I'm the worst you ever meet about not wearing a harness. My background as an Ironworker and back when I started they made you wear a harness but you never unhooked your lanyard from it and hooked off. that didn't get pushed until at least 5 years after I started. well there were a few plants where it was but they were the exception. So with a background of walking 4" beams and on projects over 650' tall it's been hard for me to change and take the time to put on a harness to be 20' in a tree on a nice platform.

It tough for me but necessary if I want my boys to take doing so seriously. It's like telling them to wear their sear belt then not put mine on. Setting a bad example instead of leading by example.

So If an old foul mouthed rough around the edges Ironworker can humble himself and start hooking off because it's the smart thing to do and can't come up with a single valid excuse not to.... well all the smarter people all should be hooking off. That said yes at times I still fall back to old habits. I never have claimed to be overly smart.

I build my own ladder stands. At eye level seated. I'm only 13 feet up. No desire to get any higher. Camo stand in well and be still. I shoot all the deer I want.
But, when climbing in or out of my short ladder into stand. I make it a priority to always have a firm grip with a least one hand.
No deer.is worth sucking food through a tube or having someone wipe my butt.

Sarge

Read where fishing and hunting celebrity Hank Parker fell from his treestand and is doing OK.
Hank lives not too far from me and is a world class guy. Just an ordinary person around here. Lives in a modest home.
He even admits he made a near fatel mistake.
Folks, use your harness when ascending and descending. Have a safe season.

Sarge