Checking tree stands improves hunter safety

As hunters head for the woods this fall, UW Hospital officials remind them: Tree stands can be a valuable tool for deer hunters, but they have the potential to cause a serious accident.

Keith Sperling, chair of rehabilitation medicine at UW Hospital, anticipates that he’ll treat between one and six hunters who have suffered a life changing spinal cord injury as a result of falling from a tree stand this hunting season.

“These are bright, sober, seasoned hunters who make a mistake in judgment,” says Sperling. “Many of the accidents we see happen because hunters don’t wear a safety harness.”

Sperling says a fall from as little as six feet can lead to paralysis.

“Research shows that at least one out of three hunters will fall from a tree stand sometime during his or her hunting career,” says Tim Lawhern, a hunter education coordinator at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Lawhern recommends that hunters who plan to use tree stands follow these precautions to avoid accidents:

• Check permanent tree stands every year before hunting from them, and replace any worn or weak lumber before it breaks.
• Read, understand and follow the factory recommended practices and procedures when installing commercial stands.
• Inspect portable stands for loose nuts and bolts each time the stand is used.
• Use either a safety belt or harness.
• Use a haul line to raise and lower your equipment. Keep firearms unloaded and arrows in a covered quiver.
• Select a tree one large enough to support your weight before the season. (Some mishaps occur as hunters are hurrying to set up their stands on opening morning.)
• Make sure someone else knows the location of your tree stand and knows when you will be hunting there.
• Stay awake.

The bow hunting season is from Sept. 18-Nov. 14 and Dec. 4-Dec. 31. The gun season is from Nov. 20-Nov. 28.