If you have ever experienced a near fall or injury from a treestand, you know the awareness that it instills in you during future use elevated stands. I was the victim of a hang-on treestand injury in 2012 that has kept me out of hang-on style stands since that time.

I was deer hunting with an outfitter in South Alabama, one that I have hunted with several times in the past. I knew the outfitter personally and was well aware that he had always taken care when erecting tree stands and putting up hang-on stands. With that in mind, I never questioned the hang-on stand that I was hunting that afternoon.

I was dropped off at my stand around 2:45 p.m. with plenty of time to get settled in my stand. This particular hang-on stand was on a pine tree with the platform about 20 feet from the ground. The tree was on the edge of a branch off of the Pea River and was looking over a pine plantation cut-over. I tied off my rifle to the pull-up strap and started to climb to the platform with my backpack on my back. Facing the tree, the climbing-sticks were on the left side of the tree and the left side of the hang-on stand. I had no problem climbing the sticks. As I reached the top climbing-stick, I thought to myself that there was a lot of room between the step and the platform.

Being 5’4”, I have short legs, the step over onto the stand platform with my right foot was going to be a big one in a compromising position. As I stood on the rungs of the climbing sticks looking at the platform and trying to get a game plan together, I thought maybe I could put both my feet on the same step, then step over with my right foot, pushing off with my left. First, the step was not long enough for that, and second, I did not have the room I needed to make that maneuver on the climbing-stick since I was hugging the tree.

I always wear a safety harness in an elevated stand, and I am a huge proponent of encouraging others to always wear a safety harness. At this particular moment, that safety harness was moot; I was not tied off to the tree. I had my tree strap in my backpack which was on my back, and there was no way that I could finagle that backpack around and get that strap tied off. I was in a predicament. For a minute I thought to myself that I probably need to climb down. I was dropped off at this stand and did not want to ruin the other hunter’s hunt by asking them to come back to get me and take me to another stand. At this point, I could feel my legs and lower back getting fatigued from the position I was in as I stood there hugging the tree.

The only option I had was to try my very best to step over onto that platform and do it with caution. I moved my upper body around the top of the climbing-stick so that I would not have any interference with it. I was then standing in a very awkward position with my left leg stretched out, and my right knee bent. I took three deep breaths, hugged the tree hard as I could and I stepped over with my right foot. My foot reached the platform, but was not solid, I had the toe of my boot on it. The lugs on the sole of my boot caught the platform and made it difficult for me to slide my whole foot onto the platform; so I hugged the tree harder picked my foot up high and placed it back down solid on the platform.

It was at that moment that I not only heard, but I also felt a pop in my left knee. I immediately felt the stress on my left knee; I needed to get my weight off of it quick. I tried to slide my foot off the platform to bring my right foot down to the climbing stick, but in my earlier attempt to get a little more length on my leg, I had wedged my waistband pouch of my backpack under the climbing stick when I tried to move back to the left. My arms were burning. I did not have the strength to lean out in attempt to clear the step. There was only one way to get out of this position, and that was to continue to step over onto the platform. It was at this point that I could feel myself start to panic. The only thing that was keeping me from falling was the bear hug that I had on that pine tree and my arms were starting to quiver in exhaustion.

I took a deep breath, counted to three, and I forced my body to heave with everything I had left in me over onto that platform. As I placed my left boot flat on the platform, I winced with pain. My knee felt like it had been stabbed with a knife, my lower back was on fire, and my arms were fatigued and quivering. I had to sit down for a bit before I could put my tree strap up to secure my safety harness.

As I sat there looking at the ground 20 feet below me, I remember thanking the good Lord that I wasn’t laying down there looking up at the platform. The moment I thought I had calmed down, it hit me that I had to descend this stand in a couple of hours in the dark. I felt a panic start to build in my chest. For 3.5 hours I was dealing with that fear and panic, trying to calm myself down. I have always been the type that was in control of my emotions, level-headed in emergency situations, and was able to keep a clear mind; so this felt fear and panic was new to me and started to worry me. I was able to descend that tree, mainly because I let my backpack down with my weapon, took a couple of good deep breaths, and didn’t allow myself to get stranded to the point of fatigue at the top of the climbing-stick.

Unfortunately, that experience left me in a knee brace for six weeks, an intense round of anti-inflammatory drugs, and pain that I still deal with to this day when I do anything strenuous. However, the worst result of that hunt is that I no longer could use climbing sticks and hang-on stands. I would have panic attacks half way up and for safety reasons I just quit trying.

As traveling hunters, hang-on stands are often used when we traveled to the Midwest to hunt. Not only because they are easy to pack for the trip and easy to carry in while scouting, but also they are more versatile with the selection of trees we find on those hunts. I tried several times to hunt a hang-on stand with no luck.

I cannot put into words the relief I felt when I saw Hurricane Safety Systems Gravity Forward Climbing Sticks at the Archery Trade Show in 2017.  We were able to put up several sets of hang-on stands with the Hurricane Safety Systems Gravity Forward Climbing Sticks on our Alabama farm this season.

The Gravity Forward Climbing Sticks have a unique design like no other on the market. The angle of the sticks allows for the hunter’s center of gravity to shift forward, resulting in a more balanced climb and less body fatigue. The parallel steps allow for climbing left or right foot first. Each step has a wave cut tread pattern for better traction and is longer than standard climbing-stick steps.

The solid, sturdy all-steel design requires a no-tools, minimal assembly for erecting in the field. Each section has a graduated brace that rests against the tree that is attached to the tree with a ratchet strap. The bottom climbing stick has a base plate that digs into the ground for a secure base. The Hurricane Safety Systems Gravity Forward Climbing Sticks are available in 16’ set weighing 30 pounds and 20’ set weighing 40 pounds.

Using the PowerGrab with the Gravity Forward Climbing Sticks, Hurricane Safety Systems has made it possible for me to hunt out of hang-on stands once again. Not only do I feel secure climbing sticks and stepping off onto a stand platform, I know I am using a quality made product, and that helps mend my self-confidence from one of the worst life-threatening situations I have ever experienced on a hunt.