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Post by bradshaw on Aug 12, 2023 6:50:26 GMT -5
While visiting IHMSA sharpshooter and former Navy pistol record setter Edwin Bradley in Savannah, Georgia, some years back, he described a jinxed hunt on property adjacent his spread. Fellow in tree stand roped up his .308 rifle (may have been a Winchester Model 100 autoloader). Rifle slipped its knot, striking ground butt-first. Chambered round discharged, carving a severe wound in buttock. Now paying for his ignorance, the wounded hunter managed in agony and blood loss to lower himself. As he set foot on the ground, a pit viper nailed him in the leg. (Don’t remember type of viper: rattler, copper head, or moccasin; all three a native citizens.) The guy hung on to consciousness long enough to reach Bradley’s doorstep and name the snake. Edwin got him to the hospital. The man survived, whatever that means. Not sure why a man would pull a loaded rifle toward himself, unless it’s to see what a bullet looks like coming at him. David Bradshaw
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Post by bigbore5 on Aug 12, 2023 7:00:16 GMT -5
Now that's what happens when dumb meets bad luck.
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Post by bula on Aug 12, 2023 7:17:57 GMT -5
A good thread. Started out bowhunting and spent some time in trees. NEVER liked it, but in second growth woodlands and swamps.. Tried hard to avoid tree stands when hunting the more open woods at camp. Now , just put up a new stand at camp. A friends son got his 1st deer from it last year. I wasn't in it.. But so far, don't recall dropping but one thing. Think it was my flashlight. It was cold, and I thought I'd gotten it into a pocket, but was only a fold in my clothing. Stay safe folks.
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Post by contender on Aug 12, 2023 8:49:56 GMT -5
Using a tree stand is very common in my heavily wooded & brushy areas. I've been in them all my life. From home-built stuff,, to fancy climbers, to shoot houses elevated. I can thankfully say I've never dropped a firearm,, or even had a fall to where I plugged up my muzzle. Part of why may be that I've mostly been a handgun hunter since the early 1980's,, and my handgun rides in a good holster, or my Contender has a sling. My T/C is carried up & down from a stand, broken open, and across my chest. I have dropped a few odds & ends items,, but nothing ever really serious. Once,, I did drop the open bottle I was using to relieve myself in,, ! Caused me to move my stand location. But as a Hunter Safety Instructor,, I can say I've heard of way too many stories of hunters dropping loaded firearms causing a discharge, and occasional injury.
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woody
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,116
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Post by woody on Aug 12, 2023 9:59:10 GMT -5
A guy a few counties over from me years ago shot him self with his Freedom Arms .454 while hunting. I guess It wasn’t a very pretty sight!!!!
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Post by bigbrowndog on Aug 12, 2023 12:38:01 GMT -5
Had a buddy use one of the self climbing tree stands on a telephone pole once. He was found well after dark yelling for help, sitting in the chair section with the foot section at the bottom of the pole. He’d tied himself to the pole with rope he had in case the chair portion gave way as well. His bow was tossed away in case he fell so as not to fall on a broadhead. This was in the 80’s well before cell phones otherwise I’m sure pictures would have been taken.
Trapr
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Post by birdshead2021 on Aug 12, 2023 13:39:44 GMT -5
I never have but as a teenager watched my neighbor get “thrown” out of his homemade tree stand! He adjusted the angle of the ladder and when he climbed up and turned around the ladder shifted and launched him from about 12-15 feet up I saw this from several hundred yards away across an open field! Laughed so hard about launched myself!!
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nicholst55
.375 Atomic
Retired, twice.
Posts: 1,047
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Post by nicholst55 on Aug 12, 2023 13:50:06 GMT -5
Lanyards are the solution to the handgun problems. I am the most awkward and accident-prone person that I've ever met. If there is a way for something to go wrong, it will - guaranteed. I tie a tether to a long gun when I'm hunting in an elevated stand. I may get tangled up in it later on, but I (hopefully) won't drop my rifle 30-40' to the ground!
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Post by seminolewind on Aug 12, 2023 15:33:35 GMT -5
My wife used to say I spent as much time in a tree as I did on the ground during hunting season. In all that time, only once have I dropped a gun. At dark in a ladder stand I got ready to climb down and put my revolver in a chest holster from one of our most beloved leather stretchers. I snapped the long strap down and bent over to pick up a dropped glove. I heard the snap pop open and felt the gun leave the holster at the same time. I couldn’t see the scoped, custom Bisley 357 Maximum, but I could hear it bounce off the metal ladder as it fell and land with a thud on the ground. Expecting the worst, I found the gun in the leaves and looked at it carefully with a flashlight for damage. Thankfully, there was only one ding in the exhibition walnut grips and one ding on the scope eyepiece. It could have been much worse. Since then I have added a leather hammer thong to the holster and use it in addition to the safety strap. I think about dropping that gun every time I climb up or down a stand.
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xae289
.240 Incinerator
Posts: 23
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Post by xae289 on Aug 12, 2023 15:57:43 GMT -5
I was letting my Remington 700 (.270 Win) down from the tree stand and the string slipped from one hand banging it against a tree. Thankfully it was only a little ding.
The worst I had happen was with that same rifle. It's old and has iron sights, even though it normally wears a scope. I once slipped in mud stepping across a stream. The rifle spun 180° on my shoulder and the front sight hit a rock just right and hard enough to knock it out of the dovetail. Couldn't find it and it still lacks a front sight post.
As far as a bore obstruction, I always place a couple pieces of electrical tape on my bore, so that's saved me from a barrel full of snow or dirt a couple of times.
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Post by parallaxbill on Aug 12, 2023 16:47:41 GMT -5
I never have but as a teenager watched my neighbor get “thrown” out of his homemade tree stand! He adjusted the angle of the ladder and when he climbed up and turned around the ladder shifted and launched him from about 12-15 feet up I saw this from several hundred yards away across an open field! Laughed so hard about launched myself!! Ive fallen out of two deer stands. The first out of an old Amacker 10' aluminum ladder that tossed me out like your story tells. The first thing I did when I hit the ground was to look around to see if anyone saw me when I knew good and well there was no one there. I fell flat on my butt in pine needles and only hurt my pride. But I got a good laugh out of it. The second in October of 2013 where I fell 24' and had to learn to walk again and still suffer from the the long term effects. If I haven't told that story on this forum here and anyone is interested I can do it in another thread. Sort of a PSA for other climbing deer hunters.
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Post by seminolewind on Aug 12, 2023 17:02:01 GMT -5
I'd like to hear that story.
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brant
.30 Stingray
Posts: 337
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Post by brant on Aug 12, 2023 18:59:54 GMT -5
Just today I was attending a men’s lunch at my church. The ladies made a nice spread and decorated each table with items that might be of interest to a man. One table had carpentry tools. Another fishing gear, and so on. I sat down to eat with my father and a gentleman that I had not yet gotten to know very well at a table with an old rusty shotgun, some spent shells and a broken rifle stock. I said, “ I would like to know the story behind that stock!” My new friend said, “ well I’ll tell you all about it. It’s mine!” He said that he had used a climber to get about 40 feet up a pine while hunting white tails. Then pulled his rifle up. After untying it but before loading it, it fell to the ground, snapping it in 2 pieces. It was a Weatherby 340 magnum. I had so many more questions after that but didn’t ask them!
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shorty500
.327 Meteor
too many dirty harry movies created me!
Posts: 911
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Post by shorty500 on Aug 12, 2023 19:18:25 GMT -5
T/C Contender carbine in .357 Herrett, short 14 ft. drop gun survived beautifully but the scope suffered a slightly bent tube. Actually didn’t discover scope damage until went to remove it later for a different project- in spite of the bend it held zero on near immediate test after the drop.
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Post by foxtrapper on Aug 13, 2023 9:11:39 GMT -5
My beloved 1975 vintage do all m77 tang safety 270 win has a bell and Carson replacement stock do to a fall. Cracked the stock right below the action. No wood missing so maybe it can be repaired. Fall also killed the weaver wide field 2x7 variable scope….
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