The other day my hunting Buddy called me to announce that he almost died! I was glad to hear that he was still healthy and happy. He told me a story about his near death experience.

Wind Blows! When a front is passing through, hunters know to be in the forest. The changing weather can stimulate critter activity. My buddy Jesse was in his tree and waiting for the Big Buck. Everything seemed perfect except for the swaying trees in the heavy wind.

Suddenly, Jesse heard a loud crack and snap. Uphill from his tree stand an oak tree began to fall. Its roots were no longer strong enough to hold the tree in place and the wind was pushing it toward his stand.

TIMBER!!!! The huge old tree was falling toward Jesse in his tree stand that was 20 feet up another tree. I always scolded him to wear a safety strap when hunting. On this day he heeded my advice and was safely strapped to the tree that was in the line of a crashing neighbor. Jesse was going to jump but couldn’t.

He watched as the huge tree fell toward him. “Oh well, I guess my luck has run out”! This huge “Widow Maker” was about to live up to its name. The tree hit the earth with a loud, solid “Thump”. Jesse was still here!

Fortunately the tree topped out at several feet short of hitting Jesse’s tree! The lesson here is to remember that the wind can cause accidents to happen. Make sure that you carefully observe any and all potential deadfalls, Widow Makers”, or accidents waiting to happen when you place a stand.

If you think there may be a problem then be smart and adjust your set up accordingly. I remember a story about a trout fisherman fishing along a stream on a windy day. They found him with one trout short of a limit and smashed by a wind- blown fallen tree.

Does a tree make a noise when it falls in the forest? If you ask Jesse his answer is yes! He may also encourage you to be prepared with a change of shorts!

 Hunt Safe!

Montana Grant

For more Montana Grant visit his website at www.montanagrantfishing.com