[Hansam]

I had a dangerous mishap once many moons ago when I still hunted from tree stands. In fact that was the last time I ever hunted from a tree stand.

See I have a problem of not being able to stay awake in a stand. Something about the quiet with the swaying of the tree in the wind puts me to sleep like a baby in a moving vehicle.

That morning I had a cold and instead of staying at camp I drank a double dose of NyQuil (I know stupid) and headed off to hunt. I climbed to my stand which was only 8 ft off the ground and sat down to await the deer. Well I had forgotten to attach my safety harness to my anchor line and as such I fell asleep some time after 0730. My father found me on the ground out cold, my rifle still hanging on a branch next to my stand, around 0830 when he couldn't raise me on the radio (checking up on me). Yep I was so soundly asleep I never awoke when I fell. A trip to the doctor revealed a couple of broken ribs and some bruises from having fallen on twigs and roots but I wasn't seriously hurt.

So now its no more meds and no more tree stands for me when I hunt. I am either well enough to hunt or I'm not but I don't take cold meds anymore and I won't go up in a tree stand anymore.