As we all know @redsquirrel has declared 2019 The Year of Safety. With the rapid growth of this site and large number of new saddle hunters I thought it might be beneficial to start a “lessons learned” thread focusing on safety where we can share some of our close calls, lessons learned and steps we take to stay safe in the tree. Maybe sharing some of our lessons learned stories and best practices we can shorten the learning curve for others. Also it is possible that we may be able bring to light some safety issues that may have occurred using a method similar to what any of us may currently using but we have been just lucky to have avoided thus far.
Personally I can think of a few anecdotes and steps that I take specifically to address them. I’ll start with this one that happened to me a couple of years ago.
After 20 years of hunting exclusively out of climbers I hadn’t used any other climbing method in many years. I had practiced some SRT climbing in the back yard but it didn’t work well for me in real hunt practice other than some presets I had set up. Well, midseason I decided to try one sticking to get away from the need for presets. The only climbing stick I had available was the bottom section from a set of interlocking sticks that I had used in my pre-climber days. This 30 year old section had two v brackets welded integral to it as well as welded cleats and the original ropes attached. To repurpose this stick I attached a cam cleat and new rope on the upper half. I practiced climbed a couple of straight trees and it went ok so I decided I was ready. I was using a 40ft tether and attaching with a GriGri2 with the intention of rappelling down after the hunt.
The day I decided to use this on an actual hunt I was remote camping and hunting by myself. I planned to set up in a clump of maples in a small opening on top of a ridge in large thicket of young beech about ¾ of a mile from camp. The issues started immediately as all of the trees leaned pretty hard and I hadn’t climbed any leaners in my practice session. I struggled through the first two moves of the stick using both my tether and lineman’s belt. At the top of the stick after second move the welded V bracket broke off the bottom of the stick due to the high side loads resulting from the leaning tree. The area surrounding the weld had corroded enough that the material around the weld just pulled away. Luckily it broke right after I had reset my tether and it was taut so it didn’t even throw me off the stick.
Not wanting to scrap the hunt I made the decision to move the stick one more time without the bottom bracket. I attached it with the cam cleat rope and as an added support I tied the OEM upper tie off rope around the tree and back to the existing cleat. This double attachment held the stick stable enough that I was able to climb up to the top of it again. Now about 15 feet in the air and patting myself on the back for my ingenuity I attached my platform to the tree. Because of the precarious stick I was attached to the tree with both my lineman’s belt and tether but I hadn’t yet advanced the tether so it was slack at my waist level. As I stepped over to the platform the 30 year old rope securing the top of the stick broke and the stick spun off the tree. I dropped the three feet until my tether came taut coming to rest with my chin at platform level, banging my elbow on it on the way by. After I collected myself, I looked down and realized if I hadn’t been tied in I would be wedged in the crotch where the five maple trunks separated about 3 feet off the ground. I was able to kick off the tree and loosen my now taut lineman’s belt enough to unhook it. I disconnected the platform and dropped it the ground, attached my pull down rope and rappelled after it.
Luckily, I ended up with nothing more than a minor laceration to my elbow and a wound to my pride.
A few of the things I did wrong and the actions I take to counteract them are summarized below.
First, not wanting to lose a hunt opportunity, I foolishly continued on even after I had a serious equipment failure that could jeopardize my safety. We need to realize that no hunt is worth that.
Also, rather than buy something fit for purpose I used non climb rated equipment in a critical application for something it was never intended to be used for. On top of that it was old and uninspected and I knowingly used it with the worn ropes on it even though I didn’t intend to use them during the climb. I now use only climb rated equipment designed for purpose for any critical application and I inspect my gear every time I use it.
I was hunting an area that no one would have ever looked for me in. Had I fallen into the crotch of those trees it is likely I would have been wedged in there and would not have been found until much later in the year by a random rifle hunter if at all. While I still hunt alone (my buddies just don’t have as much time to hunt as I do) I now leave a note in the camper each time out giving a description of the area I’m heading. At least they’ll know the general area to look if I come up missing. In this case they wouldn’t have even known which direction I walked out of camp.
I didn’t thoroughly vet out my climbing method before heading into the woods to use it. I now spend a great deal of time in the off season working on climbing methods in differing conditions before I use it in a hunting situation. In my opinion this is the most often over looked issue with people switching to hunting from a saddle from a climber. Everyone worries if they are going to be able to be comfortable and able to shoot from the saddle. So much so they overlook the climbing part. Sitting and shooting from a saddle are pretty natural once you get acclimated to it. Also, once set up you are really safe in the saddle. The climbing on the other hand is a different story. There are a multitude of possible methods and it is the point at which you are most at risk. In reality this is the area we should be spending most of our focus on. You need to have a repeatable method that you are very comfortable with in any situation.
Another mistake is that I didn’t advance my tether before stepping onto the platform. If I had I wouldn’t have slipped by the platform and probably could even have completed the hunt. This episode may not even stick in my head had that been the case. I now make sure my tether is tight before I make a move either to or from my platform.
Although there weren’t a lot of things I did right, there were a few.
I was secured to the tree. I had both a lineman’s belt and tether attached and both played a part in stopping my fall. Always stay attached, the unthinkable can happen without notice.
I had a backup to get down. I didn’t need the climbing stick to descend. I was able to rappel from the tree. I always make sure I have backups for these critical type systems. I have another story I’ll share later describing that in more detail.
I apologize for the length of this post but I hope it helps some out there just starting out to not make some of the mistakes I made. Hopefully there are others out there willing to add some personal experiences and lessons learned.
Personally I can think of a few anecdotes and steps that I take specifically to address them. I’ll start with this one that happened to me a couple of years ago.
After 20 years of hunting exclusively out of climbers I hadn’t used any other climbing method in many years. I had practiced some SRT climbing in the back yard but it didn’t work well for me in real hunt practice other than some presets I had set up. Well, midseason I decided to try one sticking to get away from the need for presets. The only climbing stick I had available was the bottom section from a set of interlocking sticks that I had used in my pre-climber days. This 30 year old section had two v brackets welded integral to it as well as welded cleats and the original ropes attached. To repurpose this stick I attached a cam cleat and new rope on the upper half. I practiced climbed a couple of straight trees and it went ok so I decided I was ready. I was using a 40ft tether and attaching with a GriGri2 with the intention of rappelling down after the hunt.
The day I decided to use this on an actual hunt I was remote camping and hunting by myself. I planned to set up in a clump of maples in a small opening on top of a ridge in large thicket of young beech about ¾ of a mile from camp. The issues started immediately as all of the trees leaned pretty hard and I hadn’t climbed any leaners in my practice session. I struggled through the first two moves of the stick using both my tether and lineman’s belt. At the top of the stick after second move the welded V bracket broke off the bottom of the stick due to the high side loads resulting from the leaning tree. The area surrounding the weld had corroded enough that the material around the weld just pulled away. Luckily it broke right after I had reset my tether and it was taut so it didn’t even throw me off the stick.
Not wanting to scrap the hunt I made the decision to move the stick one more time without the bottom bracket. I attached it with the cam cleat rope and as an added support I tied the OEM upper tie off rope around the tree and back to the existing cleat. This double attachment held the stick stable enough that I was able to climb up to the top of it again. Now about 15 feet in the air and patting myself on the back for my ingenuity I attached my platform to the tree. Because of the precarious stick I was attached to the tree with both my lineman’s belt and tether but I hadn’t yet advanced the tether so it was slack at my waist level. As I stepped over to the platform the 30 year old rope securing the top of the stick broke and the stick spun off the tree. I dropped the three feet until my tether came taut coming to rest with my chin at platform level, banging my elbow on it on the way by. After I collected myself, I looked down and realized if I hadn’t been tied in I would be wedged in the crotch where the five maple trunks separated about 3 feet off the ground. I was able to kick off the tree and loosen my now taut lineman’s belt enough to unhook it. I disconnected the platform and dropped it the ground, attached my pull down rope and rappelled after it.
Luckily, I ended up with nothing more than a minor laceration to my elbow and a wound to my pride.
A few of the things I did wrong and the actions I take to counteract them are summarized below.
First, not wanting to lose a hunt opportunity, I foolishly continued on even after I had a serious equipment failure that could jeopardize my safety. We need to realize that no hunt is worth that.
Also, rather than buy something fit for purpose I used non climb rated equipment in a critical application for something it was never intended to be used for. On top of that it was old and uninspected and I knowingly used it with the worn ropes on it even though I didn’t intend to use them during the climb. I now use only climb rated equipment designed for purpose for any critical application and I inspect my gear every time I use it.
I was hunting an area that no one would have ever looked for me in. Had I fallen into the crotch of those trees it is likely I would have been wedged in there and would not have been found until much later in the year by a random rifle hunter if at all. While I still hunt alone (my buddies just don’t have as much time to hunt as I do) I now leave a note in the camper each time out giving a description of the area I’m heading. At least they’ll know the general area to look if I come up missing. In this case they wouldn’t have even known which direction I walked out of camp.
I didn’t thoroughly vet out my climbing method before heading into the woods to use it. I now spend a great deal of time in the off season working on climbing methods in differing conditions before I use it in a hunting situation. In my opinion this is the most often over looked issue with people switching to hunting from a saddle from a climber. Everyone worries if they are going to be able to be comfortable and able to shoot from the saddle. So much so they overlook the climbing part. Sitting and shooting from a saddle are pretty natural once you get acclimated to it. Also, once set up you are really safe in the saddle. The climbing on the other hand is a different story. There are a multitude of possible methods and it is the point at which you are most at risk. In reality this is the area we should be spending most of our focus on. You need to have a repeatable method that you are very comfortable with in any situation.
Another mistake is that I didn’t advance my tether before stepping onto the platform. If I had I wouldn’t have slipped by the platform and probably could even have completed the hunt. This episode may not even stick in my head had that been the case. I now make sure my tether is tight before I make a move either to or from my platform.
Although there weren’t a lot of things I did right, there were a few.
I was secured to the tree. I had both a lineman’s belt and tether attached and both played a part in stopping my fall. Always stay attached, the unthinkable can happen without notice.
I had a backup to get down. I didn’t need the climbing stick to descend. I was able to rappel from the tree. I always make sure I have backups for these critical type systems. I have another story I’ll share later describing that in more detail.
I apologize for the length of this post but I hope it helps some out there just starting out to not make some of the mistakes I made. Hopefully there are others out there willing to add some personal experiences and lessons learned.
). Having at least considered a plan will help when the stress is high after something goes awry and you need to keep cool and find a good solution.
