Climbing Stand Safety Tip

Here is the scenario... you sit in your 2 piece climbing stand and your foot inadvertently bumps the lower section while there is no weight on it - and it slides down the tree, out of reach!

OK, you are safe - you have a string tied from the upper section that you are sitting on and the foot portion that slid 4-5 feet down the tree. All you have to do it pull the other section up, reposition it and you are back in business, correct?

Maybe!

Have you ever tested this theory?

I have - with several different tree stand makes and models. In the best case scenario, you can pull it back up. If you have not tied the string in the correct location AND verified that it works tied to this area, you could be in trouble!

When the string is tied in the correct location, you can pull the lower section back into place. It is not, the lower section may bind or get locked to the tree each time you try to pull it up (remember, you are not pulling from the most advantageous position!).

Using one of the most popular name brand stands, I found that with the string tied in the location they indicated, it was still difficult (or impossible) to pull the lower section up. This was tested in my yard on various trees, while standing on the ground, of course! I do not want to be stuck 15-20 feet up a tree and have to test this theory!

I found that by testing various locations, you can identify the optimum location for the string to be tied. In the case of this stand, I found that the second floor slat (from the tree) provided the best location for retrieval of the lower section in the event it "slipped" down the tree.

Practice with your tree stand, make sure the two sections of your climbing stand are tied together and that the string is in the best location!!!

This is just another way of staying safe and hunting smart, which is my motto!