Thanks Travis for bringing us this story. Maybe it will help save some of us and our loved ones the tragedy that can happen even to the most careful people. My deepest sympathy to friends and family of the men who lost their lives this year pursuing their dream.

Clyde Jr,

Thanks for the comments and I am glad you liked reading this story. It really only takes one slip or mistake in the stand to end everything. In the past, I've been guilty from time to time of taking a chance. However, this is a mistake I have corrected. You really owe it to yourself and your family to wear a vest.

Travis Faulkner
Outdoor Life
ttfaulkner@msn.com

My condolences to the Nathan Johnson family & friends.
Those early harnesses with all the buckles and straps were very hard to handle. When a guy is pumped, young and agile - you think why bother it can't happen to me.....
Elevated stands have fallen out of favor with me. With my agility disappearing & becoming more prone to a little stand snoozing ground hunting is becoming much more preferable. Besides in many areas deer are walking around with their heads craned up watching out for hunters of the sky. This new deer behavior makes slipping the arrow in from underneath seem easy.
Want scent control? Try practicing the lost art of the pit blind.
later,
charlie

The closest I came to biting the bullet;
On a late December whitetail river hunt in MN; the river was a mix of frozen and open water. I was using a canoe to access a hillside plateau where I suspected there would be a bunch of deer yarded up. The canoe needed to be paddled and then skidded across the ice for a stretch to the next open water in order to paddle some more. Upon arriving below the plateau I quietly climbed up to the edge of the plateau peering over the edge keeping a low profile confirmed my plan was sound several deer were in easy bow range. I killed a nice buck and dragged it back to the canoe. The now heavy canoe yielded to my strained shoves beginning to slide ever so slowly toward open water. At edge there was a sudden loud crack followed by intensely cold water dashing into my wool clothing freezing my breath as my head momentarily went underwater.

How I was prepared for this turn of events;
I was wearing a high quality PFD(personal flotation device).
Wrapped around my wrist were straps connected to ice picks in order to facilitate a climb out of the water. Also ice cleats were on my boots.
My clothing was properly layered.
I had been taught breath control – most people drown quickly in cold water due to gulping as the cold hits their body. In advanced survival training you are taught to hold your breath as you go under in cold water rather than gulping for air. Many advanced kayakers do this training also. Anyone who duck hunts should make taking this training a priority.

Holding the canoe gunnels in one hand my floating buck in the other the current carried us to the next icepack. The canoe easily slid up on the ice freeing one hand I picked my way the short but still long 20 feet to shallow water and shore. Dragged the buck onto land then slid the canoe back on shore. Immediately removed my wet clothes and put on my emergency fleece which were in my survival dry pack lashed inside the canoe. Propped the canoe against some trees to provide a windbreak and heat reflector for the soon to be blazing fire. Early stage frostbite was setting in and hypothermia was becoming critical in the near zero temp as the fire jumped to life.

I can’t stress enough at this point in my hunting career I had extensive experience and advanced wilderness survival training. Please do not put yourself in a situation like I have described without training and skill practice. Even with all that under my belt this was a very close call.

If you go to my profile there is a picture of my son and I with a 12 pt buck in a canoe on a much tamer nicer day.

I just want to thank all of you for your comments.It means so much to me (Nathans mom) and my family.My sons friend Shane was so kind to give Travis this story so that the word could be put out to the nation to let people know how important it is to make sure you take safety percautions while tree stand hunting.My son always was alot like alot of you out there that this could never happen to him but I tried to make him understand that he was destructable and please be so careful out there in those tree stands& he would tell me I worried too much.Then one day my worst nitemare came to a reality and now I no longer have my wonderful son nor does his children have their dad and wife husband.We miss him terribly and this is something I'll never beable to change and believe me I hope no father nor mother ever has to go thru the pain we have had to go thru.We love our beloved son Nathan and he will always be in our hearts.Shane thank you and Travis thank you for writing the story.God bless all of you.The Johnson family

We all lose when a fellow hunter passes on! safety first sounds good but at times your mind blocks out all that important stuff when your not feeling comfortable about your hunt our yourself. Stay focus truly the most important thing is making it home in one peace so we can hunt again!

Charlie Elk and Dropjhook,

Safety should always come first, but as hunters we've all been there. Sometimes we feel 10ft tall and bullet proof. "There is no way it will ever happen to me." I bet a lot of hunters who have experienced treestand related accidents have thought the same exact thing. I am trying to stress this point to my son who lives to chase whitetails. I don't want him to make the same mistakes as his old man. I used to hunt without a safety harness or vest, but hearing and covering stories like these changes everything. Have any of you ever had any close calls while in the stand?

Travis Faulkner
Outdoor Life
ttfaulkner@msn.com

Travis, I'm more of a run & guner then treestand hunter. I did have a bad experience once climbing down the tree you know the screw in steps that screw right into the tree. Well I was about 13 feet from the bottom & all my weight on my lower leg when the step comes out the tree & I was lucky enuff to have my hands arouns the thick tree so I slide down it like it was a big fire pole. I landed on my feet but my hands wher skinned up like crazy. Had to stand there & think wow I just had close call I should be laying here in a world of hurt.

Turkey777 and Patrick88,

I know the Johnson family and Shane appreciate the kind comments from both of you during such a tough time. This tragic story needs to stick in the backs of all of our minds. Hopefully, everyone who climbs up a tree this season will remember just how important it is to wear a safety vest or harness.

Travis Faulkner
Outdoor Life
ttfaulkner@msn.com

wow now thats a close call!!

MWK_MN,

It sounds like you've had some super close calls in the past. You are very lucky that some of these spills didn't lead to a serious injury or even death. Eventually all of our luck runs out and that is why taking the necessary steps to protect ourselves is so important. I really enjoy reading your comments and posts so you better buy a safety vest or harness. The last thing I want is to write a story about another treestand tragedy. Currently, there are several really good brands and models on the market. Let me know if you need any help finding good one.

Travis Faulkner
Outdoor Life
ttfaulkner@msn.com

charlie,travis,MWK_MN,really enjoyed the posts!! Well I got a close call that I havent talked about much. I've been chased by a bear, almost stomped on by a herd of doe's, almost eatin by unknown 60 miles in the backwoods in the pitch black but I shared those allready on this fourm. So here is another 1 hope someone learns something out of it. I was on top of mission range again chasing billy goats there is a flaten area about 300 yrds long with a nice downward slope not to steep though. Well the snow was above the knees I was getting very tired of 3hrs of hiking in the stuff when the thought it would be easier to walk atop of the some what hard snow instead of post pounding threw it. Well I was doing good for about 150 yrds when my front foot breaks threw the snow a few inchs just enuff to trip me up. I trip forward I go sliding head first I didnt think nothing until my speed was picking up & the snow wasent breaking because my body weight was spread out. I try to puch my fist in the snow with no effect prt1

Dropjhook,

Thanks for the posts. Your story proves it only takes a split second for a possible tragedy to strike in the outdoors. It's really easy to get caught up in the hunt and lose focus. Being aware of what is going on around you and thinking ahead can help prevent a tragic accident. Staying on your toes along with a little quick thinking is also very helpful. Loved hearing about your close call and I am looking forward to reading other posts as well.

Travis Faulkner
Outdoor Life
ttfaulkner@msn.com

i`m 70 years young now, can`t do these things anymore, doc`s orders,. years ago we didn`t have access to the harness of today. i always used a rope or strap, you just never knew. alays error on the side of safety. remember, it`s for your loved ones

He walked by his harness the day of the accident

I just want to thank all of you for your comments.It means so much to me(Nathans mom) and my family.My sons friend was so kind to give Travis this story so the word could be put out to the nation to let people know how important it is to make sure you take safety percautions while tree stand hunting.My son always alot like alot of you out there that this could never happen to him but as a mother I tried to make him understand he was destructable but he always told me I worried too much that he would be fine.Then one day my worst nitemare became a reality and now we no longer have our Nathan.We miss him so much and this is something I'll never beable to change and believe me I hope no father nor mother ever has to go thru the pain we have had to go thru.We love our Nathan & he will always be in our hearts.Shane thank you and Travis thank you for writing the story.The Johnson family

I just would like to start off by saying I'm Nathan's sister, I really appreciate all the kind words that have been spoken!!! Thank-you Shane for getting the story out there hopefully it can save alot of lives!!! thank-you Travis from running the story...however I do want to say I think it was in poor taste to say they were "dead" tired, especially since my brother did end up losing his life!!! God Bless You All!!!!! Remember hunters use your safety harness or safety vest!!!! Thank-you,Shasta Lambeth

this is sad we will pray for the johnson family.

I just wanted to thank all of you for your comments.It means so much to me(Nathans Mom) and my family.My sons friend Shane was so kind to give travis this story so the word could be put out to the nation to let people know how important it is to make sure you take safety percautions while tree stand hunting.My son always was alot like alot of you out there that this could never happen to him but I did try as his mother to make him understand he was destructable and too please be careful when using a tree stand and he would tell me I worried too much that he would be fine.Then one day my worst nitemare became a reality and now I no longer have my wonderful son.We miss him terribly and this is something I'll never beable to change and believe me I hope no father nor mother ever has to go thru the pain this family has had to go thru the past few months.We love our Nathan so much and he will always be in our hearts.Shane thank you and Travis thank you for writing the story.The Johnson family

Carla Lambeth,

Thank you for sharing your comments and I really think your son's story will save lives. God Bless.

Travis Faulkner
Outdoor Life
ttfaulkner@msn.com