Climbing Stand Accidents/Failures

As bow season gets nearer and I'm still without a place to hunt this year, it's looking more and more like I'm going to be stuck hunting public land.

This means, despite my dislike (near phobia) of using a climber, I'm probably going to have to make myself do so if I want a realistic chance at killing a deer.

With that said, what would y'all say most climber accidents/failures are attributed to? Doing something stupid or legit equipment failure (no wrong-doing on the user's part)? I have a limited budget which means I'll probably be looking at used stands if/when I buy one, and I have little experience using them. I always wear a harness but the last thing I want is to find myself hanging from a tree, in the middle of public land where a cell signal may be weak/nonexistent.

The only time I have had a slip (so far) was when I was nervous and afraid to use it. When I'm confident in the stand, I make more deliberate movements which help me.

Also one time I went in at dark blindly into public land and started climbing a tree, and the teeth of the summit wouldn't dig in at all. It was terrible.

I was once scared of climbers as well. A few pointers or things I do....
Use a life line. I slide mine up the tree as I go. Stay connected from the time you leave the ground.
Use a full 20 ft our however long life line, not a short 5-6 ft one. If it is long enough to reach the ground, you can always get down without falling.
Keep a phone in your pocket in case something happens.
Climb pine trees, as the climber will dig in the softer bark and not slip. Hard trees are a bad idea, atleast until you get comfortable, because the stand can slip a lot easier.

Look at the summit stands. They bite very well. Also, look at Third Hand Archery and get the stabilizer straps. Not only do they keep the top and bottom connected at all times, they also are pulled tight and make the stand extremely stable once you're in place.

CPalmer, thanks for the feedback

Always use strap to hold top in place on tree. I use a ratchet strap. Its easy to bump the top and have it fall when you stand to shoot without one. Go slow, go in early and take your time. Soon it will become second nature. I love a climber, but Im particular about the brand I use. I prefer one made in the USA.They are expensive, but a TREEWALKER is a safe stand, great bite on tree. As said before wear your harness EVERYTIME you leave the ground. Try to avoid trees with real hard bark, like a walnut. Hunt safe

Practice before you go.
Practice before you go.
Practice before you go.
Pick the right tree.
Don't pick the wrong tree.
Wear a whistle around your neck, check that it works (they don't always), and learn SOS.
Practice before you go.

agree with the practice part, and IMO not all climbers are created equal when it comes to how sturdy they feel in the tree. If your current climber doesn't feel sturdy then I would borrow/try others till I found one I like.
Also, check out third hand archery stabilizer straps. I would add those to any climber; with those you have the confidence that your bottom cant slide down will climbing and once in position and pulled tight your top wont get bumped and drop.

Gomer - you are in the market for one of the older, rock steady API's. They will be in your budget range. Yes - they are heavy, but the solidity you are looking for is the trade off. I drop weight by taking all the extra crap off, especially the seat, and replace with a mesh seat.

Trust me on this one.

I think most people with a fear of heights, simply haven't spent enough time in the air. Get one, wear your harness, and go to climbing.

Used API or Summit is what I would go with. Safety vest and DO NOT let your feet leave earth without it on. DO NOT remove it until safely back on the ground.

Dr. B

I've had a climber slip a couple of inches before, nothing major though. Most accidents are due to operator error. Number one mistake is getting in too big of a hurry. Now a ladderstand, them sumbitches will break your neck, literally. I know. But, I was doing something stupid.

Turkey247 has it right. My first stand was an API Star. Still use it today, although I'm either going to trade or sell it for a lighter stand since I have so far to walk. That thing is rock solid. Sharp teeth to dig in and its really comfortable.

Like you, I was scared to death. Practice at home, and practice like you would hunt. (Pull your gear up, test shooting position, etc) The biggest thing for me to build confidence was to practice.

Find a harness your comfortable with as well. I hated the idea of those seatbelt type that came with my stand, so I bought a vest style from HSS.

Lots of good info from this thread.

If you want to try out this API, just let me know. You can use my harness and climb one of these trees in my backyard if you want. I didn't have anyone to show me how to do it when I first started. My dad was as scared as I was. So I'll be happy to help if I can.

Climb a pine in a tree walker. I'm usually more worried about getting stuck to the tree than I am about falling off.

Lots of good advice. The only thing I would add is to always carry at least one screw-in tree step. I have never had an accident in a climber, but the take away that I got from someone that has is the screw in step was the best thing he had with him. Statistically most accidents occur at the very beginning while you are getting in the climber and the very end of your climb when you are repositioning. I always slow down and take my time during these periods.

I limited out using a ground blind in the forest last year

I'm seriously considering doing this. I love a climber. I love being up in a tree. I also love the morning hunt and the time it takes me to get set up makes me always feel rushed. I know the obvious answer is to leave earlier but it's already close to 2 hours from the time my feet hit the floor to the time I'm in position ready to shoot and there's also the noise. The world seems to be quietest just before day break and I always feel like everything within a mile can hear me climbing a tree in the morning.

I think a ground blind, though I've never used one, would be much faster and quieter in the mornings.

Just stay away from them slick oaks and you'll be fine

What kind of blind do you use?

Gomer, if safety is a concern, and it should be, check out Austin treestands. They are just like the old buckshot stands. Your completely surrounded by a handrail while climbing and hunting, unlike summit's and api's. This stand is solid as a rock on a tree and climbs easily. Very comfortable, and versatile. Thank me later.

Don't climb within fall zone of a dead tree. I've been in a stand and heard dead trees fall and get to looking around and sure enough, I'm within the fall zone of one.

If the NTSB were investigating climber accidents, I believe they would most likely say -- "pilot error". I chalk up equipment failure as "pilot error" since the pilot should have checked the equipment -- and learned how to properly use said equipment -- before flying.

Climb a pine tree that's got a low branch around 15 ft up, grow some balls & stop worrying about dying. Hell, if you die, at least you were doing something you supposedly loved to do.

While you're relaxing in your climber, you can meditate on carbon fiber arrow failures/factures & them splintering into your hand. At least that'd take your mind off falling out of the tree.

FWIW, my beef against climbers has more to do w/my sweating like a dog trying to get into position, up a tree, and far less to do w/safety. Along those lines, I HIGHLY recommend an aluminum climber vs. steel; far less weight to pack into wherever you intend to hunt.

JMHO with your dislike/phobia of climbers a wrap around sit and climb climber is the way to go with you; i.e. Summit Viper SD. I used to not use ladder stands because I liked the bar around me in my old API. Made me feel safer; I would hope you would be the same. Now I have gotten over the need for the bar, and hunt ladder stands and have switched to a lone wolf hand climber as my main climber due to weight and stealthiness through the woods.

Once you get a climber, practice practice practice. The more you climb the more confident and comfortable you will be.

On cell signal, may be worth checking Verizon's and AT&Ts coverage in the areas you are going to be hunting. I hunt solo a lot and I had to switch to AT&T because Verizon didn't deem it cost efficient to put towers up in the area of the WMA and my lease (funnily enough Verizon is putting towers up out there now). AT&T put one up on the main road into the WMA, so I get HSPA+(step below LTE) speeds and great connectivity so long as I'm not in the deepest draws. The smaller carriers don't really fool with the rural areas so almost have to stick with the big boys.

I`m in same boat this year. As to your question.....as stated before, PRACTICE as much as you can with your stand. Get some of those straps from Third Hand Archery that connect the top and bottom pieces together. Try to avoid Oak trees until you are comfortable as they can get hairy at times. And you don`t have to be up in the nose bleed section of the tree to kill a deer. 15-20 feet is plenty high enough most of the time. And of course, wear a harness.

Doesn't necessarily answer your question but I think you would appreciate it...


I have a 7 year old climber that I am used to and with my harness, I feel more comfortable then climbing into a good lock on stand. It was stressful the first year but I eventually built up my confidence.

The thing I like about climbing is that it lets you stay attached to the tree the whole time, unlike ladder/lock on stands that have steps wrapped around them. I would rather being hanging off a tree trunk then making a 20 ft. drop to lord knows where...


I feel like one of the most dangerous parts of getting into a tree stand is making the transition from the ladder to the stand and vice versa.


It takes a little experience to get an idea of how much a tree will taper and what barks will grip best.

A good idea is having some type of rope keeping both parts of the climber attached to each other. If that bottom happens to fall off you ain't climbing down that day. If not strategically placed the rope might get in the way while you are climbing which is a biotch.

Also, even though I exclusively bow hunt I like the climbers with the bar going across. I usually stand up when I shoot and my bow lays across perfectly while I'm not holding it. Ain't got to screw in a "bow holder" in and out every time you go up...

I rarely climb anything besides hardwood trees, just aren't that many pines in most of the places I want to be. I prefer to be in a stand if I'm hunting and climb most of the time. If you just climb "normal" and use your harness there is nothing to it. In my teenage years we didn't have enough money to spend on expensive stands and so I've hunted in cedars where we just had a board or maybe just a tree stand top to sit in and sometimes in the cedars we would just kind of stand and sit on the limbs. I've had bottoms fall out from under me. Once a game warden found me because I had dropped my bottom piece and he heard what he thought was rattling but was me trying to get my bottom piece pulled back up. I've had to slide down trees probably 20' up. The more you practice the better you'll get. My advice is make sure to have a harness and keep the bottom and top tied together. My son is 8 and I started him climbing last year. We would climb the same tree and I would help him pull up the pieces as we climbed. He did a good job and got better as the year went. It took around 30-45 min but we really enjoyed it. Once we got up to where we would hunt I would take my top piece off so I could put it back level around the tree where he was sitting. We would be facing opposite directions. As far as stands go the Summits are plenty good.