Sheriff Urges Hunters to Take Precautions

For the City Times

An Eau Pleine man who was seriously injured after falling from a tree stand was rescued this morning after a search following a disconnected 911 call.

On Monday, November 2, 2015, at approximately 8:35 AM, a 911 call was received from a 59-year-old man in the Town of Eau Pleine in Portage County.The man reported that he was installing a tree stand when the branch he was standing on broke. The man fell approximately 16 feet and was  unable to properly breathe, let alone walk out of the wooded area.

The Sheriff’s Office Communications Center did not directly receive the 911 call and were unable to get an exact location from the injured man’s cell phone. The caller could only narrow down his location to an 80 acre area before the phone connection was lost.

Responders from the Sheriff’s Office, Rudolph Fire Department and emergency medical responders as well as the Portage County Ambulance were dispatched to the area. A search was undertaken and a sheriff’s deputy located the injured man. He was evacuated and then transported by helicopter to Aspirus Hospital in Wausau.

He is reported to be in serious condition.

The Portage County Sheriff’s Office urges all hunters, whether they are actually hunting or just preparing for the upcoming season, to take all the necessary precautions in case something happens. These steps include:

-Always let someone know where you will be, where you will be parking your vehicle, and when you should be expected back.
-Wear proper blaze orange clothing if that’s appropriate.
-Take a phone with you in case you need to call for help. If you do, dial 911, not someone else first.
-Know where you are and how to tell someone else how to get to you. Have a way to signal for help, such as a whistle.
-Practice firearms safety including safe shooting and transporting of firearms.
-Practice tree stand safety including having the right equipment, choosing the right tree, maintaining 3 points of contact, using short tethers and using haul lines for your unloaded firearms.
-Make sure you are in the proper physical condition to climb into a tree stand.

A free 15 minute tree stand safety course sponsored by the Tree Stand Manufacturers Association can be found at www.huntercourse.com/treestandsafety.