Chapter 5
Tree Stand and Elevated Hunting Safety
Printed in full here from the book.
Ground Safety
Inspect an elevated stand, fit a full-body fall-arrest system, climb with three points of contact, haul gear safely, and leave a clear emergency plan.
- Leave The Ground When your feet leave the ground, safety becomes the hunt. A ladder stand, climbing stand, or hang-on stand can put you above a blackwater bottom, a pine edge, or a cypress run. Follow the local rule for any blind or stand placement.
- Look Over Parts Before you load the truck, lay out every part. Look over bolts, welds, cables, tree straps, chains, climbing-stick straps, platform joints, seat hardware, and any wood. Search for rust, cracks, bent parts, animal chewing, dry rot, loose stitching, cuts, frayed webbing, or a buckle that will not close and release as designed.
- Remove Frayed Parts A small fray is not a field repair. Remove a frayed part from service and follow the manufacturer’s replacement instructions. Never trust a stand because it held you yesterday.
- Ground Practice Practice at ground level with a responsible adult. Put the harness on, adjust it, connect the tether, move around the tree, and deploy the suspension relief device. Learn the system before a dark climb, not while you are hanging from it.
Check it. Pass: every part is laid out, inspected, and removed from service if frayed. Fail: you skip an inspection.
Field check
- I lay out every part.
- I search for rust, cracks, bent parts, or frayed webbing.
- I remove a frayed part from service.
- I practice at ground level with a responsible adult.
Safety. A small fray is not a field repair.
Harness Fit
Read the stand and fall-arrest instructions together.
- Read Instructions Read the stand and fall-arrest instructions together. Check the harness label and the manufacturer’s service or replacement guidance. Fit is personal. The waist belt sits where the instructions show it.
- Close The Buckles Leg straps are snug enough to keep the harness from riding up or letting you invert. Buckles are closed, webbing is flat, and the tether is connected to the harness attachment point named by the manufacturer. Do not improvise a chest harness, belt, or rope system.
- Inspected Stand An inspected tree stand, ladder, climbing system, or hang-on system used exactly as its manufacturer directs.
- Fall-Arrest System A manufacturer-approved full-body fall-arrest system with harness, tether, tree strap, and suspension relief device. A safety system you cannot operate is only weight in your pack.
Check it. Pass: you read the instructions, and the harness fits with flat webbing and closed buckles. Fail: you improvise a belt or rope system.
Field check
- I read the stand and fall-arrest instructions together.
- I check the harness label.
- I keep the webbing flat and the buckles closed.
- I do not improvise a chest harness, belt, or rope system.
Safety. Do not improvise a chest harness, belt, or rope system.
Stay Connected
A lifeline or fall-arrest rope is the connection that follows you.
- Follow The Lifeline Attach the lifeline at the base as directed by the manufacturer, run it to the stand, and keep the tether connected while ascending, while seated, while standing, and while descending. The connection begins before your first step and ends after your last foot returns to the ground. A waist-high attachment leaves more room to fall. When you are in the stand, keep the tree strap above your head and the tether as short as the system permits without stopping your movement.
- Use The System Use the system that came with the stand or a system approved for that use. Read its knots, sliders, carabiners, labels, and limits. A Prusik-style slider may be part of a lifeline, but do not tie or replace one from memory. Keep the rope clear of sharp edges, hot exhaust, chainsaws, and anything that can cut or melt it.
- Haul Rope And Phone A haul rope, whistle, charged phone or personal locator beacon, and small first-aid kit.
You need: Written Return Plan (A written location and return plan shared with a responsible person.)
Check it. Pass: the tether stays connected from the ground to the stand and back. Fail: you start a climb unconnected.
Field check
- I attach the lifeline at the base as directed by the manufacturer.
- I keep the tether connected while ascending, while seated, while standing, and while descending.
- I keep the tree strap above my head.
- I keep the rope clear of sharp edges.
Safety. Keep the rope clear of sharp edges, hot exhaust, chainsaws, and anything that can cut or melt it.
Three Points
Climb slowly.
- Keep Contact Keep two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, in contact with the ladder, climbing sticks, or tree. Test each step before you commit your weight. Wet leaves, dew, mud, bark, and blackwater humidity can turn a sound route slick.
- Raise The Load Secure an unloaded firearm or other hunting gear to the haul rope, and raise or lower it only after you are safely connected and in the stand or on the ground. Keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction and follow the manufacturer’s instructions for your equipment.
- Stable Route A climber needs a suitable tree and a stable route. A hang-on needs every climbing component secured as directed. A ladder stand needs a sound ladder, platform, and attachment. If the tree, stand, strap, or route feels wrong, descend while connected and stop the hunt. A wobble is information. Treat it as a failure until you inspect and correct the cause.
- Do Not Rush Stop when you need to reposition. Do not rush because light is fading. Do not climb with a pack, bow, firearm, or other heavy load.
Check it. Pass: you name your three points of contact at every move. Fail: you carry a load in your hands.
Field check
- I keep two hands and one foot in contact with the tree.
- I test each step before I commit my weight.
- I do not climb with a pack, bow, firearm, or other heavy load.
- I secure an unloaded firearm to the haul rope.
Safety. Do not climb with a pack, bow, firearm, or other heavy load.
Recovery Plan
Tell a responsible person where you will hunt, where the stand sits, the route you expect to use, and when you expect to return.
- Tell A Person Give your responsible person the name or coordinates of the access point if you have them. Say what to do if you miss the return time. Update the plan when you move the stand or change the exit. A phone in a dry case, a whistle, and a personal locator beacon can help, but none replaces a person who knows where to start looking. Carry a small first-aid kit.
- Freeze And Stay If the stand shifts, a strap fails, a branch breaks, or your footing changes, freeze. Keep three points of contact and stay attached. Do not jump. Do not reach for a falling item. If you can safely reverse the route, descend slowly. If you cannot, call or signal for help.
- Suspension Relief If you fall and the fall-arrest system leaves you suspended, deploy the suspension relief device and step into it so your legs can bear some weight. Follow the device instructions.
- Inspect After A Fall After any fall, hard swing, or unusual load, retire the fall-arrest system and inspect the stand before another use. A harness or tether can look normal after catching a fall and still be damaged.
Check it. Pass: a responsible person knows the stand, route, and return time. Fail: you jump or reach for a falling item.
Field check
- I tell a responsible person where I will hunt.
- I keep three points of contact and stay attached.
- I do not jump.
- I deploy the suspension relief device.
Safety. Do not jump. Do not reach for a falling item.
Weather And Rules
Changing weather adds friction.
- Weather Changes Grip Rain makes steps slick. Heat and humidity make gloves and webbing hard to manage, and a cold wet morning changes grip. Pack so you can keep both hands available. Wear footwear that fits the stand and gives reliable traction. No hunt is worth a hurried climb, an uninspected strap, or a quiet emergency that nobody knows about.
- Follow Regulations Stand design, placement, access, tagging, licenses, seasons, bag limits, legal hours, hunter orange, bait, and firearm transport rules differ by jurisdiction and can change. Follow your state wildlife agency’s current regulations before you hunt. Also check the property manager’s rules. Public land may have extra restrictions on tree damage, unattended stands, access, or stand removal. Private land still requires permission and respect for the landowner’s conditions.
- Choose Equipment Choose equipment that matches the tree and the route. Do not cut a tree, drive hardware into it, or leave equipment where the land manager forbids it. On the Okefenokee refuge, injuring any plant is prohibited. Keep the platform, ladder, and ropes out of travel lanes. Do not create a hazard for another hunter, paddler, landowner, or wildlife worker.
- Safe Climb Hunting is not a contest against darkness, weather, or a close animal. If you cannot make a safe climb, you do not climb. If the shot would force you to twist, stand outside the stable part of the platform, or lose your connection, you pass. The ethical decision is the one that sends you home with the whole crew and leaves the blackwater woods in good shape.
Check it. Pass: you can state the rules, the weather limit, and the climb you refuse. Fail: you hurry a climb or cut a tree.
Field check
- I pack so I can keep both hands available.
- I follow current regulations before I hunt.
- I choose equipment that matches the tree and the route.
- I do not create a hazard for another hunter.
Safety. If you cannot make a safe climb, you do not climb. Follow the local rule for stand placement and equipment.
Safe Hunt
At a dawn drill, your partner reports a damaged webbing edge. State whether the outing continues, name the first person you notify, and give the exact sequence for a platform shift during the return route.
- Mark It Out Of Service A stand that flexed, slipped, or struck the tree needs the same inspection. Mark it out of service until the manufacturer or a qualified person tells you it is safe.
- Call For Help Signal, call 911 when you can, and work toward the manufacturer’s stated self-rescue method. A suspension is an emergency, even when you feel calm.
- Unloaded While Hauling Never climb with a firearm, bow, pack, or heavy load. Keep the firearm unloaded while hauling.
You need: Inspect Before You Trust (Inspect before you trust. Harness from the ground up. Three points of contact. Haul every load.)
Check it. Pass: you name your next step after a fall, a wobble, or a haul. Fail: any load is carried while climbing.
Field check
- I mark a stand out of service after a fall.
- I signal and call 911 when I can.
- I keep the firearm unloaded while hauling.
- I inspect before I trust.
Safety. If suspended, use the suspension relief device, signal, and call 911 when possible.
Pre Climb Inspection
Learn it on the table: inspect and fit the complete system while naming each part.
- Lay Out Parts Lay out the stand, climbing parts, haul rope, full-body harness, tether, tree strap, and suspension relief device on clean ground.
- Inspect Parts Inspect bolts, welds, cables, straps, webbing, stitching, buckles, D-rings, platform joints, seat parts, and wood for damage or contamination.
- Remove Suspect Parts Read the stand and fall-arrest instructions, then remove any suspect part from service instead of making an improvised repair.
- Adjust The Harness Put on the harness and adjust the waist and leg straps until the manufacturer’s fit instructions are met and the webbing lies flat.
- Practice The Connection Practice the connection and suspension relief device at ground level with a responsible adult before the hunt.
Check it. Pass: every component is accounted for, undamaged, correctly fitted, and understood by the hunter. Fail: any fray, crack, bent part, failed buckle, unknown replacement date, or unpracticed device remains in the system.
Field check
- I lay out the stand, climbing parts, haul rope, and full-body harness.
- I inspect bolts, welds, cables, straps, and webbing.
- I remove any suspect part from service.
- I adjust the waist and leg straps.
- I practice the connection at ground level.
Safety. Never climb with a firearm, bow, pack, or heavy load.
Connected Climb
Then wet: repeat the inspection and three-point climb on the ground beside a slick blackwater trail.
- Attach At Ground Attach the lifeline and harness connection at the ground as directed by the manufacturer before your first climbing step.
- Clear The Route Clear loose branches, wet leaves, mud, and other obstacles from the route without damaging the tree or property.
- Keep Three Points Climb slowly while keeping two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, in contact with the ladder, sticks, or tree.
- Stop If It Binds Keep the connection above you with the least slack that still permits movement, and stop if the system binds or the stand shifts.
You need: Descend Connected (Descend by the same deliberate system, staying connected until both feet are back on stable ground.)
Check it. Pass: the hunter stays connected from ground to ground and can name the three contact points at every move. Fail: any climb begins unconnected, a load is carried in the hands, or a contact point is abandoned while moving.
Field check
- I attach the lifeline and harness connection at the ground.
- I clear loose branches, wet leaves, mud, and other obstacles.
- I keep two hands and one foot in contact.
- I keep the connection above me with the least slack.
- I stay connected until both feet are back on stable ground.
Safety. Stay connected from the ground to the stand and back to the ground.
Safe Gear Haul
Then in the dark: practice finding the tether and relief device by touch at ground level.
- Unload And Secure Unload the firearm completely and secure every hunting item to a sound haul rope before raising or lowering it.
- Keep Hands Available Climb or descend with both hands available, then move the load only after you are safely connected and stable.
- Clear The Load Keep the load and rope clear of people, branches, sharp edges, hot surfaces, and the stand’s moving parts.
- Freeze And Stay If the stand wobbles or a component fails, freeze, keep three points of contact, stay attached, and reverse the route only when stable.
- Use Relief Device If suspended after a fall, deploy the suspension relief device, signal or call 911, and follow the manufacturer’s self-rescue instructions.
Check it. Pass: hands stay free during movement, the firearm is unloaded before hauling, and the hunter can reach and use the relief device while connected. Fail: any load is carried while climbing or an emergency plan depends on jumping, catching a falling item, or waiting silently.
Field check
- I unload the firearm completely.
- I secure every hunting item to a sound haul rope.
- I keep both hands available.
- I keep three points of contact and stay attached.
- I deploy the suspension relief device and call 911.
Safety. If suspended, use the suspension relief device, signal, and call 911 when possible.
