When my friend, Joe Reynolds, and I headed to the deer woods last week, we had high hopes in an area that has been good to us over the years. Joe would take a favorite ladder stand site and I would use my climbing tree stand in a rather open area of hardwoods. But, this hunt would end just minutes after ascending 25 feet above ground for a reason more important than wallhangers: Thunder!
The storm popped up unexpectedly, as a not-so-distant thunder clap sounded the first warning to the north. But, when a follow-up boom exploded even closer, I contacted Joe with the two-way radio and said I was on my way down. In all actuality, we waited to depart longer than we should have.
An approaching storm trumps any fun, anywhere, at any time. Holding a metal crossbow well above ground, while perched in a steel stand amounts to “asking for it.” Mother Nature can kill in a flash and she doesn’t discriminate!
According to the National Weather Service, an average of 58 people are killed by lightning each year, while hundreds more are injured – many seriously. Lightning strikes have been documented to travel more than 25 miles from a thunderstorm and are referred to as “bolts from the blue.” So, chances are, if thunder can be heard, you are at risk.
As a teenager, I was fishing alone in a rowboat in Upper Straits Lake in Oakland County, when a fierce storm gathered above. I realized it was time to get to the shore, but Mother Nature was outrunning me. Then my hair stood on end and I heard a strange fizzing sound; I learned later that I was being set up as a lightning target. Fortunately, it never materialized, but when the same phenomenon occurred years later, while on a tennis court, I deserted the area quicker than you can say cumulonimbus.
Here are some tips to play another day.
• If you hear even distant thunder, get to a safe place such as a building with wiring and plumbing. Sheds, shelters, and covered porches do not protect you from strikes. Get into a hard-topped vehicle, close the windows and do not touch the steering wheel or any metal while inside. Stay there 30 minutes after the storm has passed. Many lightning strikes occur well after a storm has passed.
• If you feel your hair standing on end and hear a fizzing sound, lightning may be about to strike. Crouch immediately or, if a building or car is nearby, jump into it. Do not lie on the ground!
• Do not use a corded telephone unless you have experienced an emergency. Cordless phones and cell phones are safe to use.
• Keep away from electrical equipment and wiring.
• Do not take a bath or shower during a storm.
The bottom line is that if you hear thunder – even with blue skies – lightning is close enough to pose an immediate threat.
Don’t gamble with your life or that of others. It’s a bad bet no matter how much fun you are having.
