Long weekend sees spike in search, rescue calls

Rescuers kept busy over the long Thanksgiving weekend, receiving multiple reports of  missing or distressed hunters and hikers.

Victims were found within hours with no serious injuries in the four searches that spread between Wednesday and Sunday evening in southern Lincoln County.

A Fish, Wildlife and Parks official located a lost hunter Wednesday near Richards Creek off of Fisher River Road about an hour after he was reported missing by a fellow hunter. On Thanksgiving a hunter spent part of the night in the Deep Creek area, south of Libby, and two hikers called for help from a snowy trail above Minor Lake. On Sunday evening a 13-year-old boy who had been hunting with his father was located in the West Fisher River area about 40 minutes after it was reported.

Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office and David Thompson Search and Rescue responded to the Deep Creek area on Thursday evening to look for a hunter who had separated from a group at 10 a.m. and was supposed to meet up again in the early afternoon.

“They were concerned because he hadn’t made it to Thanksgiving dinner,” said Terry Crooks of DTSAR. “That was the plan – to rally at 2 p.m. and he didn’t show up.”

Because the man was a strong hiker, had supplies to build a fire and was wearing warm proper clothing, DTSAR decided to contain the area and not put searchers on the ground in the dark, Crooks said.

Vehicles patrolled area roads, and strobe lights that contained food, water, instructions and flashlights were placed at high points and road crossings. At one point, the lost hunter fired a shot in the air in response to rescuers’ shots, but echoes off the landscape made it difficult to pinpoint his location.

“He did shoot back. They could hear his shots,” Crooks said, “but it was impossible to get an area.”

The hunter’s friends ventured out in the dark with GPS units and flashlights, and located him at about 1 a.m. He had stayed in place with a fire going.

The area, near Little Hoodoo Mountain, was the sight of a prior search just the weekend before. A father and son hunting team was eventually located with the use of a dying cell phone and a gun fired into the air.

“That area is easy to get confused in,” Crooks said. “People get caught in there and then can’t make their way out. Over the years we’ve had a lot of searches out there.”

Another search began Thanksgiving evening at about 7 p.m. for a pair of hikers who called their friend, a member of DTSAR, for help. The man and woman hadn’t anticipated the deep snow as they hiked the Cabinet Divide trail above Minor Lake in the Cabinet Mountains.

“They called and said, ‘Hey, get help. Come get us. We’re cold and tired and wearing out,’” Crooks said.

The woman’s wet clothing clung to her skin, chilling her body. Made of cotton, it absorbed a considerable amount of water.

“We were concerned at that point,” Crooks said. “Depending on her physical state, she could suffer hypothermia.”

Rescuers left on horseback after 7 p.m. and found them at 11:15 p.m. in a tent at an abandoned hunter’s camp.

Rescue missions will more-than-likely slow down since general big game hunting season closed Sunday.

“This hunting season has been very busy,” Crooks said, “but fortunately, no rescues went into the second day.”