To harness or not to harness

[DeerSlayer]

I bought one of those gorilla harnesses a couple of years ago for my bow stand and I have to admit, what a pain in the a** those things are. It has been sitting in my closet every since, haven't worn it once. I mean i know it could save my life but man, I just dread fooling with it. I've had some close calls in the stand before and I know one of these days it is probably going to bite me in the backside so maybe i can learn to deal with it.

Do most of you guys use a harness when hunting a treestand?

[BHixson]

I didn`t use one last year but then me and my wife was at wal-mart and I saw that they had the vest type one`s and it was the last one they had because it was at the end of season the Harness was $15 dollars so there was no way I could pass that up so I bought it and I intend on useing it this year I know they are a pain to have to mess with but honestly it`s not that bad especially if you have kids and you want to see them again because one fall is all it take`s and I have 4 kids so yes I will be wearing mine this year.

[Kevin]

Have to agree, it's one of those things that you don't need until you need it, if you know what I mean.

And you may check out the newest versions, they are getting a lot better. I remember when I bought my Summit climber five or so years ago, they sent a harness with it, and it was terrible. No vest or anything, just a bunch of tether straps and buckles. I never used it, but did go out and buy one of the vest versions. MUCH, MUCH better design.

Some people go ahead and attach themselves as they are climbing up, which means you have to reach up and move the strap that is attached to the tree as you go. Well, i'm not too concerned with falling as I go up, it's while I'm up there and while I'm coming down that I have my closest calls, so that is the only time I'm hooked to the tree.

Once had my bottom piece fall out from under me, that was real damn fun. Had the bungee cord attached, but it stretched so far it went to the ground. Finally managed to get it back up. But if I hadn't, would have had to shimmy down the tree and would have been real glad I had the harness on.

[Wizard]

If I'm hunting from a two-man stand, which is what I usually hunt out of these days, then I usually don't wear a safety harness.  I'd wear one if I was hunting from a regular ladder stand, climbing stand, or hang-on stand.

[buckaroo]

I guess im pushing my luck i dont have one and i have 3 climbers ,5 ladders, and 2 box stands not in danger in the box stands but one ladder is 20 ft and the climbers are a crap shoot any time you use one i have had some bad moments with them and have seen the damage done to some close friends after a fall one guy even lost one of his legs i need to put that high on my list of things to buy this season.

[blindset61]

I still use my old cottonwood climbing stand.  My boys laugh at it because it's an antique now-they weighs about 70# and I have to admit, a bit too much for me to backpack a long ways anymore.  Most places I hunt now-a-days I can drive the Honda right up to the tree. Anyhow, it can be rigged to face the tree or face out, and I always face the tree due to a little discomfort (make that a lot sometimes) when just facing out over space.  I don't have the vest and all, just the original strap, but I do wear it, more so since I've gotten older and a little less prone to take risk.  I've had bad episodes with climbers too, I guess everyone has, but I've also had them with ladder stands (old wood ones breaking or cheap ones swiveling, etc.).  I do believe in hunting different places and not from a constant fixed place, and I do most of that from the climber or from a cushion on a milk crate in thickets on the ground.

[mtnscapes2004]

Two years ago, I was hunting alone in the wilderness near Fox, Arkansas, and noone knew my exact location, Mistake #1. I thought being I had many hours and years in a climbing stand deer hunting no problem. Never had any serious problems in a climbing stand, so nothing to worry about. I climbed down after finishing a hunt 2 years ago during the winter months, and I left something hanging up in the tree on a hanger, so I decided to climb back up and get it, after I had unlocked my lock on the seat portion of my climber, as I was going to remove my stand. So, Mistake #2 and 3...I left my lock unlocked, as it was a long looped lock, and I did not harness to the tree. I got up about 7 feet, and my knee or wrist hit the bottom of the unlocked lock, and the cable around the tree came immediately undone. I just remember going backwards fast while hanging onto the seat portion of the climber, and my LaCrosse boots were tightly in the stirrups on the standing platform. I guess I blacked out for a few seconds or minutes, because I came too, and I was hanging by my booted feet still in the stirrups upside down. There was no way in hell I could get my feet out of the stirrups. I was hanging upside down in the woods, sweating my butt off during the winter. After panicking for about 5 minutes, I settled down and began to think...I blew my whistle, but noone was around to hear it. I screamed for Help and almost blew out my lungs to no avail. Nobody was near me. So, here is what I ended up doing. My pack was about 7 feet from the base of the tree. I grabbed my bow line and broke the clasp off the hook. I continued to throw that hook while upside down a

[mtnscapes2004]

at my pack, as I had a knife sheathed on the belt. Finally, after many attempts I hooked my pack and drug it towards the base of the tree. I slowly raised the pack using my bow line, and grapped my gerber knife that was sheathed on the belt of the pack. I could not cut the bottom of the stirrups, because my body was too contorted upside down to do so. So, I place the handle of the gerber knife in my mounth after cutting the climbing/sitting portion of the stand's attachement to the standing portion. I began to sway back and forth upside down until I could grap onto the tubes on each side of the standing platform. I held myself up just long enough to remove the knife from my mouth and cut  the left stirrup holding my foot to the platform. That leg came free, and the right leg held up for a few seconds and then came free, and I plummeted about 5-6 feet to the ground. I could not believe I was on the ground out of that stand. I layed there for about 30 minutes or more, as my legs were totally numb from hanging upside down, and my entire body was worn out. I slowly got up and staggered out of the woods leaving my stand, glad to be alive. I could have easily died hanging there. Don't want to harness up, remember this true story....Happy Trails, and Safe Hunting.........

[Kevin]

That is one amazing story. I'm glad you shared .... and that you are alive.

I've had those heart-fluttering instances when you know you just got damn close to messing up, but I've always been lucky and never made a fatal mistake.

[DeerWoods26]

man that is an amazing story. shows you right there how dangerous the woods can be!

[buckaroo]

Lost a family member last week that was hunting around Morrilton he was wearing his strap  and had a heart attack, allmost made it to the ground the coroner said he was found upside down and probably had lived about 5 minutes there were marks in the leaves where he had tried to right himself so i have mixed feelings now about wearing a harness its like a seat belt 99% of the time its going to save your life but then that 1% comes into play one things for sure he was a man of GOD and he died doing what he loved to do Bob Mack you will be missed and good Lord willing i will see you again.

[Kevin]

Sorry to hear that buck, what a tragedy. Maybe you can take solace in knowing he died doing what he loved. Sorry for your loss.

[ozzarks]

sorry to hear of your loss.
friend of my mother in laws father, fell out of a stand last week and may die, very serious injuries and he is older (over 65). broken bones in his back, several ribs, internal injuries and his skull is swollen to twice it's normal size. no harness.
the harness is not the 'cure all', you must be fit enough to deal with what happens 'if' you fall even in a harness . . . . you may get hung upside down, i think the vest type severly limit this event. i just switched to the vest type, had the belt harness from summit, what a pain in the a**!!! i hated getting in and out of it, straps hanging, sitting on the buckle . . . . i was in trouble 1 time when the base slipped off the tree from under me on the way down, sure glad i took the time to tether that to the climbing portion! i never lost hold of the climber . . . . but what if i did?? i would have fallen backwords and got hurt.i

[ozzarks]

i ALWAYS have a whistle and a two way radio with me, full charge and ready in my inside shirt pocket, the bulge is worth my life. it increases my chances of getting home and that is all we all are really doing.

what is your life worth?
would you drive a car with out your seat belt on?
would you let your kids ride in the car with out a restraint?

endure the hassle and inconvenience of a harness please so we all can go hunting next year!!
ozzarks

[buckaroo]

Kevin and Ozzarks thanks for the kind words, you know you start dying when you take your first breath its going to happen to all of us at some time  and you have to be ready i take just about every precaution i can when hunting i to have a whistle and a fully charged cell phone in hands reach because where i hunt we have good cell service there are only 5 of us  in our club and we even have names for our stands we are good about telling each other where we are going to hunt and we text back and forth, and i allways check my stands before the season for wasp nest ,frayed belts, or ropes but the best laid plans sometimes go haywire i will go to Gander Mtn this week and get one of those vest type harness and try to be as safe as i can so i will have a season next year thanks again, buckaroo.