With firearms deer season approaching in Indiana, hunters must understand the risks of hunting from an elevated platform and how to protect themselves from a fall. Falls from elevated platforms are the leading cause of deer hunting accidents in Indiana, accounting for more than half.

In an average deer season, about 18 hunters will experience a fall. Already this year, deer hunters have reported seven falls from elevated platforms during the early archery season. Firearms season, the most popular among the different deer seasons, started Nov. 14 and lasts for a total of 16 days.

Lt. Larry Morrison of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Law Enforcement said falls are preventable if hunters follow basic tree-stand precautions. "If they are thinking safety, safety, safety, they should be just fine," he said.

The first step toward elevated platform safety is to make sure the equipment is in working order. Only use an elevated platform bearing the approval of the Treestand Manufacturers Assoc. (TMA), and make sure to read the manufacturer’s warnings and instructions before installation.

Hunters using homemade elevated platforms should check them thoroughly for stability, especially stands exposed to weather from being left outside year-round. Hunters should also wear a full-body fall arrest harness system meeting TMA standards, which includes a lifeline system. Single-strap and chest harnesses should not be used.

Do not leave the ground until the full-body, fall arrest harness system is on. Always have three points of contact with the tree when climbing and descending. "Most of the falls occur while a person is ascending or descending," Morrison explained.

A hunter should never climb with anything in his/her hands or on his/her back. A haul line should be used to lift a gun, a bow or other gear into the stand. Firearms on a haul line should be unloaded with the action open and muzzle pointed downward.

Other safety tips include hunting with a buddy; telling someone the exact location of your elevated platform before heading into the woods; getting a full night’s rest before a hunt; and making sure a cell phone, whistle, flare or some other signaling device is on your person at all times. In addition, hunters should be familiar with the equipment they are using.

For more information and a short online safety course, visit www.huntercourse.com/treestandsafety

A select group of Indiana state parks will close temporarily to allow for controlled deer hunts in the coming weeks.

The dates for the temporary closings are Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

The state parks affected are Clifty Falls, Fort Harrison, Harmonie, Lincoln, McCormick’s Creek, Ouabache, Pokagon, Potato Creek, Prophetstown, Shades, Shakamak, Tippecanoe, Turkey Run and Whitewater Memorial.

The state parks will close to the general public the evening before each of the two efforts and reopen the morning after each two-day reduction. Only individual hunters drawn last September and the hunters listed on the application may participate in the hunts. There will be no standby drawings this year.

DNR biologists evaluate which parks require a reduction each year based on habitat recovery and previous harvest rates at each park. The state parks are home to more than 32 state-endangered plants and numerous significant natural communities. The reduction hunts help control browsing by deer to maintain a level necessary to maintain habitat throughout the state parks for all plants and animals.