glass eye
Well-known member
On a couple of occasions I’ve had lightning flashes and the thunder clapping with very little gap between them. Scary moments.
Missing CO Hunters
- Thread starter rjthehunter
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Sheltowee
Well-known member
I'm not as used to dealing with lightning in the mountains as many on this forum, but I think the general idea is to (1) find as low a spot as possible, (2) ditch any metal or carbon fiber tools that are most likely to conduct electricity, (3) squat on your toes to minimize your contact points with the ground and (4) pray.
The pic @Dsnow9 posted gives me the chills every time that I see it.
seeth07
Well-known member
Standing on a rock is a solid idea too as the current is less likely to chose a path thru a rock. That doesn't save you from it going through the lone 30 foot tall tree right next to you though
Doublecluck
Well-known member
Damn! Crazy! The wife recently sqawked about us paying 199.00 a year for a service “I never use”. I was like isn’t that a good thing? Just spent 4 days in the gravallies and the two kids I was hunting with were sending sat texts the whole time without a problem with late model iPhones. Think I’m gonna get one of those.
Sad deal prayers to the families.
Sad deal prayers to the families.
RealMuddyboots
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- Dec 28, 2021
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- 858
I am betting more like a over under whether hypothermia, lightning, grizz, cat, snow, landslide, avalanche. Prob missed a couple.
rjthehunter
Well-known member
There is, it's a few pages back, they stopped it once they found the bodies though.
Gellar
Well-known member
Sad deal words can’t begin to describe.
At What distance does lightning have to hit from you to do harm? I’m sure there are many factors but in general is it feet?, yards?, 1/4 mile? 1/2? 1 Mile?
At What distance does lightning have to hit from you to do harm? I’m sure there are many factors but in general is it feet?, yards?, 1/4 mile? 1/2? 1 Mile?
Sheltowee
Well-known member
"Research shows that a lightning strike that makes contact with the ground can travel up to 10 metres. People have even been injured 15 to 30 metres away from where a lightning strike has hit the ground."
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/lightning/safety/dangers.html
So, roughly 100 feet.
Interesting but confusing or inaccurate, or am I missing something?. "lightning can travel up to 10 meters in the ground", followed up by "People have even been injured 15 to 30 metres away from where a lightning strike has hit the ground." Can't even spell Meters right and is it 10 or 30 meters? Canada I guess LOL Maybe they meant 30 meters from a tree strike from flying debris?
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brownbear932008
Well-known member
A few springs ago while shed hunting I located a lighting strike that zapped a tree ran into a rock shelf travelled about 50 yards along the shelf blowing rocks out of the ground burning leaves almost starting a forest fire stopping at another tree/rock while in the highlands of VA. Pretty wild to see that.
Bet that was a tree root running through the rocks if I had to guess.
He packed everything except his food and our shelter this year. 12lb pack, 50lb body weight, almost 25% which is excellent. Carried his clothes, water, snacks, sleeping bag n pad, pillow, survival gear all weekend. Not as big of a trip as yours this year, but 14 miles and a few thousand feet of elevation changes.
This is awful news - condolences to the family and friends, and RIP to a couple of solid young men and hunters.
Lightning is a constant concern for my crew as we hunt high elevations every September here in Montana and Idaho. We had a sketchy close call years ago as a ripper of a storm rolled in fast in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I'll never forget sprinting down an exposed hillside with my best friend for the timber below as the sky was cracking all around us.
Some notes for lightning safety:
- Never be the tallest thing around
- Never be right next to the tallest thing around
- Never be in the wide open (hence being the tallest thing around)
Tent location: ideally tucked into timber of uniform canopy height without prominently tall trees nearby, and ideally in a saddle or depression, i.e. not on a knob or summit.
In a bad storm on foot: get to cover and/or descend. If only one of the two is your choice, it's a judgment call depending on storm severity and your surroundings.
MYTH: metal attracts lightning strikes. This is not true! The attraction of the strike is purely structural (and some chance/luck, depending on the charge of the storm). Metal conducts the lightning, but your rifle, tent stove, or whatever else are not a lightning concern compared to structural attractants and location.
Lightning is a constant concern for my crew as we hunt high elevations every September here in Montana and Idaho. We had a sketchy close call years ago as a ripper of a storm rolled in fast in the Bob Marshall Wilderness. I'll never forget sprinting down an exposed hillside with my best friend for the timber below as the sky was cracking all around us.
Some notes for lightning safety:
- Never be the tallest thing around
- Never be right next to the tallest thing around
- Never be in the wide open (hence being the tallest thing around)
Tent location: ideally tucked into timber of uniform canopy height without prominently tall trees nearby, and ideally in a saddle or depression, i.e. not on a knob or summit.
In a bad storm on foot: get to cover and/or descend. If only one of the two is your choice, it's a judgment call depending on storm severity and your surroundings.
MYTH: metal attracts lightning strikes. This is not true! The attraction of the strike is purely structural (and some chance/luck, depending on the charge of the storm). Metal conducts the lightning, but your rifle, tent stove, or whatever else are not a lightning concern compared to structural attractants and location.
SD_Prairie_Goat
Well-known member
Have it, recommend it. Carry one device. Charge one device. Etc
kiwi hunter
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Sad as it is we all still drive cars and the know consequencess.
Johnny Bravo
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- Feb 15, 2022
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Dang, I really thought the lightening thing would not be the culprit and sounded far fetched, I was wrong per the examiner. I don't hunt the west enough to give storms enough respect, now I will.
44hunter45
Well-known member
I have been trying to get iPhone text to Sat to work all week in Northern Idaho. Sux. Not selling my inReach any time soon.
elkduds
Well-known member
Thinking about this event and thread last evening while waiting for an elk herd to appear. Prime time, a few faint bugles started. Overhead the blue vanished, replaced by rapidly thickening gray clouds coming from the west over the peaks above me. Lightning 10 miles northeast, I'm 1.5 miles from the truck. I felt a rapid increase in humidity and drop in temp. That convinced me, I headed down at a good clip. Lower on the trail a small herd of elk obliged me with some photo opportunities but I didn't stalk them like I would on a calm evening. I believe they were feeding ahead of the storm. Started the truck, looked up @ the spot I'd been in before starting down. It was obscured by clouds, and lightning began within 15 min. Glad I heeded the cautionary tale of this thread.
Doublecluck
Well-known member
Montana? It was wicked where I was. located a big 350-370 bull with the spotter in the am. It was 6.3 miles in there. Hiked in @ 1pm it was clear and hot and the google said partly cloudy maybe. By 6pm it was heavy thunderstorms. Sideways downpour. People can say what they want about Sitka but worth every penny Sunday night. Almost didn’t bring it to keep the pack light.
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