ROCKFORD, Mich — Hunting is already a dangerous pursuit, so there is no need to take any unnecessary risks. But every year hunters all across Michigan think an accident won't happen to them as they head to their tree stand.
And every year it does.
“Leg Fractures, spinal Fractures, concussions," Dr. Derek Blok has seen it all. "I would see at least a couple a year, I would say, come through the emergency department of somebody who'd fallen out of a tree stand.”
Those are accidents that safety instructor Ross Graveling says don’t need to happen because of the equipment and training now available.
"Belts to five-point harnesses like these are now to be able to keep you safe," said Graveliing. "So now it's more when and if you ever fall, you're never going to hit the ground. The technology that is there now with lifelines and some of the stuff we'll walk through, you don't have to fear it."
But you do have to understand it.
That's why Ross says to check your gear to make sure it’s in good working order long before the season, and do some practice runs NOW before you find yourself fumbling with harnesses and knots in the dark during a hunt.
"There's no reason to ever hit the ground anymore with the technology that we have," Graveling added.
To watch his step-by-step safety process, check out the video below.
Just as important as knowing and using the safety equipment correctly; communication. Make sure someone knows where you are going when you head out into the woods for a hunt.
Even if that means giving up your favorite hunting spot.
"Anytime you're going to hunt land that's not familiar to you, like public land, if you haven't been out there, You should get out and scout it ahead of time, so you know where to go in, where to come out, so you're not getting lost," Corporal Steve Orange with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources told me. "People know where you're going to be and the, at least the general area where you're going to set up because that plan can change. But then have a way to communicate that with them.”
Bottom line? Use a line when hunting above the ground and drop someone a line when you go out.
Because it’s hard to shoot a buck from a hospital bed.
Archery season for deer starts on October 1st.
In addition to safety equipment make sure you have the proper license and check the regulations before you head out into the woods this year.
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