OK..lesson learned and I'm still alive
Climbing a nice popular tree with my Summit Goliath not wearing a safety harness. Lost the foot stand from under my feet, how I don't know, whoops it was gone. Sat 25 feet in the tree with nothing between me and momma earth except air and the two inch aluminum bar I was sitting on. I learned the Summit "comfort pad" on the bar loses its "comfort" as soon as the foot rest takes an unexpected trip.
I knew I had to gain the foot rest back, it was attached by the safety rope to the seat part. The trick was to get it without twisting the one I was on out of the tree dumping my butt head first into the brush below, below the brush was hard earth. Well; after 20 minutes of trying and inching the rope between fingers, I got it, then getting one foot on it to put it back against the tree was fun, NOT. When I finally got it back on the tree I was sweating like a lawn sprinkler. Oh well; bucks are dumb in the rut. Nothing showed that evening except 24,000 squirrels.
So when I got back home I dug the harness out of the pile of hunting stuff in the barn. I used it all the time when first climbing, but stopped because the dang thing is a PIA to put on when you have a fused neck, you can't see the buckles. I wore it today after spending lots of time marking the straps and buckles for what goes where.
Why the heck can't the factories put a label on the straps and buckles so you know what goes where? Why is the harness such a PIA to put on without breaking a sweat? I would imagine everybody would wear one if it was simple to get into and had color coded straps and buckles to make sure it is on right without being all twisted.
Anyway, lesson learned on my part, no more harness-less climbing, please wear a harness in a tree stand, if you fall gravity makes the impact with the earth predictable and not so fun.
I knew I had to gain the foot rest back, it was attached by the safety rope to the seat part. The trick was to get it without twisting the one I was on out of the tree dumping my butt head first into the brush below, below the brush was hard earth. Well; after 20 minutes of trying and inching the rope between fingers, I got it, then getting one foot on it to put it back against the tree was fun, NOT. When I finally got it back on the tree I was sweating like a lawn sprinkler. Oh well; bucks are dumb in the rut. Nothing showed that evening except 24,000 squirrels.
So when I got back home I dug the harness out of the pile of hunting stuff in the barn. I used it all the time when first climbing, but stopped because the dang thing is a PIA to put on when you have a fused neck, you can't see the buckles. I wore it today after spending lots of time marking the straps and buckles for what goes where.
Why the heck can't the factories put a label on the straps and buckles so you know what goes where? Why is the harness such a PIA to put on without breaking a sweat? I would imagine everybody would wear one if it was simple to get into and had color coded straps and buckles to make sure it is on right without being all twisted.
Anyway, lesson learned on my part, no more harness-less climbing, please wear a harness in a tree stand, if you fall gravity makes the impact with the earth predictable and not so fun.
0
-
Good to hear you survived. I have not lost my foot platform YET. My only bad habits in the Goliath is not tying the cord between the top and bottom, and falling asleep in the stand. I do wear my harness every time in a tree. Once you get familiar with one particular harness they are easier to use. 0 -
Three Words.....
Hunters Saftey System!!!!!!
This harness is in a vest and takes all of 5 seconds to put on. The systems that come with the stands are a royal pain in the ass to put on. But man it is better than nothing at all!0 -
quote:Originally posted by bigfoot_4
Three Words.....
Hunters Saftey System!!!!!!
This harness is in a vest and takes all of 5 seconds to put on. The systems that come with the stands are a royal pain in the ass to put on. But man it is better than nothing at all!
Be careful with this vest. My co-worker fell out of his tree while using one. He said it was rather hard on certain parts (use you imagination what could be pinched between the leg buckels) but was much better than hitting the ground.0 -
quote:Originally posted by dcso3009
quote:Originally posted by bigfoot_4
Three Words.....
Hunters Saftey System!!!!!!
This harness is in a vest and takes all of 5 seconds to put on. The systems that come with the stands are a royal pain in the ass to put on. But man it is better than nothing at all!
Be careful with this vest. My co-worker fell out of his tree while using one. He said it was rather hard on certain parts (use you imagination what could be pinched between the leg buckels) but was much better than hitting the ground.
Yes I is hard on the twins if you fall,[:(] But I would rather be uncomfortable for a few days than stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of my life or worse [xx(]0 -
please tie a short piece of rope between the two pieces. Then when the foot rest falls it will only be a couple of feet. Also wear the hunter safety system and put foot stirrups on the bottom piece. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by ljc2tall
please tie a short piece of rope between the two pieces. Then when the foot rest falls it will only be a couple of feet. Also wear the hunter safety system and put foot stirrups on the bottom piece.
I do have the safety rope tied from the foot piece to the seat part. I never take them apart. That is what saved my bacon and allowed me to recover the foot rest while in the tree. It was dangling four feet below me by the rope, thank God! The stirrups from Summit are on the foot rest but somehow I twisted or moved my feet just wrong and dropped it.
I have been back out using the stand every day since my "Lesson Learned" wearing the Summit factory safety harness the whole time. I just HATE the dang thing, trying to get the straps on without twisting them. But it is too dangerous to climb trees without one on.0 -
Bpost,
Have you looked at the Seat O The Pants saftey harness with climber? Its basically a lineman or climbers safety system. You can always get down if you need to, but yet it will still hold you.
Check it out
http://tinylink.com/?m0ynWzPndt0 -
quote:Why the heck can't the factories put a label on the straps and buckles so you know what goes where? Why is the harness such a PIA to put on without breaking a sweat? I would imagine everybody would wear one if it was simple to get into and had color coded straps and buckles to make sure it is on right without being all twisted.
I've never had a problem with the harness that came with my summit in 05. never had it tangled up and not had issues with buckles. Its a pretty simple, user friendly and comfortable system.
Maybe look at a newer type harness. glad it all worked out for you0 -
I know it has already been said but........ Even though I had a harness on the first time I lost my foot stand I ended up hanging by my arms from my seat and had to regain my foot stand. When I got back to the ground (after finshing my hunt of course) the first thing I did was shorten the strap between my seat and foot stands. I've lost my foot stand a few times since, but it has been much easier to reset since I can reach it, without doing what you had to do because of a strap that was to long.
Although expensive a good safety vest harness, with leg straps is probably worth the investment for someone like you with a fussed neck.
Now let's get in the woods!!!!!!!!
Scout0 -
quote:Originally posted by bang250
quote:Why the heck can't the factories put a label on the straps and buckles so you know what goes where? Why is the harness such a PIA to put on without breaking a sweat? I would imagine everybody would wear one if it was simple to get into and had color coded straps and buckles to make sure it is on right without being all twisted.
I've never had a problem with the harness that came with my summit in 05. never had it tangled up and not had issues with buckles. Its a pretty simple, user friendly and comfortable system.
Maybe look at a newer type harness. glad it all worked out for you
You sound like a skinny, youngish sort of feller [:D]. On the other hand I am over 1/2 century old, big boned, muscled and sortta fat. Add some arthritis to the mix and it gets to be a problem putting it on....I am now going out to my stand to freeze my keister off again looking for Bambi.....I am bound and determined to get a harness safety vest when cash allows.0 -
quote:You sound like a skinny, youngish sort of feller
kinda, sorta, maybe. [:D] on the upper side of 30s, the aches and pains don't allow me to feel to youngish. [;)]
Hope you had a good hunt!0 -
quote:Originally posted by bang250
quote:You sound like a skinny, youngish sort of feller
kinda, sorta, maybe. [:D] on the upper side of 30s, the aches and pains don't allow me to feel to youngish. [;)]
Hope you had a good hunt!
[:D] I have been up and down a couple of trees in areas normally used as deer highways on my land. It seems I am seeing deer on the way in, or seeing them near the tree I was not in on the way out.....time and patience will pay off but it is discouraging to see only 84,000 squirrels that you know on a first name basis.....0 -
Glad you are okay bro. Hunting out of a tree stand is the most dangerous thing most of us do. Be safe all. 0
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Comments
13 comments