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Have you had a fall climbing?

Have you had a fall while climbing with anything related to hunting?

  • Yes with saddle. Minimal injury. Ex.. cut, bruise, scrape

    Votes: 29 11.6%
  • Yes with saddle. Major injury. Involved a doctor's visit or more.

    Votes: 4 1.6%
  • No with all means. Everything has gone to plan to far.

    Votes: 132 53.0%
  • Yes with saddle But not even a scratch. Talking free fall for any length of time.

    Votes: 8 3.2%
  • Yes with hang on or climber. Minor injury. Cuts, scrape, bruise.

    Votes: 38 15.3%
  • Yes with hang on or climber. Major injury.

    Votes: 8 3.2%
  • Yes with hang on or climber. But not even a scratch.

    Votes: 27 10.8%
  • Took a fall free climbing a tree.

    Votes: 10 4.0%
  • Fell off my bucket once. Does that count? (Only if sober)

    Votes: 14 5.6%

  • Total voters
    249
18 ft from lock on.

cable broke, then safety harness broke, hit ground parallel so took brunt across whole body. Knocked breath out of me, had some bruises, walked out, was sore for a while.

Very lucky.

Glad you’re ok.

Care to share details of what failed in both pieces of equipment? (Cable and harness)
 
In 40+ years, i have never fallen. And i climb everyday. In my JRB Climbing Method, in order for me to fall, one of these things needs to happen:
1. The tree breaks
2. A rope rated at over 5000lb snaps.
3. My saddle bridge loops break.

Nothing else can take me down. I can let go or jump at any time. Anything adjustable could slip or fail. My bridge could snap or slip. Even a carabiner could fail and i am good.

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
Fell from summit climber 25 years ago… from about 20 feet… don’t remember name of climber but had a fold up seat that had a rope that wrapped around tree with a S hook that hooked to the seat… back then we didn’t have harness but used a tree strap that you would wear around waist and hitched to tree… was reaching done to get strap out of pack… grabbed seat instead of tree and the seat strap came off… tried to control fall by grabbing platform as I fell but caught with one hand… landed flat on my back… broke tail bone and landed on my gun which I hadn’t pulled up yet… which broke stock of gun… but I was lucky… after a few minutes… got up and walked out…never told my dad… no need for him to worry when I went hunting… now that I’m in my 60s got little stiffness when sit for long time… always climb with harness!
 
Years ago hanging a chain on stand I had an accident. My right foot and ankle remind me daily. Put laddder sticks up pulled stand up chained and locked it on or so I thought. I stepped on to the stand was probably standing on platform for 30 seconds maybe longer still looking at the tree. All of a sudden I was in for a ride. I tried bear hugging the tree and was somewhat successful in slowing my fall. The tree tore my arms to pieces. My left arm hit the ladder foot peg tore my arm open above the elbow. I shattered my heel and really nasty sprain. Unable to walk and bleeding from my arms with a rather large gash open was a very rough trip to get out of the woods.

That accident haunts me every time I start a climb or sit in elevated stand. Things could have been much worse. Things can happen in a blink of an eye fellas. Complacency will get ya be vigilant and check your stuff.

The thing I like about saddle hunting is your are always tied in or should be with no slack in the system. I really want to give DRT or SRT a go just haven’t done it yet. Some preset paracord seems like a great way.

If you’re considering rope climbing I’d suggest you check out the JRB method. It’s the easiest and fastest rope method for me and I’ve done SRT and DRT. There’s also redundancies in the system so I’d consider it safer than SRT and DRT as well.

Sorry. I didn’t see I responded the same thing a few days ago.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
I slipped off my step while climbing last year. My lineman's belt caught me right away. I didn't really fall at all.

Many years ago I fell twice while setting up ladder stands alone. I bailed out one time into the next tree over and bear hugged it to the ground. The other time I fell with the stand about 6 or 8'. Didn't get hurt at all in either case.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk
 
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I voted "Yes with a hang on but not a scratch." However, my neck and back were SORE for a bit. I don't know if I tensed up or what. Funny enough the straps on my harness that went thru my inner crotch area didn't cause much of a problem and I thought that's where the most pain would be.

I was always a climber guy and bought a Field & Stream hang on from DSG and those big heavy sticks that connect to each other going up the tree. It was my first venture into public land and yes I carried all this crap DEEP into the woods. I get 5 sticks high and hang the stand, test it while still on these ladder sticks and everything was fine. Sun just started to peak and I'd been sitting on the seat maybe 5 minutes. The "V" bracket just behind the seat was welded on that particular stand and sheared off.

Next thing I know the stand slid down the tree before getting hung up on my top stick and my harness caught me. I got down and just sat at the base of the tree about 20 minutes. Grabbed my bow and walked out. Left everything in the woods. I was gonna have to come back for it later. It was the middle of a work week and when I got to the parking area I was walking gingerly and a guy pulled up to hunt and saw how I was walking and asked me what happened. He made three trips and went and got all my stuff.

I gave him my card and told him to call me after his hunt. He did, I bought his lunch and we've been friends for almost 6 years now. LOL!
 
Yes in saddle... only puckered my brown eye. I was climbing a gnarly triple oak with a boatload of branches. I had to go around the tree with my climbing stick to avoid a bend and I was already in a mild lean. I ended up putting the stick higher then I should, put my foot on the bottom step and it kicked out. Ended up horizontal with the ground around 12' up the tree.
 
Had a extremely bizarre experience with my Summit Viper II about 15 or more years ago
Bare in mind I'm 6'2" 250ish not outfitted to hunt
Before season practiced my *** off getting good with it
Even practicing in the dark until I had set up and climbing down literally stone cold
Used it a full season but NEVER during the rain or on a tree with wet bark let alone VERY wet bark
Went an entire season and at least 10 uses without incident
Fallowing year went on a private land hunt by myself
Nobody knew exactly where I was or when I should be missed if I failed to return
This was before cellphones
Was an evening hunt and my first hunt of my 4 day trip
Was going to be from 10/31-11/3
Had rained very hard like nobody ever recalled for the previous 6-7 days before I got there including the morning of my evening hunt and only stopped raining a few hours prior to my hunt
Had a perfect sized limb-less pencil straight black hickory I knew was in a perfect location to hunt out of
Went up tree OK but noticed platform had minor but not serious issues biting into bark and slid a little before biting in never had that happen before with either the seat or platform always bit in like a PO gator dismissed it as being an extra hard tree
Thankfully I installed the foot stirrups in the off season and practiced with them until I was confident in using them as I wear a size 14 or 15 boot the stirrup really held onto my boots vice grip tight
Saw a butt load of deer just not any bucks I wanted to arrow
Based on my 30' long pull up rope I was closer to 30' than 29' up the tree
Went to start climbing down and thank God my practice always was place most of my weight on the seat before placing 100% of my weight on the platform because the platform bit very little and slid down the tree
Needless to say I found this a bit upsetting
I spent at least the next hour experimenting on how to vary the angle of the platform as well as how much of my weight to put on the platform to get it to bite with no success at all until I was sweat soaked and out of steam and had to take rest
I took stock of my situation
I was over 25' up a tree clothes soaked in sweat it was dark temps were predicted to go down to the low 30*'s and the wind was picking up and the tree was to big and way to slippery to try to bear hug and slide down
I decided to try to make as short of adjustments down with the platform as I could and while simultaneously pressing my legs towards the tree and wiggle the platform in hopes it would bite good enough to hold
It worked got down safely
Never used that or any climber ever again
Caused myself as a utter moron for not wearing a FBH even though I had an excellent one in my truck
Once back home Went over stand platform could find no issues
Teeth on platform were still plenty sharp enough to snag and tear clothing and definitely cut your flesh
Called Summit few days later
Told nice CS rep in GREAT detail what happened
His only answer was it was a thinly barked tree of very hard wood that the bark had become saturated with water from a very unusual amount of rain as to why the platform had great difficulty biting and holding
But I asked why did the seat dig in with no issues?
His reply was as I suspected I was putting more weight on the platform more abruptly than on the seat allowing the seat to dig in before it was exposed to maximum down force.
I sold that stand for what I paid for it to a friend (AFTER I told him in great detail why I was selling it) who had one and absolutely loved his.

To this day I still do t know the answer for what happened 100% for certain
 
Had a extremely bizarre experience with my Summit Viper II about 15 or more years ago
Bare in mind I'm 6'2" 250ish not outfitted to hunt
Before season practiced my *** off getting good with it
Even practicing in the dark until I had set up and climbing down literally stone cold
Used it a full season but NEVER during the rain or on a tree with wet bark let alone VERY wet bark
Went an entire season and at least 10 uses without incident
Fallowing year went on a private land hunt by myself
Nobody knew exactly where I was or when I should be missed if I failed to return
This was before cellphones
Was an evening hunt and my first hunt of my 4 day trip
Was going to be from 10/31-11/3
Had rained very hard like nobody ever recalled for the previous 6-7 days before I got there including the morning of my evening hunt and only stopped raining a few hours prior to my hunt
Had a perfect sized limb-less pencil straight black hickory I knew was in a perfect location to hunt out of
Went up tree OK but noticed platform had minor but not serious issues biting into bark and slid a little before biting in never had that happen before with either the seat or platform always bit in like a PO gator dismissed it as being an extra hard tree
Thankfully I installed the foot stirrups in the off season and practiced with them until I was confident in using them as I wear a size 14 or 15 boot the stirrup really held onto my boots vice grip tight
Saw a butt load of deer just not any bucks I wanted to arrow
Based on my 30' long pull up rope I was closer to 30' than 29' up the tree
Went to start climbing down and thank God my practice always was place most of my weight on the seat before placing 100% of my weight on the platform because the platform bit very little and slid down the tree
Needless to say I found this a bit upsetting
I spent at least the next hour experimenting on how to vary the angle of the platform as well as how much of my weight to put on the platform to get it to bite with no success at all until I was sweat soaked and out of steam and had to take rest
I took stock of my situation
I was over 25' up a tree clothes soaked in sweat it was dark temps were predicted to go down to the low 30*'s and the wind was picking up and the tree was to big and way to slippery to try to bear hug and slide down
I decided to try to make as short of adjustments down with the platform as I could and while simultaneously pressing my legs towards the tree and wiggle the platform in hopes it would bite good enough to hold
It worked got down safely
Never used that or any climber ever again
Caused myself as a utter moron for not wearing a FBH even though I had an excellent one in my truck
Once back home Went over stand platform could find no issues
Teeth on platform were still plenty sharp enough to snag and tear clothing and definitely cut your flesh
Called Summit few days later
Told nice CS rep in GREAT detail what happened
His only answer was it was a thinly barked tree of very hard wood that the bark had become saturated with water from a very unusual amount of rain as to why the platform had great difficulty biting and holding
But I asked why did the seat dig in with no issues?
His reply was as I suspected I was putting more weight on the platform more abruptly than on the seat allowing the seat to dig in before it was exposed to maximum down force.
I sold that stand for what I paid for it to a friend (AFTER I told him in great detail why I was selling it) who had one and absolutely loved his.

To this day I still do t know the answer for what happened 100% for certain

Terrifying. One of the reasons I didn’t get into bow hunting was the idea of hang on and climbers terrified me. Saddle hunting being attached to the tree at all times feels better. Used four sticks with wire aiders last year and had the thought of what happens if one of my sticks drops? That’s why I’m rappelling this year. And have a SMC Escape 8 and Hollowblock in addition to my MR Safeguard. If it comes to it I can tie a Munter hitch with a carabiner and get down.
 
I fell once from an aider kicking out. I only fell about 10", but the WE step going into my ribs made it feel like I fell a mile, I thought I cracked a rib and ended up hunting from the ground the rest of the day. I was reminded of how important it is to make wise decisions while hunting. The tree I chose to climb was leaning pretty hard, but it was the "right tree" in my mind. Had I been 10' off the ground and fell to the low side of the tree, I'm not sure I could have made it back only my stick or platform. This also lead me to repelling. I love the thought of being able to repel down if needed. It just makes me feel safer.
 
I had a decent fall years ago but was using a climber and totally my fault...bought the stabilizer straps for it and when i climbed up i went to cinch them up but was still standing like an idiot when you are supposed to adjust them seated....pulled the bottom of my climber right at from under me. Luckily i had a harness on and my climber also had the gun rail in front that i was hanging from lol...had to fish the bottom piece back up with my feet and made more noise than a semi truck crashing through the wood...didnt see any deer that day....
 
Nothing saddle related, but I did have a bolt break off of an older Lone Wolf hand climber with the V bracket. Broke during my climb down in the dark as I put my weight on it while lowering my platform. Heard a loud pop then I dropped a few inches while the platform caught. Scared the crap out of me. I managed to bear hug the tree and slowly work my down the rest of the way. Never used that stand again. Bought a new LW climber the following week.
 
I fell once from an aider kicking out. I only fell about 10", but the WE step going into my ribs made it feel like I fell a mile, I thought I cracked a rib and ended up hunting from the ground the rest of the day. I was reminded of how important it is to make wise decisions while hunting. The tree I chose to climb was leaning pretty hard, but it was the "right tree" in my mind. Had I been 10' off the ground and fell to the low side of the tree, I'm not sure I could have made it back only my stick or platform. This also lead me to repelling. I love the thought of being able to repel down if needed. It just makes me feel safer.

this is something i haven't considered......

i climb with my tether and lineman's both in use and i use 12 polymer steps....seems super safe

however, if i climbed a hard leaner and swung to the non-gravity side of tree (name for various sides).....then i might be hanging by my tether and not able to reach the tree

i'll stay away from hard leaners (always have)....i think if i could get my lineman's around it, then i could kick my legs/etc to swing in and tighten up the lanyard once swinging in and then also pull myself towards the tree with the lanyard also
 
While not hunting related, I had 2 close calls aloft as an arborist - one was doing a basswood removal, the other was doing a willow removal - and while not hunting related, I think it emphasizes the point about proper tree selection, and tie in location for those of us using rope access techniques. There's a great book out there called the tree climbers companion by jeff jepson - IIRC you can find it as a PDF online. It covers a lot of basic fundamentals for pre climbing inspection and safety that would be a good read for anyone going aloft.
 
this is something i haven't considered......

i climb with my tether and lineman's both in use and i use 12 polymer steps....seems super safe

however, if i climbed a hard leaner and swung to the non-gravity side of tree (name for various sides).....then i might be hanging by my tether and not able to reach the tree

i'll stay away from hard leaners (always have)....i think if i could get my lineman's around it, then i could kick my legs/etc to swing in and tighten up the lanyard once swinging in and then also pull myself towards the tree with the lanyard also
If you’re using you lineman’s rope, you’ll be able to get back to the tree even on the low side. Although it still won’t be easy to get back to the high side
 
I had already responded with my slight fall in the saddle while practicing a foot or so above the ground. But reading all of these reminded me of why I moved to saddle. I had a summit viper, only used it twice, but one of the times I just shifted my weight a little bit and that was enough to get the seat top section to drop an inch or so. Scared the hell out of me.

I used to have a super heavy gorilla climber, never had that happen with it. Besides the summit dropping like that, and the noise it felt like those things made, once I found saddles I was all in. I mostly SRT, but I'm also adding in 2TC, and I've never felt safer in a tree. Especially as I'm a bigger guy
 
If you’re using you lineman’s rope, you’ll be able to get back to the tree even on the low side. Although it still won’t be easy to get back to the high side

yeah....i was imagining if i fell with just tether (moving around a branch or something)

first thing i'd do is try to get the lineman's around the tree
 
While not hunting related, I had 2 close calls aloft as an arborist - one was doing a basswood removal, the other was doing a willow removal - and while not hunting related, I think it emphasizes the point about proper tree selection, and tie in location for those of us using rope access techniques. There's a great book out there called the tree climbers companion by jeff jepson - IIRC you can find it as a PDF online. It covers a lot of basic fundamentals for pre climbing inspection and safety that would be a good read for anyone going aloft.

one thing often missed is looking at the trees around you or dead snags stuck above you

2 years ago, i had a big tree lose a big branch around 15 yards from me...pucker factor was 10,000
 
one thing often missed is looking at the trees around you or dead snags stuck above you

2 years ago, i had a big tree lose a big branch around 15 yards from me...pucker factor was 10,000
That's something to consider. Watching alone when they make there shelter, they always say make sure there is no widow maker above you.
 
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