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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 31, 2011 8:15:24 GMT -5
Poseyville, Ind. man dies in apparent fall from deer stand www.courierpress.com/news/2011/oct/30/ev_huntingdeath/WASHINGTON, Ind. — Indiana Conservation officers are investigating the death of a man they believe fell from a tree stand while hunting deer in rural Daviess County Saturday, officials said. John Mattingly, 53, of Poseyville, was dead when officials found him near a tree in an area northwest of Washington, Indiana. His autopsy was scheduled for Sunday, but officials with information could not be reached late Sunday. Mattingly's family members contacted Daviess County Sheriff's officials after he didn't return from deer archery hunting and they couldn't reach him, officials said. Deputies located his vehicle, then his body. The nearby tree stand was 12-feet high, officials said |
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Post by parson on Oct 31, 2011 8:19:22 GMT -5
Very sad.
I am mostly a ground hunter nowadays, but if I go up, I'm gonna be secured.
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Post by Boilermaker on Oct 31, 2011 8:20:25 GMT -5
That's terrible to hear. 12 feet doesn't sound that high...but just goes to show anything can happen no matter how high you're sitting. it's sad how $100 on a harness can save a man's life and some still won't do it.
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Post by swilk on Oct 31, 2011 8:25:12 GMT -5
Doesnt even need to be $100 .... pretty sure industry mandates that every new stand come with a fall restraint harness.
I have thrown countless away over the years.
The older I get the more I realize there are certain few mistakes a guy doesnt live to learn from .....
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Post by firstwd on Oct 31, 2011 8:42:28 GMT -5
I completely agree on the need to use a fall restraint devise, but we need to wait on the autopsy. A friend of mine died a few years back and the paper had a story about him falling from his tree and getting hung by his tree tether, and even possible suicide. While the tether was wrapped around his neck, the autopsy determined he died of a massive rupture of his aorta and that he was dead before he ever fell out of the stand.
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Post by dbd870 on Oct 31, 2011 9:50:13 GMT -5
yep; I was thinking it could have been a heart attack or some such thing that got him first - just have to wait and see.
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Post by raporter on Oct 31, 2011 12:03:22 GMT -5
The story is in the Indy Star and the comments would make a hunter become violent.  |
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Post by Boilermaker on Oct 31, 2011 12:11:43 GMT -5
The story is in the Indy Star and the comments would make a hunter become violent. Is there a new article posted? And I guess I shouldn't jump ahead like the media has and assume he fell...we all know what assumptions do. I once heard a statistic that one of the leading causes of deer hunter deaths is heart attacks; scary thought! |
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Post by countrystyle56 on Oct 31, 2011 12:17:28 GMT -5
You all are too quick to assume he wasn't wearing a harness! There is a point when you have to detach from the tree to climb down. I have had steps break out from under me when climbing down. Any time you climb a tree, even if you wear the best harness on the market, there is always a possibility of a fall. Just a risk you take.
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Post by gobblerstopper on Oct 31, 2011 12:44:25 GMT -5
Very sad indeed. Will have to wait and see what actually happened.
There are several products that allow a hunter to be attached to the tree from the time they leave the ground until the time they put their feet back on the ground. Most common excuses for not using one are they are too expensive, too uncomfortable or inconvienient. All of which are better than not walking into the house after a hunt.
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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 31, 2011 13:00:23 GMT -5
Key word is "apparent"...
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Post by dadfsr on Oct 31, 2011 13:10:41 GMT -5
You all are too quick to assume he wasn't wearing a harness! There is a point when you have to detach from the tree to climb down. I have had steps break out from under me when climbing down. Any time you climb a tree, even if you wear the best harness on the market, there is always a possibility of a fall. Just a risk you take. WRONG!!! Having a simple lifeline from the ground to stand that a simple prussic knot is attached to from the rope to your harness should in most cases stop a person from hitting the ground. If you want to spend a little more you can pick up any number of belaying devices that would also work. Next time you see anyone doing any tree work on a rope just ask them when they come down how it can be done. You will NEVER find a professional arborist or rockclimber that will ever become separated from their lifeline until their feet are on the ground or another anchor point is maintained. I am also assuming that all of the new HSS are capable of being kept "online" until the person is on the ground-it may take an extra minute but more than worth it!!! I say assume because I use what I teach my Scouts for rockclimbing or what I've used for years while doing treework. I hardly ever get off the ground while hunting though-it's just too much like work ;D |
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Post by countrystyle56 on Oct 31, 2011 13:58:51 GMT -5
You all are too quick to assume he wasn't wearing a harness! There is a point when you have to detach from the tree to climb down. I have had steps break out from under me when climbing down. Any time you climb a tree, even if you wear the best harness on the market, there is always a possibility of a fall. Just a risk you take. WRONG!!! Having a simple lifeline from the ground to stand that a simple prussic knot is attached to from the rope to your harness should in most cases stop a person from hitting the ground. If you want to spend a little more you can pick up any number of belaying devices that would also work. Next time you see anyone doing any tree work on a rope just ask them when they come down how it can be done. You will NEVER find a professional arborist or rockclimber that will ever become separated from their lifeline until their feet are on the ground or another anchor point is maintained. I am also assuming that all of the new HSS are capable of being kept "online" until the person is on the ground-it may take an extra minute but more than worth it!!! I say assume because I use what I teach my Scouts for rockclimbing or what I've used for years while doing treework. I hardly ever get off the ground while hunting though-it's just too much like work ;D Just curious, how many people on here actually use this system? |
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Post by Woody Williams on Oct 31, 2011 14:00:32 GMT -5
WRONG!!! Having a simple lifeline from the ground to stand that a simple prussic knot is attached to from the rope to your harness should in most cases stop a person from hitting the ground. If you want to spend a little more you can pick up any number of belaying devices that would also work. Next time you see anyone doing any tree work on a rope just ask them when they come down how it can be done. You will NEVER find a professional arborist or rockclimber that will ever become separated from their lifeline until their feet are on the ground or another anchor point is maintained. I am also assuming that all of the new HSS are capable of being kept "online" until the person is on the ground-it may take an extra minute but more than worth it!!! I say assume because I use what I teach my Scouts for rockclimbing or what I've used for years while doing treework. I hardly ever get off the ground while hunting though-it's just too much like work ;D Just curious, how many people on here actually use this system? I know two for sure - Woodmaster and I. |
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Post by firstwd on Oct 31, 2011 14:03:24 GMT -5
WRONG!!! Having a simple lifeline from the ground to stand that a simple prussic knot is attached to from the rope to your harness should in most cases stop a person from hitting the ground. If you want to spend a little more you can pick up any number of belaying devices that would also work. Next time you see anyone doing any tree work on a rope just ask them when they come down how it can be done. You will NEVER find a professional arborist or rockclimber that will ever become separated from their lifeline until their feet are on the ground or another anchor point is maintained. I am also assuming that all of the new HSS are capable of being kept "online" until the person is on the ground-it may take an extra minute but more than worth it!!! I say assume because I use what I teach my Scouts for rockclimbing or what I've used for years while doing treework. I hardly ever get off the ground while hunting though-it's just too much like work ;D Just curious, how many people on here actually use this system? Obviously, not nearly enough. |
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Post by scottrader on Oct 31, 2011 15:09:18 GMT -5
Just curious, how many people on here actually use this system? Obviously, not nearly enough. Exactly. I walked out of my house one morning to my tree stand and over 3 months later I was wheeled in in a wheelchair. I wished I would have known about these before that day because I thought I was doing everything right. Yes, some might be rushing to judgment because not many details were revealed in the article. He may have even had some kind of fall restraint on, and he may not have. Let's just keep his family in our thoughts/prayers. Regardless of the reason that he fell, let's just use this to bring more awareness to something that can be easily prevented. If you don't wear a harness that should be the first money you spend before you buy that new top-of-the-line bow, or gun. |
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Post by hardwickbv on Oct 31, 2011 15:29:33 GMT -5
I have a HSS Life Line on each of the 5 stands I hunt from
Bob
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Post by joeyb on Oct 31, 2011 15:55:38 GMT -5
I have my harness on from the minute I step into my climber. It doesn't come off until I'm on the ground. It's something I just started doing this year. Too much to lose if I fall, and I'm a more confident shooter knowing I'm safe. I always thought I could use the $100 elsewhere, and that it's inconvenient to wear. Well it's not at all. It gives me more pockets, it's easy to use and takes about only 1-2 extra minutes, and gives me the comfort of being locked in.
To stay on track my thoughts are with this mans family. Like others have mentioned he may have had a harness on. My above comment is more related to the no-harness theory of others.
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Post by salt on Oct 31, 2011 16:26:30 GMT -5
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Post by Indyhunter on Oct 31, 2011 17:35:36 GMT -5
The story is in the Indy Star and the comments would make a hunter become violent. Channel 6 website is the same. A bunch of computer tough guys and clueless idiots with nothing better to do. Easy to do while eating their ribeye and pork chop in front of the pc. Have a good friend in a wheelchair now for 6 or 7 years for a treestand fall. And he wasn't even hunting, just checking out the condition of one of his permanent stands prior to season. Serves as a reminder every deer season. |
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