Archery Talk

Ok all....Just a friendly reminder. Please be safe, be careful. Whether it’s getting in and out of your stands or crossing a small creek and scrambling up an embankment.

I mentioned on my buck kill post that my arm got wedged between two trees and I almost broke it. At the time my phone was in my pack. No way I could have reached it. Yeah, there was some ATV traffic, but what if it been deeper in the woods.

Make sure someone knows where you are. Make sure they know when you are to return and what to do if something happens. Ensure your cell phone is within reach.

Here’s a pic of my arm four days later. Still hurts like hell. Not looking for sympathy, just don’t want to read about a TW member being found seriously hurt, or worse.

 

Glad you are okay and didn't get hurt worse or need that phone!

When I was a kid hunting in the 80's-90's we hunted an hour from our house in the country. No cell phones back then, if we wanted to call home we drove to the store 10 miles away and used a pay phone. One day an older guy was turning around in his stand to hook his safety belt and fell and broke his back. He had to be airlifted, it was a bad deal. I'm sure he's dead and gone now but he was paralyzed from that fall.

BE SAFE!

 

My wife and I use the life 360 GPS app on our phones. It’s a great tool to find people...So long as you don’t have anything to hide.

 

Another thing...
An older guy I know fell from a ladder stand a few years ago. Had no phone with him but told me he normally carried one in his back pocket. Said if he'd had a phone, the fall would have probably crushed it. I carry mine in my front jacket pocket.

One more thing...back in the day my buddy had his stand fall out from under him. He was wearing a waist harness (remember them?). Anyhow, he yelled and I ran to him and threw a knife up to him to cut the belt.
I always carry a knife in my front left pocket just in case a strap must be cut.

 

Oh, I remember those waist harnesses. Not sure if they were any safer than falling. Speaking of harnesses, I've been evaluating rock-climbing harnesses for tree stand use. Biggest issue with the standard tree stand safety harness is suspension trauma. It can set in within 15-20 minutes. A RC harness is meant to suspend a person. Obviously not indefinitely, but longer than in a tree stand harness. An added benefit is that the attachment point is in the front, meaning you'll be facing the tree. Hopefully making it easier to get back on your sticks, ladder, etc... I know there is a fair amount of hunters that use them and for the most part, they won't go back to the tree stand style harness.

 

My mother in law tried numerous times to get my wife and I both to download an app like that so she could keep up with us, that's the one reason we didn't

 

yikes, how did you end up getting unstuck?

 

Ouch ,I look back at all the stands I hung in the past with no safety harness and cringe . Glad you were not seriously injured

 

i was able to get a slight toe hold push up and away. Had placed my bow on the embankment and pushed away with my right arm. Imagine placing your bent arm, elbow first, between two trees, then sliding back and rotating.

 

Id like to not imagine that... Bout two weeks ago I was going to sit on a clearcut and crossed over a log and knew it was going to be a bad idea, did it anyhow. Left leg slips, right leg gets hung up on log. Left leg lands on a broke off piece of branch, and I about thought it would puncture my skin. Still got a big silver dollar bruise on the inside of my leg. Nothing as painful as yours sounds though...

 

Last year we had a tree down at the farm, I took the kids with me to do something and put the saw in the truck. My wife didn't know I put the saw in there. The limb was about head high I needed to clear and when I cut it the saw kicked back and caught my pants. I thank God I didn't cut my leg, only my pants. I told my kids we wouldn't have been able to get anywhere had I cut the vein in my leg. This is the pants, not a scratch on me.

The tree

 

def close call...

 

https://youtu.be/VoacUZAot4Y

 

I sub to this guys YouTube channel ,he has some pretty good stuff on there .

 

Yikes ,close call

 

We are not getting any younger either

 

Nope....turn 58 in December.

 

I did precommercial thinning for many years when I was young and impervious. 8-10 guys, we'd gear up with boots, chaps, 3gal gas and bar oil, hardhat, and jump down mountains and cut our way back up. Saw many many many chaps and boots get ruined. Even skilled saw men can have shit happen.

Worst was not a saw accident though, new guy not knowing much. Got a hanger, tree about 14" around. He cut the tree it was caught it while I was yelling at him to stop. The way it was positioned the first tree swung around like a pendulum and hit him directly across the thighs like Mike Trout hitting a home run. Tossed him like 15'. Thought for sure we were gonna pack him out but he walked it off. A bit shook up, but fine otherwise. Oh to be young and dumb again

 

I have had this happen multiple times. It is kind of creepy in the pitch black when you hear something coming at ya!!!

 

58 in April 2020 for me