Brian Dorrington, spokesman for Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital (Milwaukee) says:
No. Apparently their primary concern for hunter safety is that hunters keep falling out of trees.
In one sense, this amuses me a little. In another sense, I realize it is deadly serious. I spent more than my share of time (in my opinion) in rickety tree stands when I was younger. As I grew older and came to suspect that I was not as immortal as I had previously thought, I swore off tree stands. Fortunately, I never fell out of a tree, but there were times when every creak of the wind made my stomach churn a little bit.
This year is no exception, and the need for practicing hunting safety cannot be over-emphasized.So he's talking about hunters negligently shooting themselves or each other, right?
No. Apparently their primary concern for hunter safety is that hunters keep falling out of trees.
In one sense, this amuses me a little. In another sense, I realize it is deadly serious. I spent more than my share of time (in my opinion) in rickety tree stands when I was younger. As I grew older and came to suspect that I was not as immortal as I had previously thought, I swore off tree stands. Fortunately, I never fell out of a tree, but there were times when every creak of the wind made my stomach churn a little bit.
It took me only once to fall out one of these contraptions to learn their dangerous. If I hunt now, it’s on the ground, hell it is more sporting this way anyhow.
ReplyDeleteGood post.
ReplyDeleteJames
Haven't been bow hunting since I screwed up my shoulder but I made absolutely certain that my tree stand was more than sturdy enough to hold me. Used a ladder stick to get into it and secured my climbing harness post-haste.
ReplyDeleteNever thought the idea of dropping 10 - 15 feet while holding razors on sticks was a good one.
From what I've heard most of the hunters that fall out of their trees start by falling asleep - that's why you really should invest in a climbing harness. It'd be a rude awakening, but much less so than the one you'd get a few seconds later if you didn't have it.
I never fell out of a tree stand, but once, numbed with cold, I kicked my rifle out of the stand.
ReplyDeleteAt least the new stock was custom-made for me.