Raffle Winners Drawn: $6,000 Raised

Center stage, on the 50 yard line of the Penns Valley High School Football Field, the Tree Stand Safety Outreach and Fundraising Raffle came to an end during the game’s half time performance. Mike Eckley, QDMA member and organizer of this collaborative project, noted that this was a truly fitting location to facilitate the final phase of this initiative.

Dustin Manning’s tragedy devastated this community, whereby he was a PVHS alumni and student athlete who after graduation became a devoted husband, father, and assistant football coach. With the start of another deer season just a few weeks away this event served as a good reminder of the importance of hunter safety. It also provided those in attendance a time to reflect on a special person who like so many, cherished life and had a passion for hunting.

Raffle Winners
Grand Prize - Adam Hockenberry of Pleasant Gap, PA
1st Prize - Duffy Besch of Bellefonte, PA
2nd Prize - Brad Koehle of Altoona, PA
3rd Prize - Matt Carroll of Wytheville, VA
4th Prize - John Butts of Bellefonte, PA
5th Prize - Dan Snook of Burnham, PA

If you'd like to contribute to the Kaiden Manning trust fund, please email meckley@tnc.org or call 570-220-6097.

Grand Prize Winner Harvests Trophy Whitetail

On the third and final day of Ralph Hockenberry's "Grand Prize" rifle hunt on the 12,500 acre J.E. Taylor Hunt Club, his dreams of bagging a mature whitetail came to realization.

"It was a truly amazing experience, (reports Ralph) one that I'll never forget. Not only did I get to hunt on a premier Quality Deer Managed estate in Virginia and harvest a buck of a life-time, but I had the opportunity to meet and befriend a bunch of guys who share my passion for deer hunting. With membership slots available, I am joining J.E. Taylor Hunt Club and looking forward to coming back next fall".

This outcome is truly icing on the cake for the Tree Stand Safety Outreach and Fundraising Initiative.

For more information on J.E. Taylor Hunt Club, log onto http://www.jetaylorhuntclubinc.com/ or email Quentin Flowers at qlflowers@jetaylorhuntclubinc.com

Hunter Safety System - Keystone Message

Local Tragedy Spurs Action

Dustin Manning, age 30 of Centre County, PA; a devoted husband
and father (2 year old son), was fatally injured on the opening day of
the 2009 deer season when he fell from a home-made ladder stand
while attempting to get down to recover a harvested buck.

Sadly, tree stand incidents and deaths are an all too familiar occurrence within the hunting community. A Deer and Deer Hunting survey (1993) revealed that nearly 90% of hunters hunt from elevated stands. National studies indicate that approximately 1 in every 3 hunters who hunt from tree stands will have an incident sometime in their hunting career. Some will not live to tell their story; others will tell it from a hospital bed or wheel chair. Many accident victims will never hunt again. Some states report higher fatality rates associated with tree stand incidents than with firearm incidents.

Over the past two decades there has been tremendous improvement in the technology and materials used in just about every kind of hunting equipment, including tree stands and fall restraint devices. Unfortunately, a little more than one-half of tree stand hunters continue to not wear a safety device of any kind. Of those who do use “safety straps”, a high percentage are unknowingly using outdated waist bands that can cause serious injury or even death.

Sportsmen groups and associations have long promoted hunter safety, however it’s time that a more strategic and comprehensive approach be taken to address the importance of tree stand safety. The National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) recently launched Project Stand (Stop Tree Stand Accidents’n Deaths) which will deliver hard hitting messages through various media platforms and education programs to significantly reduce the number of deaths and injuries caused by tree stand accidents.

Comprehensive Hunter Safety Guidelines:

Grand Prize: Exclusive 3 Day Hunt on J.E. Taylor Hunt Club Estate

The Grand Prize Winner of the Tree Stand Safety Raffle will enjoy an Exclusive 3-day, November Gun Hunt during the peak of the rut on the J.E. Taylor Hunt Club located within historic Orange County, Virginia. This estate offers 7,000 acres of rolling mixed hardwood and pine forest land augmented with agricultural fields and high-quality food plots which formulate to the right ingredients for trophy deer hunting. Over the past decade, 95 bucks have been harvested off of club lands that are 140 inches or better, with the largest being 182 5/8 Boone and Crocket gross score.

The lucky recipient of this prize will get a taste of a real southern hunt club and how it operates to continually produce some of the best quality hunting opportunities and experiences within the region. The prize winner will gain exposure to the highest level of quality deer management, of which includes sustainable forestry and agriculture practices, extensive food plot work, a systematic approach to ensure hunter safety and success, along interacting with a bunch of down-home, hard-core, whitetail crazed hunt club members who will offer you first-hand hunting advice and share in a healthy dose of southern meals and hospitality.

Hunt Dates: 3 Days in November
Hunt Location: J.E. Taylor Hunt Club;
Driving Information:260 miles/approx. 5 hour drive from State College to J.E. Taylor Hunt Club
Nearby Attractions:
Charlottesville, Virginia – 30 miles/approx.40 minute drive from Hunt Club
James Madison’s Montpelier – 15 miles/approx. 25 minute drive from Hunt Club (www.montpelier.org)
Horton’s Vineyard – 20 miles/approx. 30 minute drive from Hunt Club (hortonwine.com)
Barboursville Vineyard – 25 miles/approx 30 minute drive from Hunt Club (www.barboursvillewine.com)
Wilderness Civil War Battlefield – 25 miles/approx 30 minute drive from Hunt Club (http://civilwar.org/battlefields/the-wilderness.html)

Raffle Prize List and Descriptions (Click to Enlarge)

Prize 1: Summit Viper Climbing Tree Stand combines comfort, silence, and stability into 20 pounds of a USA made, all aluminum constructed stand that can support up to 300 lbs of hunter weight. Snakeable cables with QuickDraw triggers make it easy to attach, with no pins, knobs, nuts, or bolts to deal with before daylight. The RapidClimb stirrup bars make climbing safe and easy. A cushioned wraparound bar acts as a gunrest when the seat is lowered and the stand includes a full-body harness and carrying straps.
Prize 2: Gorilla Silverback Scout Hang-On Tree Stand w/ Gander Mtn. 20’ Climbing Sticks creates the ultimate ready-to-go portable ladder/stand combination, ideal for the upcoming deer season. Gorilla’s Silverback Scout lightens the load with its aluminum stand, weighing in at a mere 9 pounds. Its XPE foam seat has closed-cell foam construction enabling it to provide more stability, low moisture absorption, and improved strength. The Easy-Clinch dual claw strap secures the stand to the most challenging of trees without hassle and the seat leveling system keeps the hunter comfortable for those longs hours on stand. Gander Mountain’s 20’ climbing sticks consisting of 5 four foot sections of sanded powder-coat finished 1.5 mm steel that blends well with any natural environment. Durable nylon web straps with S-hooks and cam buckles provide a sturdy mount to any tree. This package includes a full-body safety harness with instruction DVD.
Prize 3: Gander Mountain Scentite Rubicon Ground Blind is a quick and easy to set up, portable ground blind that offers maximum concealment with Gander Mountains G1 green camouflage. The blind can withstand the most rugged of terrain and worst of weather conditions with its heavy 150D durable polyester and its coating for improved water resistance and fire retardant. It comes with a carrying bag, black ground stakes, and a window tie down.
Prize 4: Hunter Safety System Tree Stalker Safety Vest is the ideal product for serious hunters who light to travel light for those long hikes in to a mature buck’s living quarters. Its small size and light weight with built in webbing and quick-snap seat belt style buckles minimize the space it takes up within your hunting pack, but still provides the comfort and support needed for assured tree stand safety.
Prize 5: Hunter Safety System Life Line Restraint is one of the best safety features on today’s market for elevated hunts up to 30’ and a “must have” for all tree stand hunters! Hunters simply connect the Life Line rope at hunting heights, attach your tether to the carabiner equipped Prussic knot and slide the knot as you climb up or down the tree. The Prussic connection slides easily and securely with one hand yet stays ready to stop any fall should one occur.