Hunting safety cannot be over-emphasized
By Amie Jo Schaenzer
The Reporter ajschaenzer@fdlreporter.com
Each year, medical personnel have come to expect seeing a patient
who's been injured after falling from a tree during hunting season.
"We see these types of injuries every fall," said spokesman Brian
Dorrington of Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Milwaukee.
"This year is no exception, and the need for practicing hunting
safety cannot be over-emphasized," Dorrington said in a news
release.
About two weeks into the fall bow-hunting season, the first such
accident was reported in Fond du Lac County.
Steven Warner, 41, of Lamartine, broke his leg and shoulder
Tuesday after he slipped while climbing down from his tree stand and
fell 12 feet to the ground, said Chief Deputy Mark Strand of the
Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Department.
Warner was bow hunting in an area on Hageman Road in the town of
Lamartine when the accident occurred shortly before 6 p.m., Strand
said.
"He was out there by himself," he said.
After falling, he called his brother on a cell phone, Strand
said. The brother then reported the hunting accident to police, he
said.
An all-terrain vehicle took Warner from the woods to an
ambulance. Warner was driven a short distance to a landing zone
where the Flight for Life helicopter was waiting for him, said Sgt.
Jeff Bonack of the Sheriff's Department.
Warner was taken by Flight for Life to Froedtert Memorial
Lutheran Hospital where he was listed in satisfactory condition
Wednesday afternoon, a hospital spokesman said.
"It seems like every year we see these kind of accidents," Strand
said.
Dorrington provided the following hunting safety tips in the news
release:
Always hunt in groups or make sure someone knows where you are
and when you are supposed to return.
Carry a walkie-talkie or cell phone to let people know if you are
in trouble.
Use a harness system when climbing into tree stands to prevent
falls.
Froedtert Memorial Lutheran and the Medical College of Wisconsin
recommend wearing a full body harness, since the body will be facing
straight up in the event of a fall.
Check and recheck equipment to ensure that it is in working
order. In particular, check both permanent and portable tree stands
every year before hunting. Look for loose nuts and bolts and dead
tree limbs.
Don't go too high. Usually 15 to 20 feet is high enough off the
ground to give you a hunting advantage. The likelihood of a serious
injury escalates in falls from elevated stands.
Never carry equipment while climbing. Use a haul line to raise or
lower gear.
