Overdue hunter located unharmed
Search and Rescue crews with Shoshone and Kootenai counties set up their base of operations at the corner of Old River and Little North Fork roads Monday morning with the goal of locating a missing hunter.
Photo by CHANSE WATSON
LINFOR — Search and Rescue teams located a lost hunter Monday afternoon after he was reported missing the night before.
Shoshone County Sheriff's Office Lt. Jeff Lee states that the 40-year-old male from Kootenai County walked himself out from the wilderness near the area of Bumblebee Campground around 12:30 p.m. and met up with rescue personnel.
The incident began Sunday morning, when the male and his juvenile son left their home in Kootenai County to go hunting. Around 1 p.m., the duo parked 6.4 miles up Forest Service Road 769 (Bumblebee Road) and the male told his son that he was going to leave to find a hunting spot for them and that he would be right back.
As the day grew later, loved ones of the two became worried, since they were only supposed to be gone for the day and could not be reached by phone. Family friends would end up driving to Bumblebee that night to search for them. Law enforcement received a call from these friends around 8 p.m. once they found the healthy juvenile inside the parked truck on FS-769.
Both Shoshone and Kootenai County Search and Rescue personnel deployed early Monday morning to find the missing male, setting up at the corner of Old River and Little North Fork roads.
Lt. Lee explains that both agencies were utilized due to the size of the potential search area.
When the male finally linked up with crews Monday afternoon, exiting the woods from a different spot than where he entered, he was found to have suffered no serious injuries after being lost in the woods for nearly 24 hours.
Lee was thankful to all agencies involved with the search and stresses preparedness when recreating outdoors.
"When going out into the woods, for hunting or any other reason, it's important to be prepared for worst case scenarios," Lee said. "Make sure to also let someone know where you are going."
Thanks to the family knowing the area that they were going, the family friends were able to find the juvenile and truck. This also gave search teams a starting point to look for the male.
SCSO receives dozens of wilderness related missing person calls every year — especially during peak outdoor recreation and hunting seasons.