Hoot Owl Trees

What does a TIV (tornado intercept vehicle) and treasure hunting have to do with one another? The answer would be nothing. It's just a really interesting vehicle. This is the same one used on the show "Storm Chasers" featured on the Discovery Channel.

Indian trees, hoot owl trees, and goal post trees are often referred to in the world of treasure hunting, but mother nature can make these as well. The trees I have posted pictures of were all found just a short distance from my house. All of them are natural and aren't treasure related.

I have a friend who spent some time in Georgia treasure hunting. He found a number of these old trees marking trails. The locals called them Indian Trees. These trees would occasionally lead him to springs, camping areas, and caves.

There are often scars on the bark in the area where rawhide or rope had been used to tie them down, so that they would grow in the direction of desired travel. This is one way to help differentiate between manmade and natural hoot owl trees.

Jesse James would often draw trees on his maps. There is a problem with that though. Jesse intended to return and recover his loot within a short period of time. Over a century has passed since he made these maps and most of these trees are long gone. Tornados, wildfires, wood cutters, and any number of other things have destroyed them over the years. Trees can be a very important part of treasure hunting, but make sure the trail you're following isn't due to the work of mother nature.