feet on a tree stand

Tree Stand Safety

November 2020

By Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

This season, many deer hunters will hunt from ladder, climbing or hang-on tree stands to keep their scent above the ground, give themselves a better line of sight and remain undetected. You can stay safe when hunting from an elevated platform by following a few simple precautions. Take the quiz below to learn how much you know about tree stand safety.

1. What safety equipment should you have to hunt from a tree stand?

  1. Full-body safety harness
  2. Rope safety line
  3. Haul line for your gun/bow
  4. All of the above

2. True or false: When hunting from a ladder stand, hunters should use a rope safety line to climb up and down.

3. What is the No. 1 reason falls occur?

  1. The tree stand not assembled correctly
  2. Slip/loss of grip
  3. Bad weather
  4. Broken straps

4. True or false: It’s not necessary to check stands before the start of every hunting season.

5. In what type of tree stand is an incident most likely to occur?

  1. Homemade stand
  2. Lock-on
  3. Climber
  4. Ladder

6. True or false: When using a lock-on style tree stand, you should step up to the seating platform.

7. True or false: New hunters are more likely to fall while using a tree stand.

8. What percentage of falls occur by someone not wearing a full-body safety harness?

  1. 86%
  2. 53%
  3. 41%
  4. 25%

9. True or False: The distance of the tether that runs between your full-body safety harness and the strap on the tree should be as short as possible with no slack in the tether while you’re seated.

10. Besides wearing a full-body safety harness, what items should you have within easy reach in case you fall from your stand?

  1. Cellphone or signaling device and rope safety line
  2. Folding pocket knife and flashlight.
  3. Cellphone or signaling device and suspension relief device
  4. First-aid kit and bottled water

Answers: 1. d, 2. true, 3. b, 4. false, 5. b, 6. false, 7. false, 8. a, 9. true, 10. c

How did you do?

  • 7-10 correct responses – You’re smart about safety!
  • 4-6 correct responses – You have a solid understanding of tree stand safety. Raise your safety IQ by checking out huntercourse.com/treestandsafety and Tree Stand Safety Awareness Foundation videos.
  • 3 or fewer correct responses – Hunting from a ground blind might be a great option until you’ve had a chance to take one of our hunter safety courses.
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