TREE STAND SAFETY MATTERS
FALLING FROM A TREE THE MAJOR CAUSE OF HUNTING DEATH By Jeff Morrison
FLY TYING 101
REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF FLY YOU ARE TYING , THERE ARE BASIC STEPS TO FOLLOW .
• Sort through your stash and select the feathers and body material you plan to use .
• From your hook collection , pick out half a dozen of the right size and style for your target species – trout 10-16 , bass 2-8 , pike O / 4 -0/ 1 . Streamers need hooks with longer shanks .
• Secure the hook in your vise at the bend , with the shank horizontal
• Select colour and size of thread . Black is a safe choice in 6 / 0 Polyester . Wind thread tightly the length of the shank starting at the eye , to form a non-slip base for body material .
• At the bend of the hook , tie in the tail ( like bucktail or marabou ) and the ends of ribbing and body material .
• Secure the tail butt ends along the shank , wrap the body material on top and wind on the ribbing evenly spaced . Tie in everything near the hook eye , but don ’ t crowd it .
• Behind the hook eye , tie in a wing of hair , fur or hackle feathers .
• Build up a neat head of thread just behind the eye and tie off with three hitches .
• Apply quick-dry lacquer to the head to hold threads in place .
• Add an eye with nail polish , paint or decal if it gives you more confidence .
Repeat a few times . Each fly should look neater and more appealing , at least to the angler .
BIG-GAME HUNTING can be one of the most fulfilling outdoor activities during the crisp days of autumn . Time with family and friends at the hunt camp and out in the deer or moose woods is something most of us long for year after year .
But an untimely injury during hunting season is an awful way to interrupt anybody ’ s day pursuing big-game , and they are commonplace . The most common hunting injury is from a fall , usually from a tree stand . Although statistics are spotty on the subject , a U . S . report I read indicated that “ one in three deer hunters will fall from a tree during their hunting career .” A scary thought indeed .
About 300 to 500 hunters are killed in North America each year by tree stand falls , according to the International Hunter Education Association and about 6,000 are injured by a fall . Contrary to popular belief firearms are not the major cause , so keep that in mind this fall as you prepare your tree stand for the hunt .
This is a grim reminder for those who “ hunt from above ”: Take tree stand safety seriously . Never hunt from a homemade stand and always use a strong safety harness and make it secure . Not all tree stand accidents happen because a hunter fell asleep either , though people die each year for that reason . Falls occur while the hunter is climbing up , or down , or simply shifting weight while sitting .
Do your family , loved ones and hunting partners a favour this fall . Stay alert to your own movement and position , as well as the deer ’ s , at ALL times while hunting from a tree stand . A great day in the woods can quickly turn into a nightmare if you ’ re not careful .
From Doug Phillips posted on our Fish , Hunt & Ride .
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