Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Life of a logger…

Logging is the second most dangerous job in America, second only to commercial fishing off the Grand Banks.

I pity the guy if he has allergies and has to sneeze in the next 3 months..

I worked either in the woods or in sawmills for much of my early working life. My grandfather, step father, and most of my in laws were loggers. So were a huge percentage of all the people in North Idaho. Because I spent most of my time sawmilling, it was sawmilling that got me (nothing major but the reason I shoot left handed since 1974).
My father-in-law, who was also one of my best friends, was a gypo logger for most of his life. He made money and lost money at the whim of the market and the companies which bought his logs. In his company he was the faller, the loader operator, and the truck driver. His partner ran the skidder. When he was 63 years old, he has finally had enough good fortune (by his own efforts) that he was starting to do pretty well and was starting to catch a glimpse of the good life. His old equipment was holding together and he was making more than he was spending. He was working in the McCall area, in central Idaho, and was going out to look at some timber. He loaded up his Honda three wheeler and headed out, by himself. This was rough country, and he rolled the three wheeler over a bank and in the process, broke all three bones in his right leg. He managed to get the Honda upright and restarted. He jammed a branch through the handlebar to hold his leg up and rode that thing about three miles back to his pickup, where he was able to radio for some help. He ended up cast from ankle to hip. 2 weeks after this, he was running his line machine, skidding logs up to the landing, this being the only job he could do with his cast on. The tie-back cable broke when a log got hung up and the machine tipped forward, tossing him out the front window (no glass) his trajectory was such that he was in just the right place for the boom, which had tipped down and lost the logs, free of the weight, came back up and swatted Allen back up onto the road. His ribcage was crushed, his leg re-broken, and he was bruised all over. When he went into the ER, the doctor looked him over and said, "you're a tough old coot, but you should probably think about getting into another line of work".
He decided he was going to sell out and concentrate on farming. At the age of 66, he went in for bypass surgery and died on the table.
My wife's uncle died when he rolled a skidder over on him and drowned in hot motor oil while his brother tried to get to him.
Loggers, farmers, construction workers, all the men who work hard just to live, and risk their lives and health to do it, these are the men who make the country work. My brother once, jokingly, referred to my father-in-law as a working-class hero and you know what? He really was. GD

I know two brothers that are loggers open the Adirondacks, New York State. At least they used to log. Nice guys they log my property in the early 90s. About 15 years ago the younger brother was on the skider cutting and hitch and loads down to the header where his older brother was. While he was cutting a tree a branch, Widowmaker came down hit him in the top of the shoulder like a spear went into his lung. He pulled that damn thing out got back on the scooter drove down towards the header. His brother heard the skider idling close to the header for about 20 minutes, eventually walked up to the scooter and he was dead sitting in the seat bled to death. Nice kid I think he was in his late 30s. Two kids, nicest guy in the world

I have a Cousin that Married a Logger
In less that 6 months she was a widow

Hope this guy heals up good

Funny story I read from the Hayward, Hurley and Hell area during the early turn of the century 1900’s: A railroad section gang acting real tough in a bar kicking everyone’s butt until a logging crew showed up. Loggers kicked their butts.

Just about every logger I've known has a horrific story that happened to him. If not a story about this guy who was right next to him.

Worked with a gal whose husband had a tree fall on him. If I recall correctly he didn't break anything as he was pushed into the dirt, but suffered massive soft tissue injury. Oregon Health Science University (Then University of Oregon Medical School) wrote a book on his case.

I worked on a landing for a few months, nothing hard, just didn't like the hours. No time for a single guy to get his banking and laundry done working long days. LOL

Dad was a logger or tire man his whole life. Dumped two old Peterbuilts over a canyon when the brakes failed. Maintenance? Ah hell, it still runs!

My Dad was a farmer/logger/sawmiller and because of that, truck driver.
He had gotten a tire fixed. It rode on the flatbed for
10 miles of crappy blacktop, 1 1/2 miles of dirt township and private
road just fine. Dad pulled it to the edge of the bed tipped ot to drop it on the ground, and it blew the ring off in his face. 50 years ago this time of year.






So many ways to get hurt working with machines or animals.

Was on a sawmill had a chain over my shoulder going to move some
stuff. Almost stepped between some rollers as a guy shoved a big tie
down. Stepped back but the chain caught the corner of the tie.
Jerked my face down to the tie and drug me several feet untill it stopped.
Not really hurt (19 tough😁). Had they been driven rollers it would have been different.

Not a real story compared to others here.
But a great one to illustrate how easy it is to find a way to get
hurt bad in places it's not expected.

Damn. Prayers for speedy recovery

Man that sucks. He will probably heal up just fine though. All my logging was just for personal and side of the road sales. I sold some pretty cheap cords of wood back in the mid eighties delivered. My closest call was in Wyoming though. Hauled my trailer up on pine mountain, everybody got out and went to work except me I had to piss. So standing on the other side of the trailer 50 feet or so pissin away Jimmy and Jerry drop a big old pine tree right across the trailer just barely missing me and bending the trailer bed. Fuggin aholes! To this day what excuse they came up with escapes me. I was pissed!

The woods and woods work is D A N G E R O U S.


All it takes is, well, nothing, and you're in a world of hurt. My landlord dang near was done in by a log that threaded the needle through the safety grill (which could support the entire machine all by itself). A switch in the operating handle stuck, the feed wheels. But he had scratches on his ear and the log crushed the radio on the back wall.
Another buddy is a pirate, a cat rolled on him and the track pads clipped off his lower leg. He's got a great prosthetic.
Another guy rolled a clipper down the mountain, he was strapped in a good cage, but it broke his spine anyway (fractured multiply, but no breaks, so he's 100 percent 20 years later). Tracks slipped on a rock which then excavated itself.
Then we have our skidder driver, like a year from retirement, already on SS, and he misses a handhold while filling hydraulic fluid. Over he goes, busted femur crown. It's been a month and he's still in the nursing home.
And when you're cutting to length or trying to unload a chunk of fell wood? You better know which way it's going to JUMP when it's cut free -- AND how FAR it will JUMP, and where YOU are gonna JUMP FASTER.

Loggers have luck -- it's just a fundamentally different kind of luck.

I know three guys that were killed cutting trees on their own property!!!!!!!!!!

Wow.

Judman;
Good evening to you my cyber friend, I hope you and your family are well.

The chap in the photo is in my thoughts and prayers.

When we moved here to Okanagan Falls it was still considered a "mill town" and many of the people I called friends then and still do were involved in logging.

I'd say it's better now than it was then - 30 years ago - but "stuff" still happens.

We're rural here so it's farmers, ranchers, loggers and some miners who were the folks who built this area for the most part and who were still here when we arrived.

I try my very best not to fall trees anymore - just because.

My friend 673 convinced me to wear chainsaw pants now when I'm using the saw and honestly my family is surely happy about that Jud.

Anyways, I'll be praying for a speedy recovery for your friend for sure. Glad he made it.

All the best and good hunting.

Dwayne

I haven’t met a logger yet with all his fingers intact.

old school oil rig hands.

1 word.


spinning chains.

Let him know that chick's dig scars so he should be set for life.