Missing hunters in Colorado

[Ucsdryder]

Fiancé of one of the hunters just posted confirming lightning as the cause of death.

My wife and I were packing out her bull in that same storm. All the lightning was cloud to cloud and we were racing up the hill trying to get to a group of trees to hunker down. The lightning was making a zipping sound I’d never heard. Looking back what we did was really stupid, even though it was my fault and I told my wife “it’s fine”.

 

[AZ8]

Sad. Glad we got closure on this.

We’ll never know the step by step to the trees or at what moment the lightning strike was, but I wonder if they were holding their bows?

 

[AM_Hunter]

I was up there fishing and backpacking a few weeks before this happened, about 4 miles from the trailhead they were at as the crow flies. We got hit by rain and thunder for a few good hours. The thunder was loud and felt close. At the time I thought it was cool but now not so much. This video is tame compared to some of the thunder we heard that day.

 

[505Wapiti]

 

[AM_Hunter]

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Well guess I was in a spot considered extremely dangerous, thought I was safe sitting under a tarp on dry ground under a tree...

 

[Bobrobheimer]

View attachment 939352

Looks like 3 is the best you can do when out there. Tough cause Colorado has at least a chance of thunderstorms for the majority of afternoons all of summer and fall in the mountains.

 

[Indian Summer]

Sad. Glad we got closure on this.

We’ll never know the step by step to the trees or at what moment the lightning strike was, but I wonder if they were holding their bows?

They were below a tree close together. One of the hunters had a bow when they were found.

Interesting article:

Elk hunters found dead in southern Colorado were killed by lightning, coroner says

Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko, experienced outdoorsmen, were caught in a storm Sept. 12, according to Bridget Murphy, Porter’s financée

coloradosun.com

 

[Steve300xcw]

why does the picture in that news link look photoshopped?

 

[eddielasvegas]

½ size flares

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Currently unavailable. Is this known as the RS effect?


Eddie

 

[Broomd]

View attachment 939352

This is a great illustration and eerily similar to the topography that wife and I were caught in with lightening in 2011 in Idaho; I shared that story earlier in this thread. We were camped high up at ridge #1 in our scenario, raced down to sparsely treed #3 as the storm closed. It saved our lives based on the barrage of bolts which proceeded on the ridge we had just left!
Never underestimate the power of nature and especially lightening! Very sorry for these guys and their loved ones, but this was the most logical explanation. RIP.

 

[Dan Carey]

Lightning scares the crap out of most rational people and that includes me.

 

[NrthFrk16]

Lightning Science: Five Ways Lightning Strikes People

 

[RockAndSage]

Here’s a couple of tables I made. I was curious about lighting strikes and deaths. First I did deaths during hunting. Then, during hiking. Hopefully they come through and are legible.
View attachment 939455View attachment 939456

Did I read this correctly - up to 500 hikers and/or park visitors die annually from various types of falls?

 

[Dr.Spaniel]

I accidentally deleted my post.

 

[Dr.Spaniel]

Did I read this correctly - up to 500 hikers and/or park visitors die annually from various types of falls?

Seems like it. The third column is reliability of the data that the AI scraped. 331 million visitors to National Parks last year…

 

[RockAndSage]

Seems like it. The third column is reliability of the data that the AI scraped.

That's nuts. And puts gun-related deaths in perspective. Here's what AI said on rifle-related deaths:

• FBI data shows that rifles of all types (including assault-style rifles) were used in about 3% of gun homicides in recent years.
• That translates to roughly 300–400 deaths per year involving rifles, though not all of these are necessarily assault weapons.

 

[Dr.Spaniel]

That's nuts. And puts gun-related deaths in perspective. Here's what AI said on rifle-related deaths:

• FBI data shows that rifles of all types (including assault-style rifles) were used in about 3% of gun homicides in recent years.
• That translates to roughly 300–400 deaths per year involving rifles, though not all of these are necessarily assault weapons.

If only some people knew that more people die tripping and falling in National Parks than rifle homicides…
Tree stand guys and gals really gotta be on the safety harness.

 

[Air Bear]

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/colorado-news/lightning-colorado-hunter-deaths-cause/73-cbfbd263-283d-4b17-861e-aabae2525535

 

[Bluumoon]

View attachment 939352

Durango neighbor that was killed was solid zone 3. Guys could have done everything right. I feel for the family.

 

[7mm-08]

Has anybody tried these?

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