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Tree stands

Djcala

.30-06
Supporter
Im sure most of yall who hunt are familier but here is an excerp from an article in Outdoor Life. Its a good reminder to check our gear and stay safe.
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Take care of your tree stands now and they'll take care of you later.

4. FIX THEM
Last December, my buddy Freeman and I decided to pull a treestand set that we hadn’t hunted in a couple of seasons. The stands had been in place for about four years. We always said we were going to get them down but never did. Sound familiar?

with a mild winter weekend on tap, we headed for the woods to finally retrieve them. As expected, the tree had grown a bit since the stands were placed and removing the straps from the stand wasn’t possible.

So I tossed my pocketknife up to Freeman (who had volunteered to do the dirty work of pulling the stands down) and told him to just cut the straps.

The moment that blade touched the strap—POP! The tension created by the growing tree trunk combined with UV exposure had made those straps a brittle ticking bomb.

We were both stunned. Not because the tree had grown or because we were foolish for leaving the stands out—that was a given. No, it was the intensity with which that strap blew and just how small of a nick in the strap it took for it to fail. Needless to say, we made a long day of removing every single treestand we had left out.

Each stand will be getting a thorough inspection, the bolts and cables replaced as needed, and adding new ratchet straps for the fall.
 
Thanks for sharing that. I hadn't thought about the extra tension on the strap from the tree growing. That thought had never crossed my mind. I guess I just thought the tree would grow around it.

I know that I'm probably crazy, but I also attach a safety chain around the tree that I bolted and welded to the frame of the stand just in case I ever did have a strap failure while I was in it. Just a couple of short nuts and bolts and fender washers through a little hole. And the chain halves are padlocked together to keep thieves at bay a little better and so I can take the chain apart and move/remove the stand.

It's probably also over-kill, but I also bolt a 2x6 pressure treated board underneath of the bottom of the stands footrest so even if a strap did pop, the weight will go to the 2x6 instead of just sliding down the tree. The 2x6 is bolted on the tree with 4 inch lag screws to so it doesn't just collapse or roll.

Since my stand is on private/posted property, you may laugh but I also have a 4x4' tin roof over mine for when it rains and I also have it wrapped with that burlap camo. Kind of like a ground blind in a tree LOL
 
Another big issue with ladder stands is they they collect water from leaking joints/seams and condensation. This can cause them to rust internally and weaken while appearing sturdy on the outside. It can also weaken the metal if enough water freezes and expands. I refused to hunt from one of my dads stands a few years back because I could see splits in the metal from the hydrostatic pressure of ice that had formed in the lower portion of the ladder. Who knows when that would have failed. He said it had only been out for a few seasons.

I've not had issues with straps but I use multiple ratchet straps and recheck frequently, I am a bit OCD about that.

I have had issues where a stand fell apart because the tree flexed and pulled the ladder sections apart. Most new stands have clips at each connection, the older ones did not have these.

I had a climbing stand fall and leave me hanging when I was young. This was before safety straps were anything more than a cheesy belt or just a loop that also doubled as a climbing assist. It happened on the way up so I was able to hug the tree and shimmy down without injury. I was very lucky.
 
Its all good info yall bring up. Were all pretty smart fellas but safety reminders never hurt. I know i get caught up in heat of moment and sidetracked easily. I hate hearing about injured people while out supposed to be enjoying life. As they say an ounce of prevention better than pound of cure. Not the most fun part of hunting but its important.
 
Wearing a harness with a linemans roop is a big plus when going up and coming down. But I've found that is damn near impossible with ladder stands. They set to far away from the tree to able to "walk" the rope up as you go. Unless you use a rope attached to the top and use one of the slide cams. But that still requires you to go up the first and last time without being attached.

I know not everyone wears a harness but that is a personal choice. But I've used other friends stands that scared the crap out of me after getting up in them. Wouldn't have been able to stay if not for my harness.
 
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