blake
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Treestand Falls Hurt More Hunters Than Firearms
NEW IBERIA, La. (AP) — As you set out to go hunting in a tree stand in your favorite deer hunting spot around Acadiana, Louisiana or elsewhere, remember this sobering news from the Midwest: Nearly half of deer hunter injuries are the result of falls rather than gunshots.
The American Surgeon journal recently published the study by the Ohio State University Medical Center, which examined more than a decade of Level 1 trauma center admissions for more than a decade at two hospitals in central Ohio. The study showed falls from the tree stands are the leading cause of hunting related injuries in the Buckeye State.
Critical care and trauma researchers sought to disprove popular stereotypes that most hunting injuries are gunshot wounds, typically associated with alcohol or drug use, and are accidentally self-inflicted or caused by a fellow hunter. Specifically, they set out to identify the causes of hunting-related injuries and to characterize trauma-associated injury patterns.
Researchers identified 130 patients who suffered hunting-related injuries. Fifty percent of injuries results from falls and 92 percent of the falls were from tree stands, and 29 percent of the injuries were attributed to gunshot wounds.
How bad were the injuries in falls from tree stands? Dr. Charles Cook, trauma surgeon and lead author of the study, noted the severity was quite high with 59 percent of the victims suffering fractures while 47 percent experienced lower extremity fractures (ankles, legs), fractures to upper extremities (shoulders, arms and wrists) accounted for 18 percent of the injuries and 18 percent of the victims had closed head injuries.
Also, surgery was required for 81 percent of fall-related injuries and 8.2 percent of the victims suffered permanent neurological damage.
The study showed variables like rain and poor lighting were more likely to lead to accidents than drugs or alcohol. Drugs and alcohol combined were involved in less than 10 percent of the cases.
"Because hunting typically begins very early in the morning when it's dark, I'm certain that the darkness, cold air and fatigue, combined with the fact that tree stands are very small and most of the hunters were not wearing safety harnesses, contributed to the hunters' falls,'' Cook said.
Those small deer stands, which are positioned 10 to 30 feet above the ground, are the biggest threat for hunters in the Midwest and the South, Cook said. However, issues prevail for hunters around the country, he said.
"Most of these aren't falls from 3 or 4 feet, rather they're anywhere from 10, 15, sometimes 20 or 30 feet, where a body falling can reach speeds in excess of 30 mph,'' he said.
Hunters need to take tree stand safety tips to heart and follow them to avoid such injuries.
— Never carry equipment while climbing. Use a haul line to raise or lower gear and make sure guns are unloaded and broadheads covered.
— Always use a climbing belt because most accidents happen when a hunter is climbing up or down a tree.
— Check permanent tree stands every year before hunting in them. Replace worn or weak lumber.
— Read, understand and follow factory-recommended practices and procedures when installing commercial stands.
— Choose healthy, living trees when using climbing devices. Rough-barked tree such as oak are best.
— Never put weight on a single branch. Keep one hand and one foot on a secure place when reaching for the next hold.
— Climb higher than the stand and step down onto it.
— Wear boots with non-skid soles because steps or platforms can be slippery in rain, sleet or snow.
— Don't fall asleep. This is a common cause of accidents.
— Never wear a ring, which can catch tree limbs and equipment.
— Remove logs and upturned branches below the tree stand.
— Carry a whistle to call for help, a first aid kit, flashlight and cell phone.
NEW IBERIA, La. (AP) — As you set out to go hunting in a tree stand in your favorite deer hunting spot around Acadiana, Louisiana or elsewhere, remember this sobering news from the Midwest: Nearly half of deer hunter injuries are the result of falls rather than gunshots.
The American Surgeon journal recently published the study by the Ohio State University Medical Center, which examined more than a decade of Level 1 trauma center admissions for more than a decade at two hospitals in central Ohio. The study showed falls from the tree stands are the leading cause of hunting related injuries in the Buckeye State.
Critical care and trauma researchers sought to disprove popular stereotypes that most hunting injuries are gunshot wounds, typically associated with alcohol or drug use, and are accidentally self-inflicted or caused by a fellow hunter. Specifically, they set out to identify the causes of hunting-related injuries and to characterize trauma-associated injury patterns.
Researchers identified 130 patients who suffered hunting-related injuries. Fifty percent of injuries results from falls and 92 percent of the falls were from tree stands, and 29 percent of the injuries were attributed to gunshot wounds.
How bad were the injuries in falls from tree stands? Dr. Charles Cook, trauma surgeon and lead author of the study, noted the severity was quite high with 59 percent of the victims suffering fractures while 47 percent experienced lower extremity fractures (ankles, legs), fractures to upper extremities (shoulders, arms and wrists) accounted for 18 percent of the injuries and 18 percent of the victims had closed head injuries.
Also, surgery was required for 81 percent of fall-related injuries and 8.2 percent of the victims suffered permanent neurological damage.
The study showed variables like rain and poor lighting were more likely to lead to accidents than drugs or alcohol. Drugs and alcohol combined were involved in less than 10 percent of the cases.
"Because hunting typically begins very early in the morning when it's dark, I'm certain that the darkness, cold air and fatigue, combined with the fact that tree stands are very small and most of the hunters were not wearing safety harnesses, contributed to the hunters' falls,'' Cook said.
Those small deer stands, which are positioned 10 to 30 feet above the ground, are the biggest threat for hunters in the Midwest and the South, Cook said. However, issues prevail for hunters around the country, he said.
"Most of these aren't falls from 3 or 4 feet, rather they're anywhere from 10, 15, sometimes 20 or 30 feet, where a body falling can reach speeds in excess of 30 mph,'' he said.
Hunters need to take tree stand safety tips to heart and follow them to avoid such injuries.
— Never carry equipment while climbing. Use a haul line to raise or lower gear and make sure guns are unloaded and broadheads covered.
— Always use a climbing belt because most accidents happen when a hunter is climbing up or down a tree.
— Check permanent tree stands every year before hunting in them. Replace worn or weak lumber.
— Read, understand and follow factory-recommended practices and procedures when installing commercial stands.
— Choose healthy, living trees when using climbing devices. Rough-barked tree such as oak are best.
— Never put weight on a single branch. Keep one hand and one foot on a secure place when reaching for the next hold.
— Climb higher than the stand and step down onto it.
— Wear boots with non-skid soles because steps or platforms can be slippery in rain, sleet or snow.
— Don't fall asleep. This is a common cause of accidents.
— Never wear a ring, which can catch tree limbs and equipment.
— Remove logs and upturned branches below the tree stand.
— Carry a whistle to call for help, a first aid kit, flashlight and cell phone.