Heights did not bother Jeremy Shellnut.
So, on Sept. 6, 2013, Shellnut climbed about 40 feet up in a tree stand in preparation for the Oct. 1, 2013 archery deer season.
‘I was just checking out the stand, ‘said Shellnut, a veteran Brandon Township deer hunter. ‘I was the last person that would ever get hurt, if even for a minute, I’d wear a safety harness.?
The 41-year-old suffered a collapsed lung, broken ribs, a fractured pelvis and severe head trauma when a strap used to attach the stand to the tree broke.
Shellnut, a 1990 Brandon High School graduate, was out on a carpentry job on Sept. 6, but when hours passed and he didn’t return to their Holly home or answer calls to his cell phone, Shellnut’s girlfriend contacted a friend, who suggested perhaps Shellnut had gone to check his tree stand, located on private property near Sashabaw and Granger roads in Brandon.
At around 10:30 p.m., the friend found Shellnut lying unconscious at the base of a tree, where he had fallen after the rotted strap on his tree stand broke. Brandon emergency personnel responded and rushed Shellnut to McLaren Hospital.
When he arrived, he couldn’t talk, eat or walk. He had a breathing tube and a feeding tube. Shellnut was moved to William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak and with rehabilitation was discharged more than a month later.
‘I learned the hard way it’s not necessary to hunt so high up in the tree,? said Shellnut, who plans on hunting this fall. ‘You could really see farther up so high and it gets you above the scent of the deer. I’ve seen a ridiculous number of deer up 40 feet in a tree stand.?
As the 2014 archery deer season opened Wednesday Oct. 1, it’s going to be a little closer to the ground when Shellnut heads out to the woods.
‘About 15 feet off the ground this season and I’m going to use a ladder stand’attached to the ground,? he said. ‘I’ve determined the tree stand fell because the tree grew around the strap holding the stand, putting too much stress on the material, causing it to give way.?
Sgt. Tom Wanless, supervisor of the Department of Natural Resources hunter education program and conservation officer for 15 years, agreed ladder stands are the safest raised platform for hunting.
‘They are anchored to the ground,? said Wanless. ‘The most dangerous are the homemade stands up in trees. Where someone grabs some lumber and hangs some boards up in the tree’it’s very dangerous to leave stands up in trees all year long. Nails and screws rust? Mother Nature really does a number on any equipment left outside. The climbing stands are safe, but more difficult to use. The tree has to be straight and it really takes some practice. Overall, a manufactured platform is the safest.?
‘Never climb up into any raised platform with a loaded gun or arrow in a bow,? he said. ‘Over my years as an officer I’ve investigated hunter accidents that occur while climbing up. If using a tree stand, always use a haul line to raise and lower your gear. Keep arrows in the quiver until you are ready to use them. A common injury is to stab or injure yourself or a hunting companion while carrying arrows in your hand or knocked on your bow.?
Wanless also suggests when heading out to the woods, make sure you tell someone reliable where you are going and what time to expect you back. This information is valuable in helping conservation officers or sheriff’s deputies to find you if you are lost. Also, think about carrying a cell phone, a compass, a flashlight and other small safety items when in the woods.