Many deer hunters only give tree stand safety a passing thought, thinking an accident won’t happen to them. But falling 30 feet out of his deer stand, crushing the bones on the right side of his body and crawling a quarter-mile for help during the 1996 deer season was enough for Dee Dee Garvin to become a vocal advocate for hunter safety.

“Safety is something you should never take for granted; it’s something you put first in everything you do, whether it’s driving a car or climbing a deer stand,” said Garvin, a regional coordinator for the National Wild Turkey Federation’s (NWTF). “In a matter of 35 minutes from the time I got out of the bed that morning, I came to the realization that hunting, fishing or anything else, for that matter, is not worth risking your life for.”

After a hospital stay and months of rehabilitation, Garvin was able to resume the outdoor activities he loves. Through his duties at the NTWF’s Wheelin’ Sportsmen program, which helps people with disabilities to get outside to participate in a more active lifestyle through local chapter events nationwide, he tells his story and explains the importance of tree stand safety.

Like Garvin, Carl Brown, Chief Operating Officer for the NWTF, is an avid deer hunter. A fall from a tree stand several years ago changed the way he now prepares for all of his hunts.

“The idea of safety first really hits home after an accident,” said Brown. “I never hunt without making sure all safety measures are in place. It’s something I wish I had always done.”

In many hunting situations, tree stands allow the hunter to see game better, and help reduce the amount of human scent on the ground. While positioning yourself in a tree sometimes gives hunters a better view, serious injury and even death can occur when all safety precautions aren’t taken.

As CEO of the NWTF, Rob Keck has hunted many different species in many different places. But regardless of the game he’s after, his main focus is always hunting safely.

“Being safe in the woods is something we can’t stress enough,” said Keck. “A hunter must be a good defensive hunter, just like being a defensive driver. Don’t put yourself in harm’s way by careless decisions.”

To help hunters stay safe, the NWTF has compiled a list of useful tips for hunting out of tree stands.

• Understand the stand: Manufacturers’ warnings and instructions should be read before using the stand. Practice climb before the season, and use all provided safety devices. If there are any questions, call the manufacturer.
• Wear a Fall-Arrest System/Full Body Harness: These devices are the best method to keep you from being hurt in a fall. Single strap belts and chest harnesses are no longer the safest restraints available; in fact, single-strap belts can cause internal injury when the wearer’s weight suddenly jerks them tight. Furthermore, the pressure from a single strap or chest harness on the abdomen or chest can cause rapid loss of consciousness.
• Climb with care: When a hunter is climbing and getting into or out of the stand are the most dangerous times. Always put on a full body harness before climbing.
• Use a pull rope:Sometimes called a haul line, this is used to pull gear, including firearms and bows, to the tree stand once the hunter is safely positioned.
• Don’t load your firearm until you are secure in your stand.
• Always let someone know where you are. Leave a note at the house or on the windshield of your vehicle stating where you will be and what time you expect to return. Also, take your cell phone. You never know when you will need it.

For more information about the NWTF, call (800) THE-NWTF or visit the web site at www.NWTF.org.

In the top ten big buck states, Michigan ranks number nine, while Wisconsin is at the number one position. The state of Wisconsin averages about 893,000 hunters each year, while Michigan will average around 1,125,000 white-tail deer hunters per year. Wisconsin has 3,125 Pope & Young bucks and 273 Boone & Crockett bucks. Michigan has 576 Pope & Young, 60 Boone & Crockett bucks in their books.

In order to harvest a record buck during your archery hunting season, you must first be able to identify and score a buck in the field. Now, how often does it happen that you see 150-class or even 160-class bucks out in the field? So how do you know when you do see one? First, practice makes perfect. Go to your local taxidermist and have him or her help you score some of the bucks on the wall. Estimate its inside and outside spread, length of beam, average mass, length and number of points. By practicing on wall mounts, your judgment in the field will be more accurate.

Antler spread is one of the easiest to identify. An average deer in the state of Michigan has a measurement of about 18 inches from tip of ear to ear. You can then estimate the antler spread of the buck you are estimating by using this measurement. But don’t put too much emphasis on this. The inside spread of the antlers is only one total. If it’s 20 inches, then a total of 20 inches is added at the end of the final score.

The length of the beam will be doubled. In other words, if the length of the beams were 20 inches each, then the total would be 40 inches added to the end total. When estimating the beam length in the field you should note that most antlers curve backwards before going forward. If the beam curves backward then forward to its nose, you are looking at approximately 24 inches. A total of 48 inches would then be added to the end total.

A mass measurement is a little more difficult to identify in the field. Mass is a measurement of the circumference of the antler in four different positions on the beam. A total of 8 measurements are then collected and added to the total. Identifying the mass of an antler should be known by the archery deer hunter as to whether it is heavy or light. Learning the average mass of big white-tail bucks in your area can be critical to the aiding of your measurement in the field. Practice makes perfect!

Tine length and the number of points contribute the most to the total inches. Identifying how many points by the archery hunter should be done quickly. In order to identify the number of points at a quick glance, simply count the points that are projecting straight up. For example; two points up, it’s an 8-pointer; three up, a 10-pointer and so on. If you are having a hard time counting points because they are all over the place, then you should be shooting. This rack is probably a non-typical buck and will more than likely get you into the record books.

Measuring the length of the tine can also be aided by knowing that the length of white-tail deer ears is on average 8 inches long. Thus, a 10-point buck with an average of 10 inch tines will score very well, or an 8-point buck with an average of 12 inch tines will do very well also. The length of the tines contributes most to the total inches in the end.

As for me, I’m an archery meat hunter, but I do try to practice letting smaller, younger bucks go, allowing them to mature in hopes of hitting the lottery someday with a huge Pope & Young record buck. I know that living in Michigan with over a million hunters in the field each year, my chances are slim, but that’s my dream and dreams sometimes come true! Stay Focused and Keep Dreaming!

The author is Ted Lake. He built and maintains a website? in memory of? his dad Deuaine Lake. This site is about Archery and Archery Hunting. Ted started hunting when? he was 5 years old. He has continued the tradition by teaching? both his boys the same respect for the sport of archery. Please feel welcome to visit Ted’s website at http://www.complete-archery-information.com

Hunting in south Texas is usually done on big privately owned ranches. In fact, most deer hunting in Texas is done on private land. The bigger the horns, the bigger the price tag. Usually when you think of big deer and horns you think of south Texas. Hunting out west towards Abilene usually provides you with good results. Going north towards the red river involves trees and open spaces. Hunting east towards Louisiana puts you in a completely different geographic area where you will find trees and more trees and forests beyond comprehension.

Out east the bag limits are usually smaller than the rest of the state, except in years of overpopulation when extra tags are offered. In the past, a limit of five deer was offered in Brown county. On one hunt in Brown county our hunting party spotted hundreds of deer in an hours worth of scouting on the ranch. On an area in the next county over, intense scouting revealed no tracks at all.

In the eastern part of the state, near Athens, the deer are big but become nocturnal with little hunting pressure. Traveling on to Junction, the deer are easy to see because they readily come to feeders as the land is generally poor and food is scarce.

Out east during times of huge acorn production, deer are hard to find because they will not come to feeders during day light hours. All they have to do is travel a few yards to get their nourishment from fallen acorns. Down south food plots are very advantageous. Baiting with corn down the senderos is a fixed practice, with very good results.

I am beginning to see plan in Texas to gather deer with good genes from all over the state and reintroduce quality deer to specific areas. There are a great many ranches all over the state that offer high fences, quality deer, bunking facilities, airport pick up service, quality guides, carcass preparation, meat and taxidermy services. The culinary services at these places are usually quite good too.

Deer feeders are the norm in Texas. To be within the law you must have these feeders in operation for a certain time period. Hunters on a restricted budget can get a public hunting permit. There are not many things more relaxing than sitting at your favorite deer site and enjoying the moment.

For a more competitive hunt you can try some of the better ranches where management practices are in effect. Some ranches that I have hunted require the harvesting of only bucks that are 8 points or better. If you harvest anything smaller, you will pay for the oversight out of your pocket book.

Please have a safe and enjoyable hunting season – putting your wits up against the master of the woods. The wily whitetail deer has made many of us seem like rank amateurs. Year after year we pursue this crafty veteran of camouflage and escape. For those of us who are hooked, we never tire of the challenge and the time spent outdoors with one of the craftiest animals on earth. Hunt safe and hunt hard, maybe this season you will be rewarded with new knowledge and a far greater respect for the white tailed deer. Adios amigos

About the Guest Author

Stephen Graham is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. He has years of experience hunting in Texas as well as in other states. His other interests include fishing, Indian lore and artifacts.

http://huntn-n-fishn.blogspot.com