Thank for posting, I have been searching for more info on that story.

 

Having been out there as this unfolded, I suspected that was the cause. This year was particularly bad for pop-ups & if you've ever witnessed one you'd wonder how this doesnt happen more often. Sad deal all the way around.

 

A friend and myself were caught in a storm on top of a mountain while hunting Bighorn sheep!
We let our guns under a tree,and moved behind a large rock! It definitely got your attention.
Tough way to go!

 

That’s a shame. I was guessing hyperthermia. I would not of guessed lightning. Prayers to their families

 

I've been following this and have been waiting to hear the cause of death. Lightning storms in the mountains is no joke. Even here I've seen some insane lightning during storms up on top of mountains

 

I read this earlier today...isn't that just something. Of all things a lightening strike.

 

While sad and tragic, I can think of far worse ways to go than an instantaneous death with my best friend while bowhunting for elk in the Rockies.

 

The last time we hunted that area we had a bad storm come in with high winds. There was another camp in the valley. A tree came down on the camp tent crushing one of the hunters. They had trouble getting a chopper in because of the wind but they eventually got him extracted. Beautiful country but it obviouly can be brutal.

 

I was thinking this had to be the case as things developed. Two guys with experience don't just croak from hypothermia in September. We were out there in 2013 during an epic season of storms, there were two on that trip that were absolutely terrifying, one at night and one during the day.

So did they kill an elk right before? It seems with the commentary about their gear that may have been the case?

 

I was thinking this had to be the case as things developed. Two guys with experience don't just croak from hypothermia in September. We were out there in 2013 during an epic season of storms, there were two on that trip that were absolutely terrifying, one at night and one during the day.

So did they kill an elk right before? It seems with the commentary about their gear that may have been the case?

From what I understand: they knew weather was moving in overnight and they went out for a quick evening hunt close to the trailhead (reason for having minimal gear). From a member on another forum who was hunting on the other side of a ridge from these two, he believes they chased a good bull in deeper than they thought and the weather moved in earlier than anticipated.

 

I was caught in a T storm on top of the mountain when Elk hunting out in Colorado.
I was out by myself on the wheeler returning to spike camp.
The beautiful wall cloud started to come in and I thought hey lets stop and take some pics.
When it hit the wind actually blew me side ways on the road with the atv.
I had to find a large rock outcrop to hunker down behind till it passed. Scared the beegeezus out of me. I'll have to look for the pics.

 

I number of years before I retired, we got a call about several dead deer (3 or 4, can't remember for sure anymore) in a field during the summer. The call, the property owner, suspected the deer had been poached and left lay.

The investigation revealed that they had been struck by lightning.

Dick Bodenhorn

 

A couple years ago I took my son and members of his scout troop to Philmont in NM. One of the nights, nature decided to show us humans how irrelevant we are on this earth. It looked like a modern CGI display from the sky, the lightning was all over, almost looked staged or fake, it was crazy! Lasted about 10 minutes then the storm dissipated. The boys took it well but definitely something to respect, and never forget. (no one in the area was hurt)

 

Lightning storms anywhere on the plains are interesting to watch. You can see them from and for such a long distance compared to around here.

Dick Bodenhorn

 

The thing i remember on the prairie was the sideways lightning. That was cool

 

Sad, and this is why people know where you are, even outside of a wingman.

 

Thats tough to do in the back country, no service & never know which way the elk take you. General locations out there are tens of thousands of acres or more, danger is inherent risks are assumed.

 

They did a whole lot of things wrong. Their Inexperience cost them their lives.

 

No a lightning bolt did that. No planning for that...