Treestand safety isn’t a sexy topic — I understand that — but for those of us deer hunters who spend a large percentage of our time in elevated stands, it’s good to have a reminder.
In the YouTube clip below, well-known hunter Micheal Waddell of Bone Collector fame takes a few minutes to detail two hunters he knows personally who fell from trees during 2025 — one died and one is still in the hospital with two broken legs. The factors contributing to each tragedy are different, but both falls could have been avoided if the hunters had stayed strapped to the tree the entire time, either with a lifeline or lineman’s rope.
It’s so easy to skip using a lifeline or lineman’s rope — I’ve done it hundreds and hundreds of times; heck, maybe a thousand-plus times. And that’s what makes Waddell’s message hit me so hard. Either of these tragedies could have happened to me.
I’ve been hunting from elevated stands for nearly 50 years. Twice I’ve had screw-in treesteps (installed properly) break when I’ve been standing on them. FYI: I weigh 155 pounds, so the breakage was 100% product failure. By the grace of God I was hanging onto other treesteps with both hands at the time the steps broke under my feet, so I didn’t fall to the ground. Lucky!
In the video, Waddell mentions that he is using the safety harnesses, lineman’s ropes and lifelines from Malta Hunting Safety. I found those comments interesting because I switched to that same brand in 2025 and have been very happy with their products. Specifically, I chose the Malta Ultralight Harness Kit. It’s easy to use, comfortable and I have total confidence it will keep me safe provided I do my part in staying connected to a tree the entire time. Click here to read my 2025 field test article about this impressive product.
As we all begin to think about and plan ahead for the 2026 deer season, make this the year you take treestand safety seriously (if you haven’t done so previously). Don’t rely on luck and say “it won’t happen to me.”
