Surviving the WORST Storm of My Life on a Bear Hunting Trip in Idaho!

[@clayhayeshunter]

For those interested in gear and such, here's some links and a couple discount codes. Tent is the Cimarron from SeekOutside. Super lightweight, and obviously durable. Entering clayhayes5 at checkout will get you 5% off on all their stuff. seekoutside.com/cimarron-pyramid-tent/ Our packs are the StrykerXL model from Kifaru. If you search StrykerXL here on the channel you'll find an overview of the pack. Entering CLAY at checkout will knock off 15% from their packs and other Kifaru gear, but only for the next few days. kifaru.net/products/stryker-xl Boots are Schnee's Timberlines. These are the same ones I wore on Alone. Not the same exact pair but the same boot. They're having a Memorial Day sale right now and have some really good deals. schnees.com/timberline-mens/ Clothing is mostly merino wool from www.firstlite.com/ 😋

[@A-A-RON918]

Talk about an impromptu tent ad. Glad y'all stayed safe.

[@CFox.7]

bear hunting ? what for ? are they a pest ?

[@jakeva9802]

@@CFox.7 yeah, especially after picnic baskets

[@dwwwb]

Hi! Tell me please, what's the camera you have?

[@charlie-charles]

Please tell what's the name of the cook "mug" you've got! Thanks! Outstanding content as always!

[@bryanowen2881]

“Lets not camp on a ridge anymore” wise words from the kid!

[@clayhayeshunter]

😛

[@matthewmaxcy1574]

😂😂😂😂

[@bryanowen2881]

😜

[@bryanowen2881]

@@clayhayeshunter 😜

[@brakemadness]

That is the price you pay sometimes for amazing views from a ridge top. Lightning is the scariest part for me.

[@Sandra-xg2yl]

Thanks!

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks 😊

[@lucasschubert9467]

Hats off to you for capturing the intensity of that storm on camera! Great video! You and your boy will be telling stories about that night for the rest of your lives. The epitome of what Steve Rinella calls “High grade fun”

[@caincuevas3654]

Gotta love Idaho's springs and weather all together. Good job guys

[@johnk5001]

Definitely my favorite video you've done. Spend enough time in the backwoods and you get to experience nature's awesome power. It's in the challenges that character is forged. Well done keeping your cool and your son safe.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@neiluscook2283]

Ahh, the "foggy, foggy dew"! Could be up in Scotland - at 5000 ft. Two things: I'd camp on the Lee side from the likely wind, but not in trees - they come down in severe winds! Then , your gear is super; and thanks for filming all of it! Ol' Mother Nature can sure play a concert for ya! Once i had a group of kids from Rochester NY, at an Idaho lake - 7700 ft up - and the toughest longest T storm came up suddenly, with Lightning for FIVE HRS! And 4 in. of hail followed by heavy rain. I covered the fire with a chance piece of plywood, kept it going by chopping one dry log i had. Keeping the kids dry and not hypothermic was the major thing, they were lowlanders! We survived, dried out, ate a good supper, smiles all around: an adventure they'll never forget. "Mountain's got its own ways, Pilgrim. " Great video, Clay.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thank ya

[@manuelwebe]

Great video Clay. That storm was madly intense. Great memories for you and your son for the rest of your lives. Thanks for sharing.

[@clayhayeshunter]

You bet

[@mooseknuckle8334]

What a time to be alive fella. Glad you and your lil man made it through. More balls than most men!!

[@clayhayeshunter]

Memories!

[@DavidHSmith74]

You owe that tent company a MAJOR 5 star review. lol. Kudos on your tiedown skills! Enjoyed the video.

[@greasemonkey4god]

8:42 you are the first person I’ve seen lace their boots like that except for me 😂

[@clayhayeshunter]

Been doing that for years!

[@waynewhitaker5244]

My brother in law uses the same technique.

[@user-zu2bw7ig5v]

I came here to say the same exact thing. I've been doing it that way since I was 11. So much faster

[@mgsharnhorst]

I've done that myself...LOL I will never set up camp on an exposed spot like that again. Live and learn. Great video.

[@croft5941]

I really hope your kids realize just how lucky they are to have a Dad like Clay

[@RiverbendlongbowsOutdoors]

I'm with Coy 🙋‍♂️ I'll never camp on a ridge again as well 😂

[@Gmar69]

I wouldn't camped on a ridge. That's the worst place to be in the wind.

[@hannespj603]

Impressive landscape, superb nature ... and what a great role-model.

[@to8860]

I bet Coye will REALLY appreciate his nice warm bed at home after this!! Good stuff!!

[@clayhayeshunter]

Oh yeah

[@aprilpetrovey6301]

Wow that's beautiful up there and it's so nice seeing you have your son with you

[@clayhayeshunter]

You are so kind

[@kicker6274]

As you well know, things like this make for the best stories and memories later! I hope your son appreciates what opportunities he has. I am about to head up to Idaho with my son after next week for some back country archery bear hunting as well. Thanks for the great videos!

[@clayhayeshunter]

Good luck

[@claudiohess7692]

Giving a bear the right to live is a nice lesson to kids.

[@kicker6274]

@@claudiohess7692 I would rather have my kids know where their food comes from than pay someone else to factory farm an animal for their food or their dog's food. Even if you are a vegan and don't buy dog or cat food you are paying someone to plow over wildlife habitat and disrupt the natural environment. Better to hunt and leave the habitat for all animals.

[@AlphaQHard]

@@claudiohess7692 You teach your kids that on the way to the meat section at your local walmart?

[@sallystinebaugh8893]

@@kicker6274, agreed 💯, my husband and I watched a “ Preserve “ ( we’re in S.Florida, ), get plowed over for weeks… those animals loss their habitat, for a Supermarket, what’s ironic, my husband asked if he could hunt wild boar in that area, before it got plowed down, he was told.. no, “ you can’t hunt wild boar, especially if you’re planning on harvesting “! So, some politicians got paid big bucks to plow down a Preserve, and kill all those animals, and just burry them …. Imagine how many homeless, ordinary people could have been feed ….

[@markstambaugh3273]

You two guys will remember that night for the rest of your lives! only thing that could top that would have been the bear crawling in the tent for shelter!

[@3passa]

Amazing tent! I can totally understand your comment, No one around for miles and miles I love it! Thanks for bringing the wild Idaho into our homes.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks for watching!

[@3passa]

@@clayhayeshunter hanging onto your tent from inside with your son next to you and that fierce storm raging out there takes some real courage 👍👍

[@Bogeyman1972]

Dam clay the way you set that tent up held up like a mother,excellent job my friend

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks 👍

[@asamcdaniel5167]

Had a few like this. Not fun at the time but looking back I'm glad I did it. Badass kid you got there.

[@shadomane]

Great video...on the bright side, you got to experience it with your son...priceless!!! Thanks for the video and for sharing your experience with us.

[@jamescooper2618]

After watching Clay's videos, I almost feel like I was there! Thanks Clay!

[@clayhayeshunter]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@johnnyappleseed2058]

Wonderful video! Being expose with a storm coming makes for a return to the drawing board! Love your videos!

[@BigSi-xw6wv]

Omg! Best storm while camping I've ever seen and I've been watching for years. Wow.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks

[@kenhuckins8106]

Lot of advantages to having a tent without a floor, but i think I'd have wanted one in a wind like that.

[@harrymills2770]

Setting up a short walk from the crest might've helped, too.

[@mikewolfe6496]

Great experience and good job filming through the chaos. Experienced a similar night in Colorado myself but we were lower and more protected. Your son will never forget that night. Thanks for sharing

[@HowToGetToHeaven]

Some really good footage, Clay. Very entertaining! Thanks for sharing it on KZbin.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@daneangus7757]

Really enjoyed the video. Heck of a storm too. Thanks for sharing!

[@clayhayeshunter]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@David-uy4jz]

Just a bunch of noise...lol.....I've endured pretty much the same. My brother and I camping off the coast in VA beach.....it was rough.....I started laughing at him when the rain finally started coming through the tent dripping on his head...2 minutes later it was dripping on my head. Next morning we found out that a tornado was just couple miles away. We also hit a Hugh storm at sea in a 19 foot boat. Whistle around our neck, flares in our pockets, and a knats ass from calling coast guard.

[@brentmcallister7194]

That's what they call "Riding the storm out." It's amazing what these lightweight tents will hold up to.

[@manuelgonzalezzambrano1989]

Nice adventure.... but what a stormy night you have spent.... Thanks for the video, my good.

[@alph8654]

Nice video. Super storm. Glad you both made it thru it.

[@rolandjackson7157]

Great instructional video. What advice do you have, or how do you reconcile being stranded on a ridge in a lightning storm? How do you tell yourself you're not a target for the lightning, and when--if ever--do you decide it's best to hike down from the ridge?

[@livingpositivelytoday]

Wild. My son and I experienced some pretty bad thunderstorms camping when he was 3.

[@Guy-ky9mc]

I had a similar experience out at savage gulf in TN (stone door). I was in a hammock with a rain fly battened down. Winds were sustaining 40mph and there was a tornado watch. Well apparently one came near me because I remember the sound of a freight train and roaring. Also the riverbed was busting at the seams as I could hear giant boulders crashing into and down the river. I wasn't even in the open... I was down the hill and had shelter from the mountain but I'll never forget that night... You just don't know what you're missing until you get out there

[@clayhayeshunter]

Scary stuff but good memories

[@journeyman7189]

Excellent adventure Clay. Coy looked a bit uneasy there for a while. Good showing for the cimarron though. Nate

[@Strider0301]

The way you were holding on to that tent i thought it was gonna pull you off the mountain, youd be paragliding all the way to the next county 😂

[@rmetzger7368]

Definitely not a smart choice on camp sites, especially when you know a bad storm is in the area, with a kid in the group. Good example of what NOT to do. Dropping below the treeline would've seemed to make more sense, much safer. Glad you both survived.

[@felipeescamilla3092]

Man!!!! Looks amazing. Looks like you guys are having a great time.

[@clayhayeshunter]

absolutely

[@theoneandonlyowl3764]

Some crappy weather, and not much luck on the bear hunt, so far. I remember times when I worked on a cattle-station. We stayed under a few sheet of corrugated iron, if we were lucky, at different sites. One night, the wet season was coming, we got flooded out and all 3 of us had wet sleeping bags. Luckily, the temperature never dropped below 25C/77F. Good luck on the rest of the hunt. Hunting is like fishing. Fishing isn't catching and hunting isn't taking down an animal, only us trying to.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Very true

[@ddoherty5956]

Thanks for sharing your trip 👍🇬🇧

[@clayhayeshunter]

our pleasure

[@aaronwilcox6417]

What a crazy night. The name of your shelter is the Lightning Rod. I've spent a few awful nights and days in a tiny Kifaru tarp and some in an Integral Designs bivy.

[@timsoutdoorlife]

I got caught out in an intense storm while elk hunting in Colorado back in the late 90's. Guide had rode up with me and dropped me off at 12,000ft and I was to hunt down the mountain until I got back to the FS road. About halfway back I was caught out in the storm with very intense lightning and rain and hail. No shelter. I hunkered down in the lowest spot I could find next to some large boulders. It was pretty scary but it was over in about 15-20 minutes.

[@donphillips7329]

That right there is why I'm an idaho lifer...love it !!!

[@sspice8934]

Your building memories that your son will always have, long after your gone

[@maryannmitchell1734]

At least there was good ventilation for the night. Impressive videoing the storm. I absolutely love being in stressful storms like this . Yes I am weird for a gal .

[@chickennuggetinagutter.7864]

It’s nice to see your other son and not just Finn being involved in some of your videos.

[@andygossard4293]

Glad you guys are Ok. Now you can be a product rep for that tent maker.

[@peppercornsauce5067]

Wow... That was really something, I was scared for you 😮😊

[@ronaldneehao9723]

Good thing no bears where hurt😂

[@bkl8804]

Reminds of the storm I endured in Telluride's Gold King Basin. Thought the tent might implode.

[@robshipley7543]

That’s gods country right there awesome video as usual

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks Rob

[@deathincarnatesplace]

try a fulcrum bow. two sticks tied together with a notch on the top of one. you can tube it but that is modern another notched piece on top.

[@mannythehunter]

Been a little slow on the frank-church.. snow just doesnt want to melt this year.

[@MASAKANSEDERHANAKU]

Nice and great vidio. Thank you for sharing, friend

[@darrendavidsonoutdoors]

That was intense weather for sure. Glad you made it out OK. Great coverage of the storm.

[@reedfee3541]

Gotta love those tipi tents. Ive had the stakes rip out on my Mega Mid a few times.Ill attribute those nights as some of the worst nights of "sleep" ever. Its worth the weight savings though!

[@Sandra-xg2yl]

Tough tent that. Did you proud.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Yeah, it truly held up well

[@johnnycalories6500]

Amazing footage!!! You guys can watch this and learn. Then make the jokes when your outta there. Then hug your son.

[@charlesleblanc6638]

Funny isn't it how most people are terrified of Bears, when the fact is it can be hard to find one ! Nasty storm.

[@ldn0224]

Coyes expression was classic wth am i here? Too funny.

[@Brendan74WellAUS]

Those time lapse are epic 👌🇦🇺

[@michaelnewhouseallison2101]

Wonderful! What an adventure. And what a great father and son time.

[@bootsandgear]

Been there done that a couple of times when my boy was that age. Great story telling adventures forever.

[@skullfalker]

Been in a storm like that once on a little island in the middle of a lake. Something you never forget for sure

[@johnnycalories6500]

Great experience!! Expect the unexpected. Wow, that's excitin. 🍄😲👍

[@GodBearOutoors]

Kid questioning Dad's survival skills midway through that night: "Alone was real, Right Dad!?" I caught the snicker right after Clay said "I think the worst has passed." LMAO 😆

[@blinkspacestudio8892]

I thought you boys were going to fly off into space lol that was WILD.

[@jonintc]

How were you not covered in ticks? I get a couple on my pants and shirt each day spring bear hunting in Idaho and I avoid tall grass and brushing against small trees and such.

[@yogibear5164]

I live in st maries ID and there are things you learn quick camping around the mountains brother. You did well for how nasty that was and it didn't look like it was going to be that bad when you set up there, but that is IDAHO weather for you. Great video, Clay I still need to make a osage orange bow I keep breaking mine. I do not know when you do classes or anything but I will email you this summer. I drive through Kendrick almost every weekend in the summer to go to Boise and back.

[@troydixon9019]

Clay there you go being a great dad with and for your kids.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks Troy

[@highlandhuntersnz7641]

Man that bought back some memories. I even showed my daughter and we laughed alot cos it was like a replay of a night her and i survived camped in a saddle in the southern alps of new zealand. Haha! Great memories but not fun at the time. We were in a tiny little z packs cuben tent and i had to jam my rifle into the roof to stop it caving in on us. It stretchedthe cuben fibre but to my shock, the next time i used the tent it had returned to normal!! Incredible fabric!!

[@clayhayeshunter]

Great memories

[@matthewcornelison4786]

Been there done that and got the tshirt. Don’t want to ever do it again but like you it’s a high probability that I will get caught out again. Stay prepared. That boy is growing up fast. Clay your video skills just get better and better

[@clayhayeshunter]

Many thanks

[@zachb8012]

Them high country lakes will draw bears as the ice breaks, so long as they sustain a population of fish through Winter. There will be easy pickings in the early Spring when those dead fish are released from the ice. Just learned that this year when a ton of vultures appeared in early May here in the Beartooths and there were a bunch of bear sightings at the lower elevation lakes. In general there will be a bear whereabouts you see buzzards, crows, and ravens anyhow.

[@andyb6120]

It's raining it's poring the old man is snoring . Sod that for going out for a pee let alone a number 2! LOL

[@Gmar69]

Still looking pretty thin there Clay since Season 8. I'm down here north of Idaho Falls.

[@donthornton7528]

Glad you made it out ok must be a good tent to hold up to that kind of wind. You guys did some great camera work too.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks Don

[@stevenminnerly5336]

Worst storm of my life was on the AT in East Fishkill , NY. Lightening strikes all over the place. I ran back to my car. Fortunately it was just a summertime thunder storm meaning brief.

[@Dirk_Berserk]

man, that was crazy. i feared for you. you and your son wont forget that one. well if that wasn't testament for that tent. impressive

[@cthorno2991]

Those storms from a log cabin would be perfect, from a tent, not so much. A friend insisted we camp hike one time when thunderstorms were predicted and it was petrifying, thousands of strikes and 200mm of rain. The threat of strike is real. Now I'll check before we go and if storms are predicted I just refuse. Then sometimes it just comes out of nowhere. Great to see everything ended up ok👍👍

[@tyb3938]

Same with me but weathermen… predicted sunny on Friday, we broke camp in big storm, with hail… weathermen

[@LongBowMan89]

Great video& down right beautiful filming. By the way clay will you be at Compton shoot in a few weeks, last year every time I would walk over to your table you always had lot of people. Unfortunately I only had the day to be there. So many people to see so little time Cheers Cody

[@clayhayeshunter]

Hey Cody, i wonton make it this year. Great shoot though.

[@UncleDanBand64]

Tuff night in that tent. I thought it was gonna turn into a hang glider for a bit there.

[@crazycoyote1738]

What’s the reason you built your tent on such high and exposed location and not just below that pick of the mountain?

[@clayhayeshunter]

The lee side was a cliff face. We set up on the ridge so we could glass from camp. Plus the weather forecast was mild

[@caseysmith544]

Storms when camping are no fun. Had one in DC in 2009 when car camping. The worst of it was some trees falling behind the camps where we were tent car camping. Oh, and the part we had to be in the car due to lighting 20--30 feet from our vehicle. My parents old Tent from 1986 (my brother and I were using since 1996) died after that trip so we ended up with a Fist Up tent and later after that trip had to get another tent as Parents tent from 1996 died after that, some kind of lighter pop up tent.

[@jaywinters2483]

good video. thanks for not ruining it with music

[@clayhayeshunter]

No problem 👍

[@keyogen]

Hmm. 2:29 That good lesson to learn. Ask your self 2 questions. What do I see? And what do I don't see? That way you get the whole picture. Not just half.

[@jamesmooney5348]

CLAY: If you had a stove and stove pipe set up during the storm, you think that would have been more dangerous? Honestly, that was scary, cool, fun, and not fun all at the same time. I guess that's how adrenaline works. Had the tipi got wind under and within it, this could be a very different video.-impressive! Gotta have great equipment. Glad it held. Good vid. Good job.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Thanks James! Stove pipe definitely would have come down!

[@jakeva9802]

I don’t hunt but I was glued to this video.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Marmocet]

Thunderstorms have a way of sneaking up on you in the mountains, where you often can't see the horizon. I got caught in one of the most severe thunderstorms I've ever experienced when I was hiking and camping in the Appalachian mountains in Pennsylvania. It came up suddenly just before dark, lasted almost all night, must have dumped something like a foot of rain and produced an absolutely unbelievable amount of lightning non-stop, like a natural strobe light show. The storm generated what sounded like a continuous rumble of thunder, as if an endless freight train were going by, that was punctuated by loud claps produced by nearby lightning strikes. My tent got flooded with water and several times, I felt jots of electricity conducting through it from lightning strikes that must have been close. That, combined with all of the trees and tree branches I could hear crashing down around me made it one scary night. I remember thinking that if a tornado ripped through, which does happen in that region every once in a while, I'd never hear it coming over all that thunder.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Scary!

[@Chinothebambino]

That sounds bad ass!

[@windiwebster5390]

Enjoyed your film.😊

[@DuxLindy]

beautiful bit of country it is despite the storm

[@timothyradch4211]

Went through a storm exactly like that on a ridge 2 weeks ago in Montana on my hunt😂 holding down the tent all night was hell of a experience

[@clayhayeshunter]

🤣yep, but it makes for a good story

[@frisk151]

Looks like somebody needs a good lightning rod near their tent, and down a ways away, into the ground... That, or might not camp right there in the open?? Good time to be in all those trees... But, to each their own! I licked a frozen light pole once as a kid... :p

[@hawkinatorgamer9725]

I had no idea Idaho looks like this, looks beautiful.

[@ColeHally]

Hey Clay, thanks for the video. I’m intrigued by your truck. What year and model is the dodge? Also did I read you have it running on veg oil?

[@clayhayeshunter]

Yep, I built it by combining a 1980 power wagon and a 91 single cab. 12 valve Cummins running wvo.

[@ColeHally]

@@clayhayeshunter Very cool! Thanks for all you do!

[@jamesmooney5348]

Sweet dodge! Extra fuel tank and all. I had a buddy who got used cooking oil from restaurants. The exhaust smelt like cheese burgers . But you cant let the oil get too cold, if i remember correctly. Again sweet ol' Dodge.

[@clayhayeshunter]

Same here. That extra tank has veg oil in it.

[@jamesmooney5348]

@@clayhayeshunter Good man

[@griffinohara9864]

Any reason why you don’t use the adjustable guyout lines on your cimarron? Looks like you’re just putting stakes through corner loops. Is this for wind resistance?

[@snakeriverscotto]

Follow up video idea: how to extract when the SHTF! Yikes, what a night!