A Kanawha County hunter recently became the second fatality involving a tree stand in the fall of 2007. Family members found 60-year-old John Shirkey, of Sissonville, dead below his tree stand after he failed to return from his hunting trip. Conservation officers estimate he fell 15 to 20 feet to his death while hunting near Sissonville.
"I guess he bounced off of several limbs on the way down," said Captain Steve Stewart of the DNR’s Law Enforcement Section. "I guess there were several broken limbs that his body struck before he landed."
Shirkey was not wearing a safety harness as is highly recommended by the DNR when hunting from an elevated perch.
"We can’t overemphasize that too much that everyone needs to use a safety harness when you’re up off the ground in those tree stands,” said Stewart.
Shirkey’s death is the second fatal fall from a tree stand. The first happened earlier this year when a Mason County hunter died in a fall. The DNR has recorded three other accidents involving falls from tree stands during the archery-hunting season.
Most commercially sold tree stands now come with a safety harness included. They are also available for individual sale at most sporting goods stores. The harness is literally worn either under or over a hunter’s clothing and there are various styles. Many hunters bane the straps as uncomfortable and often choose not to wear them.
"That’s the excuse," said Stewart, "but it’s a whole lot better to be maybe a little bit inconvenienced or uncomfortable than dead."