The leading cause of death and injuries for hunters is falling out of treestands.Most of us who have hunted out of treestands for any amount of time has probably taken a spill or had a very close call. The advancements in safety features have come a long way since the Baker Tree Stand days. I guess that ages me some but I never had the guts to try to climb a tree with one.
The Treestand Manufactures Association ( TMA) have a good website with some great information that is worth checking out. If you can prevent the fall your much better off. Climbing in and out of the stand is still some of the most dangerous times but there have been advancements in full restraint systems that you can use that will protect you from the time you leave the ground till you return. I’ve never used one of these systems so I don’t know how well they work.
Besides using a good treestand with safety harness system having some important equipment with you and letting people know where you are is very important. In areas where cell phones work they are great and rather cheap to keep with you in case you need to summon help. Even if you fall there is no guarantee that you’ll be able to get to your phone, or you’ll be physically capable of using the phone or even if it will still be useable after the fall. This is why making sure someone knows where you are and when to expect your return is very important.
In posts latter this week I’ll cover what to do when facing trauma injuries such as the kind you would expect if someone fell out of a treestand. In general I would encourage people to take first aid and cpr training to be better prepared for any emergency.

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