West Virginia Wildlife from Eyewitness News

Tree Stand Safety

Doing this right could save your life.

October 8, 2008
Reporter: Patrick McMurtry
Videographer: Brad Rice

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No matter what kind of deer hunting you do, chances are it involves some kind of tree stand.

And if you're climbing 10-15 feet up in the air, you need to know what you're doing.

The first step is picking out a tree stand.

Glen Jones says:
"This is designed for climbing the tree without having a ladder and steps. It is a two piece stand, yo've got your food piece here and your climber here. You've got foot straps here that you put your feet in, you've got your feet hooked to it now, now you're ready to pick this part up as you sit on this piece."

That's the kind of stand i have and it's perfect for me. A lot of you will be relying on home made stands, but Glen says that's not the best option because they just don't last.

Glen Jones says:
"Two years at the very best. Why does is only last two years? What happens to trees every year? They grow. The things you build in a tree don't fit like they did when you built it. Another problem with hand made stands-frost, rot, they get slick and they're harder to say in."

That's not a problem with this big guy. This is a ladder stand and Glen stands by it.

Glen Jones says:
"This is the stand the West Virginia Hunter's Association recommends. It is probably the safest, best stand around. It hooks to the tree, it straps solidly to the tre, it's re-inforced here to hold it to the tree."

These stands are amoung the most popular, you also have the ladder stand, but the one thing you abosolutely have to have, a good safety harness. You don't want to get in an accident and get on the wrong side of that.

If your stand doesn't come with a good harness, Glen says you need to spend a few bucks and get one of these. And when you get one, use it. A good harness combined with a solid, properly erected tree stand will go a long way to ensure you don't become a hunting statistic yourself.
For West Virginia Wildlife along with Photojournalist Brad Rice, i'm Patrick Mcmurtry, Eyewitness News.