Is your deer stand safe for gun season?

During an interview a couple weeks ago, one of the stories AmmoCamo owner Skip Leleux shared with me was about a hunt he made in Missouri two years ago that turned into a rescue.
Late one evening Leleux and his partner heard a faint voice calling from somewhere in the forest. Straining to hear the hunters tried to pinpoint the direction of the person that was either lost or in distress.
“We could hear a horn or something and when we stopped we couldn’t hear it anymore,” said, Leleux who lives in New Iberia. “We kept on and heard it again and I said, ‘Man! That’s someone calling for help.’ We went over and this guy had fallen backwards out of his stand and broke his leg. He was hung upside down and couldn’t do anything – not even dial his phone. His phone was stuck in his pocket. One of the brackets had broken on his stand. No telling what would have happened if we hadn’t come along.”
The majority of St. Mary Parish rests in Deer Hunting Area 7, where bow hunters have been in the woods since October 1 and primitive weapon hunters since last weekend. This weekend is when the action really gets underway when the regular gun season opens.
Most every hunter who takes to the woods this weekend will be hunting from an elevated tree stand. According to National Shooting Sports Foundation statistics 16.3 million hunters took to the fields and marshes last year, where approximately 8,122 sustained injuries – a rate of .05 or 50 per 100,000 participants. More than 6,600 were tree stand related injuries. Only camping and billiards, with rates of .01 and .02 respectively, are safer.
To put this even further into perspective a person is 105 times more likely to be injured playing football; 34 times more likely to be injured playing soccer; 25 more times to be injured cheerleading; and 11 more times likely to be injured playing volleyball says the foundation’s data. All of these activities, like hunting, are fall pursuits.
There are two main types of deer stands in my opinion, those that are large roomy fixed structures, and depending on where you hunt also known as shooting houses, and what I call “stands of opportunity,” also known as lean-to tree stands.
Arguably, someone might insist on climbers are another. But, I personally haven’t found too many straight trees in Area 7 where these third climber-type stands are or could be used very often. Because of their lightweight portability, climbers are more often that stand of choice in piney wood terrain in other Deer Hunt Areas.
Fixed structures are built for spacious comfort. They are normally constructed well, enclosed on all four sides with a roof, warmer and conceal two or more hunters better. And because of these considerations typically are also safer.
Where hunters go wrong are with lean-to tree stands. These stands of opportunity are often homemade, sometimes built from scrap lumber lying around the shed. In the rush to get something up on a beaten down deer trail they are poorly constructed using inferior materials. Nailed, strapped or tied safely off to a tree, these stands may be good for the current season, but seldom are worth anything the next once the carpenter bees, termites, and ants get to them following the winter.
Countless hunters the next year haven’t made it up the second rung of the lean-to ladder only to twist an ankle when the rotten board broke. Others have climbed into these death traps and fallen when the ratchet strap left out in the weather all year broke.
Inexpensive tubular steel lean-to stands bought at discount department stores may be better built, but these stands can be in worse condition than wooden stands after one season, especially in the coastal marsh, where a certain amount of salinity is present in the brackish waters. In fact, these thin-tube lean-to stands rust and rot from the inside. I’ve seen the rungs and brackets crumble after one year’s use.
There are a couple of things hunters who prefer lean-to stands can do when using lumber. First, is don’t scrimp on the type of wood you buy. Use pressure-treated lumber and buy some “Coppertox” wood preservative treatment and apply heavily. Secondly, don’t use nails to assemble the stand; instead use coated wood screws. I’ve built lean-to stands from treated 2x4s and treated ¾ inch plywood doused in wood preservative that have provided years of use after inspecting prior to each season.
The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries prior to the season opening put out a bulletin concerning tree stand safety with notable points that include replacing all straps prior to the season, using full body fall arrest harnesses, and using only tree stands that meet or exceed industry standards recognized by the Tree Stand Manufacturer’s Association.
Though perhaps the biggest concern, going hunting isn’t just about safe firearm handling. Hunters should take into consideration elements of water safety and include a float plan. Hunters should also let someone know where they will be hunting and when they should expect them back.
With Area 7 regular gun season opening Saturday, be sure you’ve check those lean to tree stands and be safe as possible. Happy Hunting!
If you wish to make a comment or have an anecdote, recipe or story you wish to share you can contact John K. Flores by calling 985-395-5586, by email at gowiththeflo@cox.net or his website at www.gowiththeflooutdoors.com.