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Post by dusty20 on Nov 11, 2015 10:59:53 GMT -5
Been a lurker for a couple years now but with all the news articles about treestand safety these days I have several questions about the tree itself.
I am new to hunting this will be my second full season. I just bought some property that gives me a little room to hunt there. I never put much thought into it but always used a harness that I strapped to the tree once I was up the ladder. This year I bought lifelines for all the stands I have. My brother fell about 10 ish feet while screwing in tree steps right before bow season and it landed him in the hospital with two new screws in his ankle right next to the two he already had from an old bmx accident and a back brace to support his l1 and l2 because they fractured when he hit the ground. All in all it was better than it could have been but it sure shook me up. Never really been afraid of heights before this but something as silly as heights can sure put a hurtin on you. He had a makeshift lineman's belt but shortly after I made sure we had a purchased one for good measure... Too little too late... Edit: I should note that he is now getting to the point that he can begin walking again, back is healing nicely and foot is healed although very sore and stiff.
My real question falls on the tree itself. I would sure like to think I know a good tree from a bad one but I'm no tree expert. I've noticed a few trees on my property that have fallen since I've moved in that I wouldn't have paid much attention to when hanging a stand. Had leaves, appeared healthy etc. So what are some best practices for which trees a stand should be placed in? Last thing I want to do is be strapped to a few ton object that is dragging me down to earth with it if it breaks.
An add on is propper way to hang s ladder stand and be strapped to the tree while doing it. A lifeline only works once it's connected to the tree. Should k buy another set of climbing sticks and put that up prior to the ladder being erected?
I don't like this new found worry of heights ( not going to say fully afraid... Yet) but I have a kid on the way and should be here around new years and I can't think of leaving him with a dad that is seriously injured or worse because I was being careless with something like this.
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Post by bartiks on Nov 11, 2015 11:58:25 GMT -5
Lot of things to consider here. First and probably in my opinion make sure that your lifeline can/will support you. Try swinging around from it in a garage or something. Next thing is and I would know quite a bit about this being I used to work in the Tree Industry for around 15 years. I know that you are probably worried if you are tied off to a branch or whatever the situation might be. You need to take into account the species of tree you are in. If you are tying off to a branch in a pine tree the size of your thigh would be prudent. If you are going around the base of the tree or if you are screwed into the base nothing to worry about. And as always check for bad spots in the tree/branch/trunk.
Something I always told guys that climbed trees with me was if they were concerned about the size of the limb they were tying off to view it in the size of "2x4's". A single 2x4 will definitely hold your weight. If you are going up in an oak or something similar you are set. Tulip Poplar's are a close second to pines.
And lastly you were concerned if a tree were going to "uproot/break". A hard wood tree doesn't bend as much so I would feel very comfortable up in it being they tend to uproot prior to breaking, come to think of it I've never seen an Oak tree snap in half from high winds, they've always uprooted. But you aren't likely to be hunting in a 60+ mph wind are you. The softer the tree the more susceptible they are to break before they uproot, then again if you aren't hunting in 60+mph winds nothing to worry about.
My apologies for being long winded, if you need some more pointers let me know.
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weeman
Junior Member
Posts: 40 
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Post by weeman on Nov 11, 2015 12:23:18 GMT -5
Ladderstands should have 2 ropes that are tied to rear corners of seat and cross behind tree and tie to ladder to help hold it to tree till strapped I still use a helper
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Post by dusty20 on Nov 11, 2015 13:25:55 GMT -5
Ladderstands should have 2 ropes that are tied to rear corners of seat and cross behind tree and tie to ladder to help hold it to tree till strapped I still use a helper I agree and any one that I have seen does have that. The only way that I have seen to put them up is you lift it then tie those off as well as the center support to the trunk and climb it while it's not tied to the top of the tree and while you are not tied to the tree yourself. once you get to the top you can tie yourself off and put up a lifeline etc but as the statistics show it's 80+% of falls that happen when climbing into or out of a stand I would assume this would be no different. In addition these ladder stands arguably aren't the strongest things made and I can only imagine a slightly wrong lean angle and you could bend a ladder in half in a hurry. I'm just trying to gain a bit more information, if just climbing to the top and strapping it is the best method I guess I'm doing the best method ha. |
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Post by dusty20 on Nov 11, 2015 13:30:29 GMT -5
Lot of things to consider here. First and probably in my opinion make sure that your lifeline can/will support you. Try swinging around from it in a garage or something. Next thing is and I would know quite a bit about this being I used to work in the Tree Industry for around 15 years. I know that you are probably worried if you are tied off to a branch or whatever the situation might be. You need to take into account the species of tree you are in. If you are tying off to a branch in a pine tree the size of your thigh would be prudent. If you are going around the base of the tree or if you are screwed into the base nothing to worry about. And as always check for bad spots in the tree/branch/trunk. Something I always told guys that climbed trees with me was if they were concerned about the size of the limb they were tying off to view it in the size of "2x4's". A single 2x4 will definitely hold your weight. If you are going up in an oak or something similar you are set. Tulip Poplar's are a close second to pines. And lastly you were concerned if a tree were going to "uproot/break". A hard wood tree doesn't bend as much so I would feel very comfortable up in it being they tend to uproot prior to breaking, come to think of it I've never seen an Oak tree snap in half from high winds, they've always uprooted. But you aren't likely to be hunting in a 60+ mph wind are you. The softer the tree the more susceptible they are to break before they uproot, then again if you aren't hunting in 60+mph winds nothing to worry about. My apologies for being long winded, if you need some more pointers let me know. Props to you, I've seen videos and I cannot imagine driving to work everyday thinking what kind of massive tree do I have to scale and trim or cut down today before I can get my lunch break! I would be extremely interested in learning more about trees in general, how to truly tell the health of a tree, what each tree is on first glance (would sure save hours worth of google searches) and based on given limbs, trunk sizes etc what type of weight it will support. If nothing more than the fact that I have woods full of trees that I can only name a few at first glance. Now that there aren't any leaves it gets harder! |
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Post by bartiks on Nov 11, 2015 13:35:59 GMT -5
It becomes more challenging in the fall/winter time. However if you look at the bark you can decipher what species of tree it is being oak, maple, poplar and the like. Not whether it is a silver maple, or Lombardi poplar etc. And then there is also the "shape" of the tree, branch spacing and the way the branches grow along with the crown of the tree.
If you would like to know more send me a message and I can do my best to describe to you what is what and anything else you would like to know.
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Post by dusty20 on Nov 11, 2015 13:39:28 GMT -5
It becomes more challenging in the fall/winter time. However if you look at the bark you can decipher what species of tree it is being oak, maple, poplar and the like. Not whether it is a silver maple, or Lombardi poplar etc. And then there is also the "shape" of the tree, branch spacing and the way the branches grow along with the crown of the tree. If you would like to know more send me a message and I can do my best to describe to you what is what and anything else you would like to know. Absolutely! I appreciate the help. One example of an odd tree I have found so far: From what I can gather We have a small clump of Red Alders kind of on the edge of the backyard/ woods line. Took a lot of looking to figure those out. From what I can see they are generally only in the far stretches of the northwest US, they certainly do not pop up when I type in Native Northeast Indiana Tree. |
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Post by foamyflyer on Nov 11, 2015 14:57:48 GMT -5
Here's a neat concept, not sure if it has made it to the mainstream market. Looks expensive!
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Post by beermaker on Nov 11, 2015 19:52:31 GMT -5
I have found it best to have two helpers, but one is sufficient if you BOTH know what is going on. Also, I use a ratchet strap at the level of the mid-ladder brace that fastens the the tree. If you get the ropes from the platform wrapped around the tree and tied to the bottom of the ladder, it is nearly impossible for the stand to fall back, but beware of sideways movement.
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Post by dusty20 on Nov 11, 2015 20:21:16 GMT -5
Here's a neat concept, not sure if it has made it to the mainstream market. Looks expensive! Ha, that's a half a fortune in steel braded cable alone! |
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Post by esshup on Nov 11, 2015 20:37:45 GMT -5
I use a ratchet strap to tie the mid brace to the tree, then go from each upright 1 step above the mid brace and put a ratchet strap around the tree. That holds the ladder stand against the tree. I also make sure that the base of the ladder stand is jammed into the ground, and the base is about 20" further out from the tree than the top is. I gingerly climb it making sure that my weight is as close to the ladder stand as possible. Once I get to the top, I don't step on the platform, I stay a rung down. I will use another ratchet strap to tie the top of the ladder stand to the tree, going from one side of the stand, around behind the tree, to the other side.
Once the stand is secured to the tree, I take the chain that I have on all my ladder stands, put it around the back of the tree, and attach the turnbuckle to the other side of the stand. I tighten the turnbuckle down and that makes the top so tight to the tree that it doesn't wobble side to side.
I can also use that chain to lock it to the tree too.
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Post by dusty20 on Nov 11, 2015 21:32:23 GMT -5
Good call on chain and turnbuckle. Never really thought about that.
One thing I've seen and been thinking about is just to buy another set of climbing sticks. You out them on the back side of the tree and use your lineman's belt to climb and out your lifeline on then do your ladder stand. That seems to be the only thing I can see to really be tied up the whole way. That solves the problem of a broken ladder stand, mistep, ladder falling before tied in etc. I'm generally frugal but seeing what my brother went through $50 or so for an extra set of sticks is less than lost wages and hospital bills.
Thanks for all the suggestions and if you have more by all means keep em coming.
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Post by firstwd on Nov 11, 2015 22:14:58 GMT -5
Currently, the simplest tree advice I can give is stay out of ash trees. If they are dead and falling, they are dieing and will fall.
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Post by dbd870 on Nov 12, 2015 7:52:36 GMT -5
I find these to be very helpful; 2 man job no problem when using them.  |
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