Deerbuster.com

Hunting from a tree, even high up, doesn't make me nervous. Falling does. Especially since I read a certain statistic last year. The average age of a hunter taking a serious spill is 36. I was a year over due at the time. In our mid to late thirties, we may be more at risk. The youthful strength and agility is a recent memory but the slight lack of flexibility and loss or dexterity cannot be denied. Boom. Down we go.

Equipment failure can be the culprit but it's more likely our own technique that does us in. Do you know when the most falls occur?

You are most likely to fall when__________ .
a) Sitting on stand.
b) Descending the tree.
c) Getting in/out of the stand.
d) Climbing the tree.
e) Putting the stand up/taking it down.
While common sense dictates that a) is the answer (falling asleep), the correct answer according to a survey in Deer and Deer Hunting was c). Why? Probably because it's an awkward movement when balance can shift and it is unlikely that you are wearing a safety harness at the time. Another disheartening fact was that most hunters (myself included) do not wear a climbing harness when going up and down.

Now this year the danger of the basic "around your waist" restraint system is killing hunters the way air bags are killing children. The belt slides up to the chest after knocking the wind out of the lungs with a quick blow centered on the abdomen. The diaphragm is thrust upward and then compressed, inhibiting respiration. The possibility of being stuck in an inverted position exists as well. So what are we to do? The fall can kill or cripple us and so can the belt!

MY ANSWER.

I don't like those deluxe " around the waist, under the crotch and over the shoulder " harnesses. They get twisted up, they are hard to step into in the dark, and just try to put on layers of clothing or take them off. You'll be moving so much on stand that anyone watching will think your being attacked by bees.

I went to REI (a climbing and camping store) and purchased a climber's harness. These things go around your thighs and waist and are designed to catch you when falling 80 feet or more! I don't know about you but I hardly ever put my tree stand that high. The most deluxe padded model costs $70, which is a lot less than the deductible on my health insurance.
Here's my system.........

I put my overalls on over my Scent Lok suit and then the harness goes on over that. Then I zip up (open) the legs of the coveralls and slip my arms and shoulders out as well. So my outer clothing is basically hanging from my waist, out of the way and I don't have to carry it. Then I climb with a loop of rope around the tree to prevent a fall. When I'm at the stand I unhook from the loop and hook onto a rope that dangles from above the stand seat, which is my fall prevention system while on stand. The rope switch is done with one hand using a connecting link called a carabiener, at least I think that's what it's called. Anyway, it works.