The state Wildlife Resources Commission is already reporting one deer stand injury before bow hunting season starts.
Sgt. Carl Hatcher, an enforcement officer with the commission, said the injury occurred on Aug. 20 but wasn’t reported to Wildlife until Aug. 24.
Phillip Vinson Davis, 48, of Conway, was putting up a lock-on stand unassisted, putting steps in the same location he had them last year when one of the steps dislodged, causing him to fall.
As he fell he hugged the tree with his arms and legs to break the fall but was impaled in the left arm by the fifth step, causing him to hang from the tree. He suffered nerve damage and lost a large amount of blood. He fell 19 feet, Hatcher said.
Several factors led to the fall, Hatcher said, the first being Davis was erecting the deer stand alone, carrying all the equipment by himself.
Most stand makers recommend placing the steps in a different location from the previous year. Davis also failed to wear a fall restraint device. Wildlife recommends bow hunters wear a full body harness which limits the distance of a fall.
Hunting season
Bow season: Sept. 12 through Oct. 9.
Muzzle loading season: Oct. 10 through 16.
Gun season: Oct. 17 through Jan. 1.
For more information visit Wildlife’s website at www.ncwildlife.org.