the same spot, so you can really only use one. I think that instead of a cheap harness they should work out a deal with a quality harness manufacturer and give a $5-10 rebate with each stand. That would help a lot if you've bought 6-8 stands like I have.
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To be honest skidda, I've always thought the price they ask for the HSS system is ridiculous. Wouldn't it be more profitable if you truly have a Superior
product to make it affordable so everyone buys it. Seems like it would make you more money in the long run.
Your life isn't worth more then $130? Worth every penny IMO. Most of us have boots that cost more then a HSS harness.
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I have harnesses that do just as well at fall restraint at a 1/4 of the cost....Now I've read of recalls on HSS products. So are they three times better?
Yes my life is worth a lot more than 130.00. But if I don't have the means to pay that much, do I have to quit doing what I love to do??
In my opinion they don't have a god like product, which their cost difference would indicate. I'm sure they are easy to use, and maybe the learning curve is
less. That doesn't mean someone elses product at 1/4 of the cost isn't effective and with use and practice can't be just as easy.
Just boils down to the same thing every American company is run by. Make the most money for the least investment. Instead of making a quality product
at a reasonable cost, and sell more of them to get to the same end result. And maybe, just maybe, your product being in a lot more peoples hands,
they act as sales people for you to increase sales in markets that weren't on the company mission at the start.
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Before harnesses were common place my father used an old NiMo harness. It was huge and uncomfortable, but it did the job. I used one of the old double loop straps for a few years, might break a couple ribs but it was a better alternative to hitting the ground.
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I'm late to chime in but this was my good buddy's brother in law, it was on my buddy's land...he called me while I was a camp the last few days and tonight when I got home I called him back to tell him about the deer I hit and lost and he told me this news, I felt terrible...he said the stand was only 12 feet high and they wear safety belts he just unhooked it to climb down, no-one is sure what happened after that. He wasn't hunting with him that night because he was having coal delivered at his house so he stayed back...sad news, you just never know...Phil is a Senior Chief in the Navy and covers the Canandaguia area, Great great guy and has been a mentor to me...
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That is why I'm a pro safety rope guy. There never needs to be a time when your unhooked. Most of the attachment devices are large enough to have your safety rope as well as the tree strap hooked into them. You can also if you do fall out, use the safety rope in conjunction with the prussic knot let yourself down.
Again condolences to all family and friends of the hunter.
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There is two types of people that hunt from treestands. Those that have fell and those that will fall. With that being said we as humans become complacent and sometimes forget the important things. I personally have fell from a ladder stand. I was taking a ladder stand down. The ladder was bound up into the tree and when I started to decline, the ladder sprung away from the tree ejecting me. I fell approx 15'. I heard and felt the bones in my back break. I could not breath. I had no cell phone service where I was. and I did not tell anyone what I was doing that day. I laid on the forest floor and could not believe this happened to me. Finally I sucked it up crawled a little, Pulled myself up and pushed as hard as I could against my back and started to walk the 1 mile to my truck. When I got to my truck I crawled in and started driving myself to the hospital. I called my wife in the process and told her what had happened. She left her work and actually caught me before I made it there. I was not driving that fast I could not. End result was I crushed two vertebrate's in my back and missed the rest of the season that year. I was lucky. I made a full recovery and shot 4 deer from a treestand the next year. I always take the extra step and never take anything for granted anymore.
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I have personally never wore a harness . I have to be honest. I am not a fan of heights so most of time I do not go too high in a tree to begin with, but i do know from my safety training for work that over 6 ft can be fatal. I will be looking into getting one now. I do not worry much about me, but I have 3 kids who need their dad. Thanks for this thread making me think about safety a bit more. Good luck southern guys tomorrow I am ready and pumped
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Never leave the ground without one, if you do your foolish.
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I also will never hunt without one!