Treestand Safety
lschultz • October 6, 2022
Archery season is underway and bow hunters from around the state are in the woods and fields enjoying the solace, challenges and rewards only a bow hunt can provide. While some of the hunters will be hunting from ground blinds, many people will be looking to get off the ground and into their favorite tree. Hunting from an elevated position especially a tree stand provides an opportunity unlike any other. However, once you leave the ground there is an inherent danger that needs to be considered when hunting from a tree stand. According to the Treestand Safety Association, treestand accidents are the #1 cause of injury and death to deer hunters.
Below you will find some helpful tips from the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service on how to be safe when hunting from a treestand.
- Before the hunt, know your equipment. Read and understand the manufacturer’s instructions and warnings before you use your treestand and Full-Body Harness (FBH).
- Check stands (including straps and chains) before each use for signs of wear, fatigue, cracks, and missing nuts or bolts and replace them as necessary.
- Practice at ground level with your treestand and FBH with another person present before the hunt.
- Learn how to use your FBH with a suspension release device. Note: Waist belts or upper-body-only designs of safety harnesses should never be used and can cause death or serious injury.
- Select the right tree for your stand. Select a healthy, straight tree that is the right size for your treestand. Check the tree for insect nests or animal dens. Avoid using climbing stands on smooth-barked trees, especially during icy or wet conditions.
- Clear debris from the base of the tree to minimize injury from a fall and to ensure a safe base if using a ladder stand.
- Have a hunt plan. Let a reliable person know where you will be when you will return and who is with you. Plans and maps make it easier for others to find you in the event of a mishap.
- During the hunt, wear an FBH. Simply owning an FBH does not make you safe, you must take it out of your pack and wear it.
- Make sure your FBH is attached to the tree as soon as you begin to climb using climbing stands and/or climbing aids. In the case of ladder stands, attach the FBH before securing the platform to the tree or stepping onto it.
- Wear an FBH at all times while using any elevated stand. Do not take chances. When climbing a ladder, keep three points of contact with the ladder at all times. Both hands and a foot or both of your feet and one hand should be used to support your body weight when using a ladder. When using a platform stand, climb higher than the stand and then step down onto the platform. Slowly put your weight onto your stand to be sure of your balance.
- Never carry equipment when climbing. Use a haul line to raise and lower equipment.
- In the stand, properly adjust your FBH, whether standing or sitting and keep the tether line distance (between you and the tree) as short as possible with no slack in the tether while in the seated position. This will minimize the distance in case of a fall.
- Use a haul line. Always raise and lower your firearm, bow or other equipment with a haul line. Make sure firearms are unloaded before attaching them to a haul line and do not attach the haul line near the trigger or trigger guard. Make sure broadheads are covered before raising or lowering a bow with a haul line.
- If you fall, stay calm.
- Have emergency equipment such as a knife, cell phone, flashlight and/or whistle on your person.
- Practice the 3 R’s: recover, relief and rescue. Attempt to recover and return to your stand. If this is not possible exercise, your legs by pushing against the tree, using another form of motion or your suspension relief device until help arrives.
- Call for help immediately.
For more information on treestand safety, go to National Bowhunter Education Foundation: www.nbef.org or www.projectstand.net
International Hunter Education Association: www.ihea.com
Or the Treestand Manufacturers Association
The post Treestand Safety appeared first on Michigan United Conservation Clubs.
Recent Posts
August 2025 CPB Wrap-Up
Yesterday, the Natural Resources Commission unanimously voted via a formal resolution to reinstate Michigan’s year-round coyote hunting season ahead of the April 2026 closing of the season. This decision represents a win for Michigan’s hunters, and more importantly, sound scientific management. No changes to the wildlife conservation order (WCO) yet, but the commission approved a resolution that stated: “the Michigan Natural Resources Commission is committed to enacting a regulation for Michigan citizens to take coyotes year-round on public and private land through a combination of hunting, trapping, and lethal take of nuisance and damaging animals; and that the Michigan Natural Resources Commission is committed to acting on this matter before next regular furbearer regulation cycle in the Wildlife Conservation Order in 2026.” The vote comes after a year of work by Michigan United Conservation Clubs (MUCC) and Michigan Trappers and Predator Callers Association (MTPCA), who filed a lawsuit when the commission illegally closed part of the season in March of 2024. Today's vote constitutes a win for scientific management and Proposal G, but the responsibility to hold the commission to their word is now on all conservationists according to MUCC CEO Amy Trotter. “We all obviously would have preferred a resolution to the issue today,” said Trotter. “The commission has made clear to the conservationists of Michigan that they will fix the 2024 commission’s error, and the responsibility now rests with all of us to hold them to their word.” According to MTPCA President Joe Velchansky, this is a win, but not the final one. “We are closer to righting this wrong today than we were yesterday,” said Velchansky. “We will continue to work with the commission to ensure the commission makes the best decision for the resource, scientific management, and our outdoor heritage.” In February and March of 2024, the NRC, at the request of a small minority of stakeholder groups, approved an order to partially close Michigan’s coyote hunting season from April 15-July 15. The justification for the order was not biological data, or management need. Rather the commission followed emotional pleas and social perceptions, without any objective data backing up the claims, and illegally partially closed coyote season for a quarter of the year. Despite a DNR biologist's statement that the closure was put forward based on perceived social pressures, and countless pages of scientific literature being presented justifying a year-round hunting season, the season was closed. After the meeting, MUCC and MTPCA jumped into action on behalf of sound scientific management and Michigan’s hunters, anglers and trappers. A lawsuit was filed to appeal the decision and after months of trading paperwork, the final briefs were filed in November of 2024. In June of this year, a Lansing Circuit Court Judge ruled that the commission followed their charge in their decision making. Since the March 2024 vote, there has been significant turnover on the commission with four new members currently seated. Commissioner John Walters, who voted no on the closure in 2024, requested the amendment to reopen the season at the February 2025 meeting, and the order was up for information in March and delayed due to commissioner absences and bureaucratic hurdles before today’s vote. Year-round coyote hunting had been in place since the NRC adopted the measure in 2016, when Michigan joined at least 35 other states in allowing for year-round opportunity. To learn more about MUCC visit MUCC.org To learn more about MTPCA visit MTPCA.com Contact: MUCC: Jtomei@Mucc.org MTPCA: Merlejones336@gmail.com
On Saturday, August 9, 2025, MUCC's OTG program partnered with the Michigan DNR and the Ruffed Grouse Society for a trail clearing project in Oscoda County.