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Post by 10point on Nov 20, 2007 10:04:31 GMT -5
SOUTH HAVEN, Ind. -- A hunter died on the second day of the firearms deer season when he fell 20 feet from a tree stand in northwest Indiana.
Indiana Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Gene Davis says 48-year-old Allen Loftis of South Haven was found dead at the foot of a tree Sunday night. His gun was still hanging in the tree.
A family member found Loftis' body after he did not return home as planned.
Davis says Loftis was hunting alone and wasn't wearing a harness in the tree stand. He says falls from tree stands were the leading cause of hunter deaths last year.
South Haven is about 110 miles north of Indianapolis.
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Post by parrothead on Nov 20, 2007 10:10:02 GMT -5
another one in Butlerville fell on Sat. He is listed in critical condition in L-ville. Fell 25 feet. Not wearing a harness.
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Post by bsutravis on Nov 20, 2007 10:12:04 GMT -5
If folks don't wise up and start using a harness, there's gonna be a seat-belt law for deer hunters in tree stands..... just watch! Totally senseless tragedies.
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Post by 10point on Nov 20, 2007 10:22:00 GMT -5
Accidents can happen. I am very safety conscious because I am paranoid about falling. Last week I climbed once and totally forgot to attach my harness to the tree before climging up. I thought how can I be this high this quick and realized I had forgot to attach. It was also then that I realized my simple mistake could have been much worse.
Last weekend while hunting with my Dad I was discussing how I couldn't believe the way we used to hunt when I was younger. I used to use those safety belts that came with the Loc-On treestands that would suffocate you if you fell.
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Post by TagTeamHunter on Nov 20, 2007 12:12:52 GMT -5
This was my first year using a climber and I know what a pain using a safety harness can be. I almost didn't use one on Monday. Guess what ... climbing down my bottom platform slips out of my foot straps ... and just like that (in a blink of an eye) my armpits are on my top platform and I am hanging by the safety harness. I it easy enough to recover ... but if I didn't have my strap on at least a broken leg. In the rush to get going I can see the temptation to take short cuts. Lesson learned, don't.
My Prayer to the family and friends.
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Post by 10point on Nov 20, 2007 12:44:47 GMT -5
This was my first year using a climber and I know what a pain using a safety harness can be. I almost didn't use one on Monday. Guess what ... climbing down my bottom platform slips out of my foot straps ... and just like that (in a blink of an eye) my armpits are on my top platform and I am hanging by the safety harness. I it easy enough to recover ... but if I didn't have my strap on at least a broken leg. In the rush to get going I can see the temptation to take short cuts. Lesson learned, don't. My Prayer to the family and friends. Don't know what kind of climber you were using but if you can attach a bungee behind your legs it may prevent this. |
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Post by jkd on Nov 20, 2007 14:19:52 GMT -5
Those of us in our hunting group adopted some new rules this year that (1) anyone in a tree stand is using a harness, and (2) we do radio checks to confirm when we are up and strapped in, and call again when we get down to confirm we're safely on terra firma.
I think Travis makes a good point... insurance companies may start looking at stand fall accidents and make it a policy requirement for using a harness, or drop coverage for hunters. I was talking to a local salesman the other day while dropping of my auto payment, and he mentioned that almost all companies either raise rates or won't even offer coverage for homeowners insurance any more if the person owns certain types of dogs, e.g. pits or dobies, so it's not much of a stretch to see where stand accidents might lead...
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Post by firstwd on Nov 20, 2007 14:37:11 GMT -5
I actually see that as a way to get helmets required for motorcycle riders. The state pasted the seatbelt law, but won't for helmets. It can be written into the insurance policy that coverage is suspended when helmets are not in use. Not too far of a stretch that the same could apply for fall restraint devices. Just like suicide is not covered for Life Insurance, this could be seen as an "accidental suicide" and not be covered.
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Post by TagTeamHunter on Nov 20, 2007 14:58:30 GMT -5
Don't know what kind of climber you were using but if you can attach a bungee behind your legs it may prevent this. Boy I hate to admit this (show how dumb I was) Bungee cord left in the box. Must have skipped that part of the instructions.  OK I was in a big rush to get going and thought I had figured out how to use the climber. The DVD that came with the climber had general safety tips and wasn't made for this specific brand. Not blaming the manufacturer; my fault, my mistake. Thanks for the catch 10point. |
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Post by Old Ironsights on Nov 20, 2007 15:11:34 GMT -5
I actually see that as a way to get helmets required for motorcycle riders. The state pasted the seatbelt law, but won't for helmets. It can be written into the insurance policy that coverage is suspended when helmets are not in use. Not too far of a stretch that the same could apply for fall restraint devices. Just like suicide is not covered for Life Insurance, this could be seen as an "accidental suicide" and not be covered. Amen. No "mandatory" safety gear. Personal Responsibility Uber Alles. Fail to RTFM, no insurance/government cheque for you. |
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Post by Woody Williams on Nov 20, 2007 19:42:38 GMT -5
On a two part climber you should tie the two pieces together with about a 5 or 6 foot piece of rope. So, if you lose the bottom part it wont go far and you can pull it back up.
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Post by Woody Williams on Nov 20, 2007 19:44:16 GMT -5
Guys and gals ,
I still have a few of the Big Dog Treestand safety DVDs left.
Free of charge just for the asking.
Just promise me that you will watch it and share it..
PM me your snail mail address and I'll mail you one..
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Post by sgreen on Nov 21, 2007 12:52:30 GMT -5
Your wife and kids deserve the few minutes of inconvenience it takes to put a harness on. Let alone your own life.
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Post by danf on Nov 22, 2007 19:39:50 GMT -5
And this in the Lafayette paper today: www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071122/NEWS/711220323/1141/NEWS"Hunter dies after fall from tree stand STAFF REPORTS A Texas man who was found unconscious Monday at the base of a tree in White County died as a result of injuries from an accidental fall, investigators said Wednesday. James F. Bowsher III, 58, of Celina, Texas, died of blunt force trauma after falling 15 feet from a tree stand, the Department of Natural Resources reported Wednesday. A tree stand is a perch on which hunters sit and wait for deer while hunting. Bowsher, of Celina, Texas, was a 1967 graduate of Twin Lakes High School who regularly returned to Indiana for hunting trips. The incident occurred in White County near county roads 500 north and 600 East. Investigators said Bowsher was found by Kent Wamsley of Monticello after someone informed Wamsley that Bowsher had not returned from hunting. Wamsley performed CPR at the scene. Buffalo first responders transported Bowsher to White County Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:01 p.m. Monday. Bowsher was not wearing a fall restraint and did not have a haul line to pull his gun up to the tree stand. The DNR recommends hunters use both safety devices. Matt Tholen, a public information officer for the DNR, said such falls are not uncommon, although they are not always fatal. " |
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Post by Woody Williams on Nov 22, 2007 19:44:24 GMT -5
That is doubly sad..
Prayers of comfort to the families...
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OK I was in a big rush to get going and thought I had figured out how to use the climber. The DVD that came with the climber had general safety tips and wasn't made for this specific brand. Not blaming the manufacturer; my fault, my mistake. Thanks for the catch 10point. 
