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Hunter Safety System

A Passion for Saving Lives

By Michaelean Pike

Spend just a few minutes speaking with anyone from Hunter Safety System, and it quickly becomes apparent that the company’s motto—“Dedicated to Saving Hunter’s Lives”—isn’t just a feel-good tagline. The people behind Hunter Safety System, which celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, genuinely care about preventing treestand accidents and ensuring that every hunter who climbs into a treestand returns safely to the ground.

“Pretty much everything in the hunting industry trickles down to one thing, and that’s performance,” says Hunter Safety System Director of Sales and Marketing David Langston. “Whether you’re talking about a broadhead or a pair of boots or an arrow, it’s all about performance. Hunter Safety System is different from all of that because we’re about saving lives. This is what we do every day. Treestand safety is all we do.”

The inspiration for the original Hunter Safety System vest came, appropriately, from a treestand accident. “I tell this story often,” David says. “Basically, two brothers, John and Jerry Wydner, and their close friend Jim Barta grew up together hunting and fishing. In 2000, they were on a hunt together in south Alabama, and the base of John’s climbing treestand slipped off his feet. Luckily, he was able to grab the tree and slide down, so he wasn’t hurt too badly.

“John got on the radio and called his brother. He said, ‘I think I’m okay, but you better come check me out.’ Once Jerry made sure John was okay, he asked, ‘Were you wearing your safety harness?’ John looked up at him and said, ‘Well, were you?’ And Jerry said, ‘No, but I’m not the one that fell.’

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