MOUNT VERNON – With hunting season around the corner, Rick Musick, owner of Rick’s Sporting Goods in Mount Vernon, has some advice for those using tree stands.
“Whenever you are climbing up to your stand, you should always have a lineman's rope on you,” Musick said. "A lot of people— when they fall are falling on the way up. Most people like to get up there and put a harness on. But most people don't wear a harness on the way up, and that is where most of the accidents come. So they should always be wearing a lineman's rope while they climb up there, and then put a harness around the tree when they get up there.”
There are three types of tree stands: ladder stands, hang-on stands and climbers. The most common is the hang-on stand, which is the most economical. A climber goes up the tree with the hunter. A ladder stand is normally made for two people.
For a beginner hunter, a ladder stand is probably the safest. Chances are, beginners will be hunting with somebody more experienced anyway.
Always make sure your equipment is in working order.
“We had a guy out here whose strap broke on his stand, so you need to inspect how your strap is hooked to your tree,” Musick said. “Make sure you check it every time you go out.”
The same care should be used when hoisting your equipment up to the stand.
“Most guys use ropes to bring their gear up to the stand,” Musick said. “When they get up in the stand, they have their gear sitting on the ground, tied off. Then when you get up in the stand, you pull everything up. It's just not safe to climb with your gear.”
“Make sure you use a proper stand,” Ken Fitz, Ohio Department of Natural Resources executive law enforcement administrator, said. “We don’t run into this as much now, but we used to see guys nail a couple of two-by-fours to a tree, and that’s— obviously— not going to be very safe. Make sure you are using a good, proper stand.”
It may also be wise to take your stand with you when you leave the woods.
“That way you don't have to worry about somebody stealing it,” Musick said. “You wouldn't think somebody would be so stupid as to steal something from an armed hunter.”
Musick, who also does a substantial portion of his business online, is currently out of tree stands.
“Tree stands might be hard to find this year,” he said. “Due to COVID-19 restrictions in other activities, there seems to be a greater demand for hunting equipment from people who have more free time and less to do.”
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