Tree Stand Safety Tips

Have you read the latest Tree Stand Safety Tips?

Safety is the NUMBER ONE concern when hunting. Your family wants you to return at the end of the day in one piece–preferable with something to show for your efforts–and I don’t mean a broken bone (or worse. )

There are a lot of guides and tips out there for Tree Stand Safety but here are the highlights. Even if you are a seasoned hunting pro, it doesn’t hurt to review them, and talk to your kids about them!

Related: Bow Hunting Essentials: Things You Should Have

1. Don’t Hunt in a Hurry. Take your time with hunting and you will be a lot less likely to forget safety precautions.
2. Read ALL the instructions. Take the time to read through all the instructions for your tree stand, harness, and other equipment. It will be worth it–even if you think you already know how it works.
3. Pick a good tree. You want a fairly straight tree that is the correct size for your tree stand. Also, check for bugs, animal nests, beehives, etc.
4. Always Wear Your Harness. Put it on while you are still on the ground. Wrestling yourself into your harness up in a tree is just stupid.
5. Practice Self Rescue. Get someone to spot you and practice recovering from a fall by using the rope and harness to grab back onto the ladder or tree.
6. Inspect Your Tree Stand and Harness. Check it EVERY DAY that you hunt. Look for any tears, rips, bad rust, or missing nuts BEFORE you climb.
7. Tell Someone Your Plans. Just because you have a cell phone doesn’t mean you can rely on it 100%. Tell someone before you go where you will be and how long you plan on staying out.
8. Use A Haul Line. Don’t carry your gear up the tree with you. First, it’s just a lot of unnecessary work, and second, it’s dangerous. Work smarter, not harder. Also, cover your broadheads when hauling them up and down the tree. Keep your firearms UNLOADED while hauling.
9. Retreat to a blind when necessary. Many hunters set up their tree stand near their hunting blind so they can climb down in case of bad weather or other situations where they don’t want to be in a tree but aren’t ready to abandon the hunt.
10. Wear slip-resistant boots. Be extra careful if the ladder is wet.
11. Emergency Equipment. Be sure to have items such as a knife, cell phone, flashlight, and/or whistle.

For more information on how to get ready for bow season, check out our previous article on 10 Things You Can Do Right Now to Prepare for Bow Season.

What other tips do you suggest for tree stand safety? We’d love to hear them. We all need to help each other be safe out there.

Happy Hunting!