[Psycho Trout]

HOW MANY WILL WEATHER A LIGHTING STORM IN A BLIND?

LAST YEAR HEADING TO A 10' TOWER BLIND, BEFORE FIRST LIGHT, IT WAS SPRINGLING AND THUNDERING. IT WAS A WEEKDAY AND HAD THE WHOLE TO MYSELF AND WASNT GOING TO LET ANYTHING DETOUR MY DESIRE TO HUNT. WELL IT POURED AND THUNDERED. THEN THE RAIN SLACKED AND THE LIGHTING STORM BEGAN. I COOL AT FIRST UNTIL THE LIGHITNG STARTED. FIGURED I WAS OK BEING IN A INSULATED BOX. RIGHT? ANYHOW ABOUT 15 MINUTESMORE IF THIS I WAS PRETTY MUCH SCARED. ANYHOW A BOLT IN OUT FRONT ME 80 YARDS TOPS. MY BUTT WAS SCALING THE LATTER TO THE GROUND. NEVER AGAIN!!:spineyes:

 

[troutslayer]

wow I could have swore I just read this post...............Stay in the blind unless you are in danger of a tree falling on you.....it is safer in there

 

[capn]

HOW MANY WILL WEATHER A LIGHTING STORM IN A BLIND?

LAST YEAR HEADING TO A 10' TOWER BLIND, BEFORE FIRST LIGHT, IT WAS SPRINGLING AND THUNDERING. IT WAS A WEEKDAY AND HAD THE WHOLE TO MYSELF AND WASNT GOING TO LET ANYTHING DETOUR MY DESIRE TO HUNT. WELL IT POURED AND THUNDERED. THEN THE RAIN SLACKED AND THE LIGHTING STORM BEGAN. I COOL AT FIRST UNTIL THE LIGHITNG STARTED. FIGURED I WAS OK BEING IN A INSULATED BOX. RIGHT? ANYHOW ABOUT 15 MINUTESMORE IF THIS I WAS PRETTY MUCH SCARED. ANYHOW A BOLT IN OUT FRONT ME 80 YARDS TOPS. MY BUTT WAS SCALING THE LATTER TO THE GROUND. NEVER AGAIN!!:spineyes:

Jim, you started early today I see.

 

[BigBuck]

Stands

I have had two stands hit by ligntning. One burned to the ground, the other opened up like an alien had busted out from the inside. I will not stay in a blind in a thunderstorm ever again. I have before, been so close to lightning that I could smell the ozone, and my hair stood up. I will have my big butt in the lowest gully I can find, away from any trees.
BB

 

[FormerHR]

I've weathered a couple of storms in stands, just closed the windows and took a nap. I guess if you wanted you could clamp a rod to the top and run a piece of copper wire to the steel legs, maybe that would ground it, as long as you weren't on the ladder when it struck. If the legs are wooden you could clamp a rod to the top and run a wire to a piece of copper rod hammered down in the ground.

 

[FormerHR]

I have had two stands hit by ligntning. One burned to the ground

You don't have a fire extinguisher in the blind? How unsafe!

the other opened up like an alien had busted out from the inside.

Three inch sheetrock screws and L brackets. If that thing came apart with with that little ol' hit you're not building them very strong. Was probably gonna fall apart before the year was over anyway.:slimer:

On a serious note, were you in there when either one of those events took place? Would have been quite interesting to witness.

 

[85LoneStar]

I'm assuming you're in West Texas somewhere.

The nice part about East Texas is that there are plenty of trees to take the lightning strikes for you.

 

[Psycho Trout]

nope east texas

 

[Reel Screamer]

I know it sounds crazy, but I would prefer not to attract lightning to my blind. Maybe safer but I'll just bail out.

LW

I've weathered a couple of storms in stands, just closed the windows and took a nap. I guess if you wanted you could clamp a rod to the top and run a piece of copper wire to the steel legs, maybe that would ground it, as long as you weren't on the ladder when it struck. If the legs are wooden you could clamp a rod to the top and run a wire to a piece of copper rod hammered down in the ground.

 

[BigBuck]

Lightning

Shoalwater, luckily, I was not home either time. This year I do not know whether to install the fire extinguisher or a PFD! I use 1/4" alum track for my plexiglass windows, the hit melted the track in several places. I use galv. drip edge on the outside to seal the edge of the plywood, it burned holes in several places, and blew a 12" X 12" panel out of the top. Really odd, the lightning bolt must have bounced around in there for a while. Not a good place to be. My stand is on the side of a hill, on two sections of scaffolding. Really stands out. As far as grounding, the only way to ground a stand is by driving a grounding rod at least 6' into the soil to dissapate the voltage. I still would not stay inside.
BB

 

[Sace]

There was a local man from San Antonio killed by lightning yesterday while he was out camping in Lost Maples....tough way to go...

 

[justletmein]

Now I'm not normally a member of the spelling police, but I found it humorous that there are TWO of these threads and BOTH of them have "lightning" misspelled in different ways.

OK, back to topic. I would normally hunt it if I can stay dry such as a ground blind or a box blind, but on the ranch we're at now we get chewed out hard core if we dig ruts in the roads, so if it rains we're quarantine to the camp house.

 

[Psycho Trout]

It Was Early Mornining, Alrihgt!