The Hunter Safety System
Ed Johnson 10.18.11
I have bow hunted for 50 years (starting when I was 16), and I have climbed my fair share of trees and sat on limbs, boards, platforms, and tree stands. During those early years I never gave much thought to safety, other than picking large limbs, treated lumber, big nails, and a good solid lock on stand. Fortunately, I never had an accident but did have a few close calls, once grabbing a limb to keep from falling. That incident injured my rotator cup in my right shoulder and took a year to heal, with the help of some cortisone shots. I thought I would never pull a bow back again. Lucky for me, I healed. I can also tell you that when a tree stand slips even just one inch under your feet, it feels like you just fell a foot!
My sons introduced to me to the safety harness a few years ago. Most of those harnesses were frustrating pieces of equipment, trying to figure out where every limb goes and you are usually tangled up before you begin the process. There was not much science as to how safe they were, and some looked unsafe. However, I now wear a new model of safety harness religiously – I’m talking about the Hunter Safety System!
I have a good hunting friend that is a 6’ 9’’ young gent that weighs 330 lbs and all muscle. I have to say he would hit the ground mighty hard from high up in a tree. Last year I helped him find a climber tree stand that was made to support his size. At the time he could not afford a safety harness so he went without (don’t do it! I said don’t do it!). I kept reminding him that he needed to get a harness for this season. As luck would have it, he received a Hunter Safety System to field test. His mindset has changed completely and going up a tree no is no longer a safety concern. I had the opportunity to do a photo shoot with him using the Hunter Safety System.
The ease and convenience of its design is a great feature and with all of its pockets, it practically replaces a belly pack. It will easily hold tracking tape, GPS, release, gloves, sandwich, grunt call, scent bottle, powder bottle for wind direction, cell phone (be sure to put on silent) a small camera – and you might as well pack in a change of clothes! Personally, I leave all that stuff at the base of the tree covered with leaves. The Hunter Safety System gives the user complete mobility. There is no substitute for safety and a complete instructional DVD comes with each harness.
I have a good friend who was paralyzed for a year from a fall from a tree stand because the stand failed. He was not wearing a harness. I have examined the Hunter Safety System and find it to be a very reliable product. I had borrowed one from a friend for myself while he is not hunting and this will be my next purchase before this review goes to press. Even if you are one of the “big boys”, Hunter Safety System can fix you up too!
Hunting, fishing, and the outdoors, is no stranger to Ed Johnson. Groomed in the outdoors by a grandfather and two uncles, since he was a small child, with a fly rod in one hand, and a bow in the other, Ed has 50 years of bow hunting experience behind him. He has record bow kills in the Safari Club International record books with a collection of some 60 mounts and has taken 17 species with bow in Africa. He has received awards for North America's Top Ten and Goats of the World and Wild Sheep of the World.
He is a member of Safari Club International, Professional Outdoor Media Association (POMA), North American Hunting Club, NWTF, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, ICAST, and retired co-founder and owner of the Bass Pro Crappie Masters All American Tour. Ed still maintains his status as a professional photographer and is an avid freelance writer for numerous outdoor publications. He was featured in several hunting videos with Roger Raglin, and On The Water and In the Woods, with Cody and Cody. He serves on the pro staff and pro staff review board for Commando Hunting Products and is senior adviser and consultant and Trusted Expert Pro Staffer for Trusted Outdoor Gear and OutdoorHub.com
His love for the Ozark whitetail and old tom turkey is still his passion. Ed is quite active in promoting the outdoors and enjoys sharing hunts with others, especially first timers! His mission in life is to expose people, young and old, to this great pastime of hunting and fishing. Each year he takes a group into Ontario for bear hunting and fishing. In a time when it is getting more difficult to get kids exposed to nature, Ed believes all outdoors men and women, can and will play an important role in helping to expose more children to the outdoors. The bottom line….our hunting industry future. Ed has coined the phrase "teach a child to hunt and fish and you will never have to hunt the child"!
