Safety Issues Related to Hunting in Elevated Stands

In 2002, the International Hunter Education Association (IHEA) conducted a survey of over 1,000 hunters in North Carolina and Vermont. The purpose was to gather information to determine safety issues related to hunting from elevated stands. The report overview states:

1. only a few hunters (7%) who use elevated hunting stands had actually experienced an accident
2. only 22% of those who had experienced an accident had required any medical treatment
3. most hunters who had experienced an accident had not used a fall-restraint device
4. typically, hunters who had experienced an accident had been climbing into or out of their elevated hunting stand when the accident occurred
5. most elevated stand accidents occurred in daylight and in clear weather
6. most hunters had taken a hunter safety course, but roughly half the courses did not address elevated hunting stand safety
7. although a strong majority of hunters indicated that they were concerned about elevated hunting stand safety, most hunters indicated that it was not likely they
   would be injured in an elevated stand accident
8. most hunters who had been involved in an accident felt that they did not take as many precautions as they could have to prevent the accident
9. most elevated hunting stands that were in use at the time of an accident did not have a shooting or safety rail
10. most hunters who had been involved in an accident said that their elevated stand was not defective, and
11. most hunters who had been involved in an accident changed their hunting techniques after the accident.

The full report is available at: http://www.ihea.com/docs/Research1

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