Nov 1, 2014 5 min read

There is no doubt what is the most dangerous part of big game hunting.

Here in Pennsylvania attacks by grizzly bears are almost nonexistent. While the debate of the presence of mountain lions does go on, I don’t know of anyone that has been attacked been attacked by one. We know there are coyotes around and there are records of them attacking humans but such an occurrence is rare. We all have heard the stories of bullets whizzing through the air, I do a lot of shooting and have never heard a bullet whiz. The chance of being shot while deer hunting is very low, and I should say amazingly low when one considers the number of hunters in the woods.

But, there is one act that probably causes more serious injuries than any other. This is the act of hunting from a tree stand.

I have never seen figures on tree stand accidents but know people who have gotten hurt from tree stand use.

My friend, Jake, is a prime example. It was still dark when he arrived at his tree stand. The platform had been built a few years before, and he had downed a buck from it each year.

Jake was and still is an excellent deer hunter.

He climbed the screw-in steps and stepped onto the homemade platform. His next comprehensive thought found him on the ground with blood squirting from his shattered ankle.

Luckily, another friend, Bob, was in the same woodlot about 200 yards away and heard Jake calling for help. When he arrived at the scene, he took one look and passed out. It was that bad.

Jake had the awareness to place a tourniquet on his leg and once Bob awoke, he told him not to look at the leg but to go for help. After numerous operations, it was finally decided that to save the knee the leg had to be amputated.

Jake told me he had survived Vietnam without an injury but was injured while using a tree stand. I must add Jake handled and still handles his handicap better than anyone else I know. He was on a trout stream shortly after his leg was removed and most people meeting him for the first time don’t know he walks with an artificial leg.

Another person I know fell asleep on his stand and fell. Another stepped off the platform while taking a shot.

Both of them broke bones. While I shouldn’t blame the tree stand directly, another guy I know was struck by lightning. There are others but the point is that when hunting from an elevated stand you must stay very alert and be very careful.

I have hunted using tree stands for quite some time, but as I aged I have decided to stay on the ground.

When falling, age brings to light the 3 Bs. At the age of 20, you bounce when you fall. At 40, the bones bend. But when over 60, they break.

Carrying equipment up a ladder or steps can cause a fall and among the equipment can be a bow equipped with arrows. Always tie a rope to equipment that might occupy the hands and pull the bow and anything else up after you have stepped on and tested the platform.

A harness that keeps you right side up should always be worn and tightened when getting settled. You noted of course, that I said the platform, be it bought or home-built, should be tested.

One common problem is that the commercial tree stands have become higher and higher. Years ago, we hunted from 10 to 15 feet off the ground. Today, tree stands are more likely to be placed 20-feet high. Remember, the higher you are, the riskier the hunt.

Jake’s problem was not checking the platform before putting his full weight on it. It was the fact that it was built of wood and attached to a living, growing tree. In most instances, a commercial stand is safer than one that is homemade. Also, stands with ladders are safer than those screw in steps.

Most accidents involving tree stands could be avoided if people just used common sense, but that can sometimes be lacking.

The major problem seems to be the staying alert while hunting. Deer hunting can involve hours of boredom, and it is easy to lose alertness and awareness of surroundings. Please don’t fall this year, you might land on me.

• Chuck the meat cutter whose shop is located in Ellsworth is open for business as usual.

Why do I write this?

Chuck does a big business cutting and wrapping deer and that season is approaching quickly. Chuck had a serious accident recently and lost one finger and temporarily the use of a couple others.

No, he didn’t lose the finger cutting meat, it was a yard work-related incident.

• The Pennsylvania Game Commission has a new book titled “Pennsylvania Deer Hunting.”

It is a collection of old Game News articles related to the deer hunting so many of us enjoy, I am proud of the fact that this book includes one of my articles that was published in the ’80s titled “The Way of the Whitetail.”

The price is $15.50 plus tax and shipping and can be ordered online or by contacting the Pennsylvania Game Commission at the Harrisburg office. The toll-free number is 1-888-888-3459.

George H. Block writes a Sunday Outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter.