With all the time we spend deer hunting, it’s a good idea to stay stay safe and avoid injury — so here are a few tree stand safety tips to think about to minimize the chance of injury while using your tree stands while chasing whitetails.
Tree-steps or tie-on ladders are great tools for gaining elevation, but some folks still use large nails as steps since they are less expensive. Climing stands are great for deer hunting because they are light and portable, but have obvious limitations if you don’t hunt areas with a fair number of tall, straight trees.
These following tips are really quite obvious, but please remember them because they could save you from injury or even save your life. And keep enjoying the outdoors!
Tips for Tree Stand Safety:
1. Tie-on or ladder sticks should always be checked to make sure that they are still secured to the tree prior to use. Examine straps to make sure that they have not become damaged or weakened.
2. Closely examine each and every part of your stand for possible and potential problems. Check for rust. If substantial rust exists, then those parts are now weaker than their original unrusted strength.
3. Check all stand parts of for cuts, nicks, or cracks. Make sure all nuts are tight. In addition, make sure crimps on all wires are in good working order.
4. When using nails, it is important to test the nail to be sure that it is still securely in place. Typically, once a nail is in place, the tree grows tightly around it, but remember that nails do provide entry for bacteria and fungus into the tree.
5. Using aluminum nails when hammering into a tree will minimize tree damage and only give up minimum strength, but make sure nails are long and sturdy enough to support the required weight.
6. When installing big nails, bring a portable drill to make pilot holesl. Big nails are hard to drive, so having a pilot hole really helps to get the nail started.
7. Always use a safety lanyard to secure yourself to the tree when hunting, and if possible, while you are climbing. If you don’t currently use a lanyard, now is a good time to look around for one that you are comfortable using. Whether you slip or your stand fails, you will be spared a nasty fall.
I have never tried using tree stands. I don’t know. Climbing stands simply look dangerous and scar the sh*t out of me. Not only that, but I’m not comfortable with heights. Plus, climbing a tree with a rifle really shakes my guts!
Although I have taken a few deer from the ground, I took a majority of my (only a dozen) deer from a treestand. I am (or was) a bowhunter only, and now I’m lucky to be alive. I fell 22 feet because I was NOT attached to a safety rope as I climbed all the way up or down. I was always safe once I stepped around to my treestand… but not going up or down. Now, for many different reasons, I will not be able to hunt out of a tree. The most difficult reason to talk about is not being able to see anymore out my left eye… from my careless fall. I had several major surgeries now and I only want to help other treestand hunters to not fall.
Ryan