Michigan’s Gun Deer season opens this Saturday and Wisconsin’s a week after that.
Health officials are urging hunters to take tree stand safety seriously.
Every year, local hospitals see hunters with a range of injuries, including life-threatening conditions.
“Many of these are orthopedic injuries, like many of our falls. You know, wrist fractures, ankle fractures, femur/hip fractures, really any type of orthopedic is what we're seeing primarily. But there's a potential for head and neck injuries, also a potential for chest or abdomen injuries,” said Dr. Michael Clark, the EMS Medical Director with Aspirus MedEvac.
Safe tree stand practices include:
- Staying connected to the tree with a tree strap.
- Wearing a safety harness.
- Double check your gear for any wear or damage.
- Use haul lines to lift your gun and other gear into the stand.
- Make sure you know your location in case you have to provide it in an emergency.
Clark says one of the biggest difference between falls from a tree stand and other falls is how long it usually takes to get medical treatment.
“It's not like someone falling outside their house where they someone sees them, calls 911, and EMS comes, brings them to the hospital,” said Clark. “They may fall, they may be a mile away. They need to get cell phone reception. It may be much further along in the time continuum when they actually get to definitive care.”
Falls from heights over 10 feet, which is common with most tree stands, tend to result in more serious trauma.
“One study showed about 80% of the tree stand injuries required going to the operating room, so that's a pretty high percentage indicating it's pretty severe,” said Clark. “Most of the injuries that Aspirus Wausau sees each year are those kind of high severity injuries.”
Wisconsin’s 9-day season runs November 22nd through the 30th. Michigan’s gun deer season runs November 15th through the 30th.
