Tree Stand Safety

tree-stand

Archery season started last weekend for deer hunters in Indiana, and if you plan to be out in the woods, you might want to invest in some new equipment, especially if you’re going to be in a a tree stand.

Capt. Bill Brown, with the Dept. of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Division, said last weekend there were at least two tree stand accidents. He said if you fall out of a stand, or if your stand falls with you in it, it could mean a life-long injury.

“We’re trying to stress tree stand safety. It is our number one hunting accident that we face every year,” said Brown, “about 22 people per year, as an average.”

Brown said new technology can help keep you safer if you fall. He was a guest on Indiana Outdoors, with Bryan Poynter.

“Those full body harnesses that they’re making right now, you can hang up there for a long period of time and it doesn’t pinch off any of your circulation, like those old- I used a seatbelt for a while, too, the ones that hook around your waste,” said Brown.

He said the new harnesses can even let you down slowly, all the way to the ground.

“With these technologies, there’s no sense in any of our hunters getting hurt while in the field. Let’s go ahead and get those.”