Tree Stand Safety

Tree Stand Safety — Hunt Safe, Hunt Smart

• Read the manufacturer’s instructions. Replace worn/missing parts.
• Use a full-body harness with a foot strap to relieve harness leg pressure.
• Use a "lifeline" or safety rope that is secured at base of the tree or stand and to the tree just above your head when sitting in the stand. Stay connected to a lifeline from the time you leave the ground to the time you get back down.
• Attach the tether from your full-body harness to the lifeline using a carabiner and prusik knot, which easily slides up and down the lifeline.
• Once secured in your stand, use a haul line to raise/lower unloaded implements and quiver. Do not tie the haul line around the trigger or trigger guard. Haul unloaded guns, bows, and cocked (but unloaded) crossbows pointed down.
• Carry emergency equipment (knife, phone, flashlight, whistle) in your pockets at all times, not in your pack.
• Tell someone where you will be hunting and when you will return.