Be Careful Out There…..
Do you wear a safety harness in your treestand?
I do. After getting away for a decade or so without using a belt as a young man, I stumbled upon a permanent stand in the far backcountry of public land in northern Wisconsin with Matt Selsor in the 1980s. Matt was a 15 year old without a father who I began introducing to the world of hunting and fishing and we remain friends. He today, in fact, is a VP at Landmark Credit Union. The roles have changed and Matt mentors me on how to keep this business floating. He’s also a big musky man, and tagged his share of deer from our cabin while growing up.
But I digress. Why does a man climb a treestand, even if he is supposed to be setting a good example for a 15 year old new hunter on how to stay safe in the field? Because it’s there.
I climbed the wooden 2 x 4s nailed into the tree serving as an ancient ladder until only one rung remained above the plywood platform serving as the actual stand. I reached for it, let my weight….just for a second…shift to the rung, felt the nails of the step instantly pull out and literally took a 12 foot head-first dive toward the dirt pool below.
Matt watched as my boot lodged in the crotch of the twin tree trunks far below and jerked me to a stop simultaneously as my head hit the ground with a feeble attempt to break the fall with my hands. Now that hurt like heck. And it took Matt a long time to get me loose. But I didn’t hit my head by sheer luck or God’s will and I lived to climb hundreds of other trees with portable, climbing stands across the decades; always with a safety belt and now with a vest with built in harness that secures above my head around the truck. It does not impede the shot and in my case makes me a better shot because I am safe.
I know people paralyzed from falls. I have heard of guys killed in Wisconsin from falls. But why I am I telling you this now? Well, one, we are into another season and most of us will spend many hours in trees, and even more time with the birds as we move toward the Rut.
And two, my family dodged a major bullet Tuesday. You may remember my Blog 8-22-2013 entitled “Ontario’s Cozy Camp Sends Wisconsin Bear Hunter, Angler Home Happy.” You can go read it now if you’re so inclined. My father-in-law and On Wisconsin Outdoors writer, Dick Henske, traveled to Ontario and tagged a 300 pound black bear and got his fill of walleye fishing while waiting for his next Wisconsin kill tag.
Dick returned to his home in Manitowish Water, and as usual the 78 year old was in his tree stand and hunting grouse as soon as the state gave the green light. That’s a daily habit. Well, Tuesday, Dick took a 10 foot tumble. He threw his bow loaded with a broadhead one way and he went the other way. From what his son and my friend, Steve Henske could determine after seeing the lump on Dick’s head at the hospital before returning to the scene Wednesday to recover gear, Dick probably was also knocked out.
Falling on a log, Dick sustained 11 cleanly broken ribs, a punctured lung, and two breaks in his arm that will probably require surgery. Then, without a cell phone, compass, or GPS, he walked out in the dark, breaking the road 250 yards from where the truck was parked. Dick drove 3 miles, arriving home at 9:30 pm. His wife Mariel then drove him to the hospital, where he will be spending some time.
I did ask Dick for his lever action .44, just in case. Well, not really. Really, I am thankful that Dick is one tough old bird. And I am thankful that my family is not grieving today.
Now a lot of things are out of our hands. But do what you can to make sure that your family is not grieving tomorrow over you.
Wear your safety belt.
The Mike Foss bear camp that we covered in Washburn, Bayfield County last week was incredibly good. To date, 12 of 14 hunters have filled tags with 100 percent shot opportunity. We will give a full report when Mike is finished filling those last two tags and has more time to send the full report. As a teaser, the photo below is of my great-nephew, Cole Ellis, who we blogged about a few weeks ago prior to his first trip to Foss camp, with a first Wisconsin bear tag.
Thanks for connecting with On Wisconsin Outdoors. Shoot straight.
Dick Ellis