Anderson: Deer stand safety doesn't come by accident

Statistics prove hunting is much safer than most recreational team or individual sports. But if you're a deer hunter — archery season opened Saturday — you face the possibility of injury and even death every time you climb into a tree stand.

And most deer hunters climb into stands.

Here then, a review of how to place and hunt from stands correctly, or at least as correctly as possible, to minimize the chance of an accident.

The tips below are taken from my experiences, with advice mixed in from other sources. The information applies both to portable and permanent stands.

1. The golden rule: Never place a stand higher than you're willing to fall. I remind myself of this every time I place a stand. Not that it makes me hunt close to the ground. But it reminds me that 5 feet is the maximum distance I want to fall. Therefore, since I typically hunt 12 or more feet in the air, I better make sure I don't fall.

2. Your stand is only as good as the tree(s) that supports it. Trees age and rot, year to year. Therefore, a good supporting tree this year might not be next year. Inspection is necessary.

3. Hunting securely from a tree stand begins with a safety harness or vest. These are worn most commonly by hunters using portable, not permanent, stands. But even permanent stands require hunters to climb up a ladder or steps. And unless you're willing to fall from, say, 10 feet while doing so, you should consider wearing a harness while going up and down. Various types over a range of prices are available, typically $125 to $200.

4. Tree stands might present their greatest danger when being hung (portables) or, in the case of permanent stands, when they are being built or placed high in a tree. This is because many hunters — even those who typically wear safety vests or harnesses while hunting — don't secure themselves at these times. Fact: One Deer & Deer Hunting magazine study found that 13 percent of hunters who fell did so while installing stands.

5. Another high-danger time occurs when a hunter ascends to his or her stand, or descends from it. In recent years, more hunters are wearing vests or harnesses at this time. But they are not tethered to the tree while climbing up or down. This is because many hunters only affix themselves, via a rope or line secured to the tree above the stand, when they are in the stand, not while climbing up or down. One study showed that most deer-stand falls — as many as 40 percent — occur while ascending or descending.

6. How does a hunter secure himself or herself while placing steps or portable climbing sticks on a tree and, subsequently, while carrying a portable stand to its desired height and positioning it? Options exist to accomplish this task safely, including variations of lineman belts, which are widely available — but somewhat clumsy, in my experience. Easier to use is a hunter safety vest and a safety line attached high in the chosen tree. These lines have a shorter line attached to them that slides up and down, via a Prusik knot, and can be attached by a carabiner to the hunter's vest.

7. Yet risk remains, because at some point the hunter needs to carry the stand up the steps and place it on the tree. Three points here: If you have a sturdy ladder and a buddy, that's probably the safest way to hang a portable stand. Second, absent those, I always extend my tree steps above the stand hanging point. Third, when the top step(s) have been placed, I affix my safety line to the tree at that point or as high as possible, again above the stand-hanging point. Now I can be tethered, via my vest, carabiner and short line, to the safety line while carrying the stand up the tree. Additionally, because I positioned the top end of my safety line above the stand-hanging position, I can more nimbly hang the stand. I don't have to try to swing it to my shoulder or eye level to position it on the tree, while not being connected to a safety line.

8. As rain, sleet and snow fall in September, October and November, gear checking, and possibly maintenance, is necessary.

9. I keep a folding knife and cell phone in the pocket of my safety vest. If I do fall, and end up suspended from a tree, I want to be able to call for help, if necessary. Secondly, even wearing a safety vest, I'm not fully confident that, should I fall, I would be able to reposition myself to the tree and steps, while also being able to take enough pressure off of my safety vest and line to regain freedom of movement. I can envision somehow needing to cut something in this process, though I'm unsure exactly what. Thus the knife.

10. Other things to think about: Don't buy cheap portables. Check online for comments about prospective perches before purchasing. Beware frosty (therefore slippery) steps. Always pull your gun or bow up to your stand via a rope, after you're in your stand and secured. Always tell someone where you're going and when you'll return. Beware the excitement that accompanies seeing a deer, and how, in that moment, you need to contain yourself so you don't step off the stand, or otherwise mess up.

Finally, good luck. Have a safe season.

Dennis Anderson dennis.anderson@startribune.com