At one time, firearm incidents were the main cause of accidents and injuries during Wisconsin’s hunting seasons. That is no longer the case. Falls from deer stands are now at the top of the list.

“I was not using a safety harness or any safety devices,” explained Jack Theyerl, a gun hunter. “About one minute after climbing into the stand, the chain broke and tipped me upside down. I fell approximately 15 feet and landed headfirst on the ground.”

Theyerl fell from a tree stand, not once, but twice in the last 11 years. In October 2008 he suffered his first fall. “I fractured my T8, T9, and T10 thoracic vertebrae,” he recalled. “I apparently tried to slow my fall by placing my hands out towards the ground and fractured both arms and was knocked unconscious after striking my head on the ground…