Dirk Dangler
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- Jan 18, 2021
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I’m curious if any one has any close calls or scary experiences related to climbing/saddles they want to share yet? Nobody is stuck in the tree are they?
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Opening weekend close-calls?
- Thread starter Dirk Dangler
- Start date
ThePennsylvanian
Well-Known Member
Bit of an ominous thread. . . .
Dirk Dangler
Member
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- Jan 18, 2021
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- 54
I’ll share one in the spirit of learning from mistakes…
I was trying to get a tree prepped for srt and was having no luck with the throwball. I decided I'd just two tether climb it and toss my paracord over when I got up there. The crotch is 35’ high and I had to pass branches around 30’ up to get there. This was my first time passing branches at height. I got out my spare Oplux tether, threw it around the tree above a branch, transitioned to it and advanced. In the process of getting back on my main tether I had a little moment of freak out because I got lost in the ropes and wasn’t able to see which one I was trying to unhook from…everything was oplux, both tethers and my bridge, all the same down to the biners. It just all ran together. In the future I'm going to look at a different color rope for a spare tether, I've read too many stories about climbers thinking they are clipped in…
It brought up another issue I haven't practiced yet either, if you don’t climb back down below the branches you pass you have to think about how you are getting your rope down…you can’t just loosen the hitch and let it fall, you have to pull the whole length of it through the loop or link. Not a big deal but it won’t work for you if you want your madrock and everything else to stay on your rope all the time. Stopper knot will have to be untied also.
I was trying to get a tree prepped for srt and was having no luck with the throwball. I decided I'd just two tether climb it and toss my paracord over when I got up there. The crotch is 35’ high and I had to pass branches around 30’ up to get there. This was my first time passing branches at height. I got out my spare Oplux tether, threw it around the tree above a branch, transitioned to it and advanced. In the process of getting back on my main tether I had a little moment of freak out because I got lost in the ropes and wasn’t able to see which one I was trying to unhook from…everything was oplux, both tethers and my bridge, all the same down to the biners. It just all ran together. In the future I'm going to look at a different color rope for a spare tether, I've read too many stories about climbers thinking they are clipped in…
It brought up another issue I haven't practiced yet either, if you don’t climb back down below the branches you pass you have to think about how you are getting your rope down…you can’t just loosen the hitch and let it fall, you have to pull the whole length of it through the loop or link. Not a big deal but it won’t work for you if you want your madrock and everything else to stay on your rope all the time. Stopper knot will have to be untied also.
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rutjr
Well-Known Member
Nothing to do with a saddle but four years ago I was setting up a 20' ladder. I got to the top and threw the strap around the tree and caught it on the other side and it came apart in my hands. I grabbed the top of the ladder and knew It wouldn't hold me because it wasn't strapped to the tree. It popped and I fell backwards. I think I did a flip because instead of my feet pointing towards the tree it was my head. I landed on my side and when I hit the ground I heard a crunch. I layed there for a while the slowly got up and checked myself, nothing broken just sore and I was sore for months.
I am a very lucky man.
Look close you can see the broken ladder section. I got into saddles the next year.
I am a very lucky man.
Look close you can see the broken ladder section. I got into saddles the next year.
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Nothing to do with a saddle but four years ago I was setting up a 20' ladder. I got to the top and threw the strap around the tree and caught it on the other side and it came apart in my hands. I grabbed the top of the ladder and knew It wouldn't hold me because it wasn't strapped to the tree. It popped and I fell backwards. I think I did a flip because instead of my feet pointing towards the tree it was my head. I landed on my side and when I hit the ground I heard a crunch. I layed there for a while the slowly got up and checked myself, nothing broken just sore and I was sore for months.
I am a very lucky man.
Look close you can see the broken ladder section. I got into saddles the next year.
You are REALLY lucky coming down like that from that height. After trying a number of ways to climb as minimalist as possible, I found myself backtracking a bit with my assumed wishes and settling for a couple still light weight climbing methods but not as much as the several popular ways to do it that are going on right now.
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Patriot
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- Feb 10, 2019
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- 842
Not a bad thread idea. And reminders to folks to have the courage to speak up and share their eff ups is important.
lots of dudes going with repel for the first time this year since that was the new sexy trend so I’d expect some growing pains. Hopefully not too painful.
I have repel experience from the military but I had a learning curve experience this summer. I used my repel gear while scouting and hanging cams as a forcing function for learning.
Repelled down a real steeply angled tree and lost my footing and as I swung off the tree that one second jerk of movement as the pucker happens caused me to pull a muscle in my back. No biggie but a couple days of tightness.
lesson learned. On steep angle trees go slower or just go with no feet at all and just free line repel with not contact to the tree from the start.
be safe fellas and share your learning experiences.
lots of dudes going with repel for the first time this year since that was the new sexy trend so I’d expect some growing pains. Hopefully not too painful.
I have repel experience from the military but I had a learning curve experience this summer. I used my repel gear while scouting and hanging cams as a forcing function for learning.
Repelled down a real steeply angled tree and lost my footing and as I swung off the tree that one second jerk of movement as the pucker happens caused me to pull a muscle in my back. No biggie but a couple days of tightness.
lesson learned. On steep angle trees go slower or just go with no feet at all and just free line repel with not contact to the tree from the start.
be safe fellas and share your learning experiences.
I started this a while ago. Few other stories on there.
Have you had a fall climbing?
With all the safety talk, I think getting a gauge of where statistics are at this time could be helpful. Maybe more guys have had a fall then are saying. You can vote multiple times if you have had more than one fall. Feel free to give a note as to why, and what you could have done differently.
saddlehunter.com
Another link with a few shares of close calls/mistakes made.
Lessons Learned - A Safety Perspective
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...
saddlehunter.com
TommyDee
Well-Known Member
Im new to this, nothing dramatic, but one of my used hawk heliums came with a solo scout attached. Since I do usually just short evening sits, figured I go with just that as a platform.
Was practicing some trickier shots on the back side of the tree with my tether too long and kicked out the stick….it was in good with a cam strap, and just at 1 ft off the ground….it was my poor technique on the platform.
Good news is that I got to practice a careful drop from the tether and repositioned the stick with no issue, so would have been fine at height.
Needless to say, have 2 platforms on the way from this great community, I’m going to have a solid, cammed platform underfoot, and sell whichever one I don’t like.
Thought this was worth mentioning, most of the guys one sticking with small platforms are already experienced guys, and there are many newbies jumping right into that route. A single stick secured by a newbie with amsteel and a cam cleat is not going to be as solid underfoot as a cammed platform if you’re pushing off for trickier shots.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Was practicing some trickier shots on the back side of the tree with my tether too long and kicked out the stick….it was in good with a cam strap, and just at 1 ft off the ground….it was my poor technique on the platform.
Good news is that I got to practice a careful drop from the tether and repositioned the stick with no issue, so would have been fine at height.
Needless to say, have 2 platforms on the way from this great community, I’m going to have a solid, cammed platform underfoot, and sell whichever one I don’t like.
Thought this was worth mentioning, most of the guys one sticking with small platforms are already experienced guys, and there are many newbies jumping right into that route. A single stick secured by a newbie with amsteel and a cam cleat is not going to be as solid underfoot as a cammed platform if you’re pushing off for trickier shots.
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Hawgnuts57
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2020
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- 129
Not saddle related but something we should watch out for. I was scouting Monday when I saw a hog. All i had was a pistol so i decided to test my stalking skills. I was about 25 yards behind him but trying to flank in front of him I lost him in a thicket for a few minutes but kept slipping through. I saw what I thought was a different pig about 10 yards away and the wind was perfect. Kept slipping and got to about 3 yards then I saw it it wasnt a hoof but a big foot with claws. Less that 10 feet from a big Male black bear taking a nap. One step back and snap broke a twig. I'm pretty sure we both said F$@& at the same time but he decided to run first. So if anyone want to buy I used pair of pants give me a call.
Sounds about like the time I stepped on an alligator stalking hogs in a marsh. Sometimes it's either scream or poo your pants, and if you scream you done blowed the stalk...
Hawgnuts57
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- Oct 7, 2020
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That's my second close run in with a big boar black bear this year the other one huffed at me from bad breath distance. I hope in my lifetime Louisiana gets a black bear season. I found a spike shed in a pile of bear crap last season
I replace ropes next season, I've never run into this issue, but now I'm going to get to different colors.
About 2 weeks into rifle season last year I'm prepping to get out of my harness after an 8 hour sit. Im comfortable, but just ready to pack it in for the evening. I gather my ****, throw it in my pack, sip some tea, put that back, grab my rifle and see this black blob waddling towards me at about 30 yards.
"The **** is that?" whips through my head as it hangs a hard left. "Bear!"
He's delicious- did not expect to see let alone shoot the bear, grateful I had the tag.
*EDIT*: This was my first saddle kill, I really want to give a nod to John Eberhart for it. I decided to "go my own way" when it came to hunting last year and stepped away from what my hunting group normally does and what they've taught me since I learned to hunt. When I decided I wasn't happy with the knowledge I'd gleaned and felt there was a better way I reached out to John for some pointers in search of not the biggest buck, but the biggest one on my piece of property- he gave me a huge trove of things to read, its unlikely I would have been in the position I was without all the new knowledge.
I know, I was specifically looking for whitetail deer and this was a bit of a freak occurrence, but none the less I wouldn't have been in the right place at the right time without the help. So John, if you ever come across this- thanks for the delicious chili.
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My bridge, linesman, tether, and rappel rope are all different colors, I've been doing that for 3 years. I don't need to be climbing a tree at 4:00 am, in the dark and not quite fully awake, use my linesman to cross a branch and hook or unhook the wrong rope. That would be a wakeup I don't need.
Hawgnuts57
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- Oct 7, 2020
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I wish they would open a season here for them
