Never understood the logic of two lines of people one approaching the other and both firing towards each other in the hopes that they will hit a deer instead of each other.Eventually the odds will catch up with you.
In my opinion, club hunting is safer now than it used to be due to the advent of the portable climbing tree stands and hunter orange requirements.
When I was a kid and came across clubs in the woods all of the standers were on the ground. You had to rely on the safety consciousness of the drivers and standers not to take a shot in the direction of another hunter. I also remember many of the older hunters I came across in the woods would have a red leather or buffalo plaid (black and red) cap as their only safety gear. Red is worthless in low light conditions and many people are color ignorant (me). The hunter orange has saved many lives in my opinion but is statistically hard to document since an accident was averted.
NJ requires a minimum of a solid orange cap. PA requires a cap and vest for all big and small game hunting except during their flintlock season where you can hunt without any orange.
As for portable stands, I remember Baker being the first brand on the market. They were steel framed with a plywood deck, heavy and a little unwieldy to pack through the woods. Today, the aluminum climbers are light and safe. I have three Summits for me and my sons and they are a pleasure to use. The clubs that I am familiar with started using them on deer drives many years ago. The standers have the safety benefit of shooting downward toward the ground and the hunting advantage of being elevated for extended viewing over brush. Now when you see the standers being dropped off they are usually packing in portables.