With the whitetail deer hunting season at hand, archers are beginning to feel that urgency to get into the woods.
Areas need to be scouted, and tree stands put up in anticipation of the rut, the deer’s breeding season, which usually begins just a bit after Halloween.
Bucks tend to be less cautious during this period, often becoming careless about situations they would normally avoid. And sometimes they find themselves in trouble.
Unfortunately, each year the excitement of the new deer season results in hunters falling prey to some of the same imprudence.
Hunting remains one of the safest outdoor pursuits and is enjoyed by more than 15 million people in the U.S. annually. According to the National Safety Council, hunting results in fewer than 50 injuries per 100,000 participants. That’s fewer than many popular sports, including cycling, bowling, golf and tennis.
Of the approximately 8,000 injuries hunters suffer annually, nearly 6,000 have one thing in common — tree stands. Several times during my career, I was called to incidents involving hunters who had mishaps around their elevated perches.
One suffered a gunshot wound while hoisting a loaded 12-gauge shotgun into a tree. Another fell from his stand and broke his pelvis. Another broke his back. Still another fell onto one of his very sharp arrows.
Thankfully, all survived, although each faced a long recovery.
The why
Each incident was likely preventable — or at least could have been less severe with a little more caution. The question has to be asked: If hunting from a tree or elevated stand can be so risky, why not hunt from the ground?
First and foremost, stand hunting is effective. Hunters know this. Deer haven’t figured it out. It offers a better line of sight and allows you to see more wildlife activity, including deer sneaking toward your position. A stand also raises you above a deer’s normal field of view and can make it more difficult for the animal to pinpoint your location by scent. And a tree stand might even help keep you a bit drier, if it’s the kind with an enclosure.
Types of stands
The most common commercially built stands include ladder, hang-on and climbing stands.
Ladder stands are generally sold as a unit that includes the ladder, platform and seat. They’re bulky and difficult to move, but they’re a good choice for hunters who expect to use the same location regularly. They are generally easier to climb, can be oversized for additional comfort or to accommodate a mentor and new hunter, and can be used against trees less suitable for other types of stands.
Hang-on stands are more difficult to install but allow hunters to set up in trees with branches or irregular trunks. They require climbing sticks, a ladder or some other climbing system. Their advantage is the ability to get into larger trees with branching trunks and limbs that help break up the hunter’s silhouette.
Most offer less security and comfort than a ladder stand and probably aren’t the best choice for someone with a touch of acrophobia. But they’re lighter and considerably easier to relocate.
Climbing stands are among the most portable deer stands available, with many weighing less than 30 pounds. They allow hunters to relocate easily, adjust the stand’s height and even change the direction it faces. The tradeoff is the tree. It must be relatively straight, clear of branches up to the desired hunting height and large enough to safely support both stand and hunter.
Another option that has quickly gained popularity is the elevated blind. These resemble a kid’s tree house built on posts or stilts and come in a variety of heights. They are commercially available but can also be built by someone handy with woodworking and common shop tools.
They’re intended as permanent or semi-permanent hunting locations, tend to be among the safest elevated options and can be quite comfortable. They’re also excellent for mentoring and can double as off-season wildlife-watching and photography blinds. Access often includes a ladder with handrails or even stair-like construction. They’re also the priciest of the bunch.
All elevated stands, however, come with one unavoidable risk. You can fall.
Falls can result from carelessness, improper equipment, damaged or poorly maintained gear, ignoring safety precautions, overestimating our equipment or our own abilities — or simply bad luck.
Here’s a brief checklist that can help keep you safe:
- Always wear a fall-arrest system/full-body harness meeting Treestand Manufacturers Association standards whenever your feet leave the ground.
- Use a tree stand that meets recognized safety standards.
- Read the instructions accompanying both harness and stand, and review them before each season.
- Practice using your stand at ground level before gradually moving higher.
- Inspect all equipment before and after use.
- Select the proper tree for your particular stand.
- Use a haul line to raise and lower bows, firearms and other gear. Keep both hands free while climbing.
- Never hurry.
- Tell someone where you will be hunting and when you expect to return. Hunt with a buddy nearby when possible.
- Keep emergency signaling and communication devices on your person, such as a whistle, radio or cell phone — not in a pack hanging from the tree.
Other than elevated blinds and possibly ladder stands, I’m not a fan of leaving stands in the field for extended periods. Rust can damage crucial supports. Wooden components can rot. Water gets trapped, freezes and thaws, and gradually takes its toll. And eventually it can take its toll on you.
All equipment — including nuts, bolts, screws and straps — should be inspected carefully. If you do fall and your safety harness saves you, replace it. The stress placed on it may cause damage that isn’t readily visible.
There is one final piece of tree-stand safety advice worth remembering. A fall can happen to anyone. And you are anyone.
“Safety is not a gadget but a state of mind.”
— Josephine Baker
