Making hunting from a tree stand safer

Since I hunt the majority of my time out of a tree stand this is a particular area of concern.

Safety is for me a major consideration when hunting. Thinking and acting on safe procedures and behaviors begins when I plan my hunt to the moment I leave my house and enter the woods. The safety of others and myself is constantly on my mind. Since I hunt the majority of my time out of a tree stand this is a particular area of concern. For years I had used a plain rope to raise and lower my rifle or bow to and from the tree stand but I was never quite happy with that procedure. There have been times when the rope got slippery from the rain or ice and snow making raising and lowering the rifle or bow difficult at best, and worrisome at worst. What if the rifle fell? Not only could such a fall spoil the hunt, it likely could damage the rifle or scope too. What if I was in the tree stand, with the rifle loaded ready to hunt, and it fell out of the tree stand? Even if the safety switch of the gun was on, the shock from the fall still could cause the rifle to discharge. Just the mere thought of what a stray bullet could do to others or even myself makes me shudder.

When I am hunting I hate to worry about such things because it makes my confidence and concentration on the hunt suffer. In short, when I hunt I want peace of mind. I have enough already to think about rather than worrying about raising and lowering my weapon of choice to and from my tree stand. So when I heard about a brand new product on the market that completely eliminates these worries I was very pleased and eager to field test it.

The Gunslinger from Gun Safety Innovations LLC. is one of the neatest products that has come along in a while. I do a lot of product field-testing and have grown weary of new products that claim to make hunting safer. No such concerns with the Gunslinger, it does exactly what is promises. An effective tool based on simplicity- I like that very much-simple is always good. Using a secure attachment strap and Safe-Retrieve Tether ™ and high quality components make this product easy and fail-free to use.

Here is how it works: The Gunslinger assembly consists of a heavy-duty shock absorbing cord that attaches to the tree stand. The cord itself is connected to a strap that connects to the gun stock strap that can easily be adjusted to the size of the gunstock. That is all there is to it. Attach the resizable strap to the gunstock and use the Safe-Retrieve Tether ™ to raise or lower the rifle from the tree stand. Once the rifle is in the stand and you’re ready to hunt, disconnect the Safe-Retrieve Tether ™ and the rifle is now safely “leashed” to the tree stand. You still can hold the rifle in any direction needed without interference of the leash. Should the weapon be dropped for some reason the gunslinger will make sure that the rifle falls with the muzzle facing to the ground. Should a discharge occur from the fall, the bullet will go in the ground and not cause injury to you or others in the area.

In conclusion:
For a suggested retail price of $19.95 the gunslinger gives peace of mind and it is less expensive than having to repair the rifle after a fall from a tree stand. The sheer simplicity of the product is not surprising to me, knowing the gunslinger is the brainchild of experienced hunters. As such the fine folks at Gun Safety Innovations LLC exactly knew how to make tree stand hunting with a rifle safer without producing a complicated gadget. This is a product that I can fully recommend and will regard as a standard in my tree stand hunting tactics.

Gunslinger Data:

Suggested Retail Price: $19.95
Gunslinger Assembly:

1 Nylon Webbing
1 Revolving Spring Clip
1 Bungee Cord

Safe-Retrieve Tether ™:

1 Nylon Webbing
1 Revolving Spring Hook
1 Clip Ring
1 Cam Buckle

Gun Stock Strap:
1 Nylon Webbing
1 Clip Ring
1 Cam Buckle
1 Velcro

Material:
One inch olive drab green webbing straps

Weight:
Very light

Tree Stand Compatibility:
The Gunslinger can be used with the tree stand set up at 16 feet above ground and easily clips on to most standard tree stand designs

Portability:
the Gunslinger comes with a waterproof blaze orange carrying pouch
that clips neatly on to the belt or can be carried in the cargo pockets of the pants or jacket.

Tags: Gunslinger, Gun Safety Innovations LLC, Hunter Safety, Products, Rifle Hunting, Tree Stand

Alberta : Testing Completed for Chronic Wasting Disease Winter Program

Alberta’s chronic wasting disease control program has identified nine additional infected deer out of more than 1,400 collected from the final winter target area in east-central Alberta.

Between March 15 and 27, 600 mule deer and 801 white-tailed deer were collected from high-risk areas east of Wainwright, near Edgerton and Chauvin. The disease was confirmed in eight mule deer and one white-tailed deer. These new cases are in addition to the three positive deer confirmed near the Empress area from 449 deer collected earlier in March. This brings the total of positive cases of chronic wasting disease in wild deer to 29 since the first documented case in September 2005.

Because Edgerton is the most westerly point at which the disease has been found, reduction of deer populations near Edgerton is an important control measure. With the Canadian Forces Base and the Wainwright Dunes Ecological Reserve in close proximity, large numbers of deer and elk are at risk if the disease becomes established.

Surveillance for this disease largely involves testing of hunter-killed deer in disease-control areas during the fall hunting season. During the 2006-2007 hunting season, 3,000 deer were tested, and four mule deer tested positive. These positive cases led to the additional disease control response this winter. Staff from Sustainable Resource Development worked with the department of Agriculture and Food to test the wild deer.

Chronic wasting disease affects the nervous system, causing infected animals to lose weight and slowly waste away. There is no scientific evidence to suggest the disease can affect humans. As a precaution, the World Health Organization advises against allowing products from animals known to be infected with any prion (abnormal protein) disease, such as chronic wasting disease and BSE, into the human food system.

Source: Alberta Sustainable Resource Development

Tags: Alberta, Deer, Chronic Wasting Disease