Used to roll my eyes at that advice but you're right, it's actually useful.

Double down on that mistake and @park.robin’s buddy Mike is a legend for admitting it publicly. Flex seal is just fancy caulk for memes, not tires.

Honestly that "kills the fun" line changed my mind, I always brought offline maps before.

Man my buddy Dave had a similar thing happen in his backyard pile over in Kent. He was turning it one weekend and found this half eaten opossum just sitting there. The head was gone but the rest was still intact. He said the smell was something else but he just mixed it in with some leaves and straw. A few weeks later he found a family of raccoons hanging around that spot at night. Nature is crazy like that.

Honestly, I read something recently about arborists using a simple moisture meter to help spot decay before it gets bad. Seems like wet spots or soft bark can also be a dead giveaway that something's wrong inside. Tapping with a mallet sounds way more practical for a homeowner though, not everyone has a drill bit long enough for a thick trunk. Ngl, your buddy's method is smart if you really want to know for sure.