EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — David Ciresi, M.D., describes himself as a
“safety fanatic.” The trauma surgeon at Mayo Clinic Health
System in Eau Claire, a Level II Trauma Center, also is an avid
bow hunter. Because of his job, Dr. Ciresi and his colleagues
will see about 10 patients a year with major injuries related to
tree stands — head or spinal cord injury, broken bones or
hypothermia. “All these things are 100 percent preventable,” Dr.
Ciresi said. So, Dr. Ciresi filmed a tree stand safety video,
posted on YouTube, to offer tips to hunters,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bhg58pMNxLM. The video follows Dr.
Ciresi in the woods to show how to use a five-point harness,
which holds hunters from below as well as from above, as opposed
to using a strap across the chest. “Don’t think it won’t happen
to you,” Dr. Ciresi said of potential tree stand falls. “The
only way to protect yourself is to prepare ahead of time.”
Besides using a harness, other hunter safety tips include: •
Tell someone where you’re going: Draw a map if you’r