MAN DIES AFTER FALL FROM TREE STAND – Hunting can be a dangerous hobby. Whether you’re hunting the high mountains and steep cliffs out west, or hunting in a tree stand out east. Accidents can happen at any time, and those accidents can take a life.
Raymond Byers
Law enforcement officers were notified on Thursday, October 22nd that Raymond Byers was missing. He didn’t return home from his hunting trip near Ollie, Iowa. When the officers went to his hunting spot, they found his body near his tree stand. According to the officers, Byers, 76, died after falling from his tree stand. An autopsy will be completed on Byers, but the cause of death was fairly evident.
Hunting Safety
Hunters need to be careful while in the outdoors. There are many steps that hunters can use to make their adventures safer and allow them to return home to their families.
Aaron Warbritton, host of the Hunting Public and onX Ambassador, has a few tricks of his own for tree stand hunting in the Midwest. “I use a lineman’s rope to hang the stand. It allows me to safely lean away from the tree and use both hands to set the stand up, making for a much quicker and safer setup,” he shares.
He adds: “Before I leave the ground, I’ll also tie one end of a 30-foot rope to my waist. The other end I tie to my gear (bow, pack, etc.) so I can pull it all up once in the stand. I also use milkweed pods as wind checkers. The seeds float for a long distance so you can watch wind currents away from your stand, unlike powder which only tells you wind direction at your exact location.”
If the opportunity allows, it’s also a good idea to hunt with a partner. If and when accidents happen, it’s good to have someone there that can call for help if needed.
What strategies do you use to make your hunts safer?
