DNR Conservation Officer John Williamson says the number one issue they deal with during the hunting season is tree stands that fail hunters and end up injuring them. He is encouraging hunters to get out and check those tree stands in advance.

 

 

Hunters that have the back up safety harnesses for their stands need to make sure those are in working order as well. Williamson says they have seen cases where the harnesses have failed hunters and in some cases hunters have been found dead from the blood being cut off because of the pressure from those.

 

 

Additionally, Williamson says it is not uncommon to have a hunter's stand stolen. He recommends taking that stand down and then re-mounting it the next year. That can be a good practice for a couple reasons.

 

 

Some County's will offer hunters the opportunity to register their tree stands locally. Williamson notes the State had a similar program and also encourages hunters to take note of any special engravings or markings on the tree stand in the event it is stolen.