Elk Hunter Missing in The Crazy Mountains

[Red Dirt Archer]

Any Update?

 

[warmer]

any update?

bump

 

[RobG]

bump

I haven't seen anything in the news the last few days.

 

[Stillhunterman]

This thing has my guts churning... Check back here several times a day for updates. Can't imagine what the family is going through.

 

[katqanna]

As of just now, there is no additional news. They have checked additional trails. Dispatch suggested that I call back on Monday in the morning when the people communicating with the teams will be there.

 

[Sytes]

Other than his truck - have the dogs or S&R members found anything showing he is/was actually in the area? I pray (and have) for his safe return though the more days that pass and the lack of actual tangible evidence that he is actually in the area has me concerned of possible suspect activity(?) If I missed some actual evidence corroborating the accounts given for his lost/injured potential in the specific area... please share it.

 

[katqanna]

Sytes, when I made the last update they had stated they had not seen evidence of him. Knowing that he had a cache by the Lake they had dropped teams to frequently check that area, but no sign either. Lack of anything is discouraging, but dispatch assured me that they are still looking, suggesting the Monday call.

I think there are too many unknowns to even speculate - like where exactly was he when the radio went out? My thought was, since there were two other hunting buddies, perhaps one could have stayed at camp and done small searches while the other rode out to reach cell range and call for help, but unless you are there, you cant always see what drives decisions. I am discouraged by the time that has transpired, praying for his family.

 

[glass eye]

I have hunted DIY in NZ 3 times now. Most kiwi hunters go into the alps with a PLB, mountain radio, or sat phone, or all of the above. All of these can be rented cheaply at major sporting goods stores over there.
After my 2nd trip over there I decided to buy a PLB for myself and it always goes in my daypack.

 

[Stillhunterman]

Appreciate the updates Kat, thanks...

 

[katqanna]

Stillhunterman, you are welcome. I just wish there was good news to share. I am concerned by the several reports earlier that dogs werent picking anything up.

Cant help but hope, like some Louis L'Amour novel, that the guy lost in the wilds and given up for dead, will finally make it out and have quite the story to tell.

When I was talking with dispatch and she was apologizing that that they didnt have anything of good news to share, I told her that news or not, this subject has brought up a discussion of personal locator beacons, tracking devices that hopefully will prevent this from happening to others, or at least make it quicker/easier for search and rescue.

 

[ShootsManyBullets]

I've been checking this thread daily in hopes of some good news for this guy and his family. Prayers go out to all of them. We had a situation like this in my family many years ago and it ended in the worst way possible.
I hunt alone a lot and now that I've got a couple kids, it's probably time to get a PLB of some sort. My wife worries a lot whenever I head out alone so it may make her feel better too.

 

[Colberjs]

Sad to hear there are no new updates. I definitely need to get a PLB. I have a buddy with me on this trip but in the future I may not.

 

[RobG]

Kat must be out... In catching up on the news I saw this update: http://www.kbzk.com/news/items-belonging-to-missing-hunter-found-but-search-scaled-back/

The search for a hunter missing in the Crazy Mountains has been scaled back, according to officials.

Late last week, several items believed to belong to Aaron J. Hedges were found and identified by family members. Officials say very few other clues to the man's whereabouts have been found.

A wide range of high tech resources including aircraft such as military and civilian helicopters equipped with infrared and night vision cameras and spotlights, 20 dog teams, seven horse teams, more than 50 ground searchers, and a technically specialized high elevation team, who have exhaustively searched the Crazy Mountains east of Wilsall, have been used in the 12-day search.

On Sunday, Park County and Sweet Grass County officials launched a large scale joint search effort utilizing dog teams with ground searchers as well as teams on horseback, ATVs, a specialized high angle/water rescue team, and a helicopter aerial search team equipped with specialized cameras and lighting to scour the area where these items were located but the search resulted in no new clues or leads.

Based on the large amount of resources and utilization of high tech equipment throughout this incident resulting in very few leads combined with a very high level of risk to searchers, a joint task force comprised of Park County Sheriff's Office administrators, Sweet Grass County Sheriff's Office administrators, and search and rescue managers have made the decision to scale back current search efforts. The task force extends sincere thanks and gratitude to everyone involved in the search operations.

 

[katqanna]

Rob, thank you, I was out all day today, so I didnt get a chance to call dispatch for the update. I am glad that you caught that and posted. Thank you.

 

[Stillhunterman]

Thanks for posting that Rob. Sad deal all around...

 

[belly-deep]

They found several of his personal belongings?

You'd think that would give them a pretty good idea of what happened.

 

[TheJason]

They found several of his personal belongings?

You'd think that would give them a pretty good idea of what happened.

That was probably the location where the hypothermic delerium set in. What a sad deal, and my prayers go out to his family.

I visited with my wife this morning about getting a PLB.

 

[Ben Long]

I got a SPOT PLB last fall after reading too many sad stories like this. If nothing else, it gives the folks at home a bit more peace of mind. So far, I've only used it for "all is well" messages, but it seems to work well. Peace to this young fellow and his family.

 

[MThuntr]

I got a SPOT PLB last fall after reading too many sad stories like this. If nothing else, it gives the folks at home a bit more peace of mind. So far, I've only used it for "all is well" messages, but it seems to work well. Peace to this young fellow and his family.

I'm researching the options now. I'm considering postponing my hunt this weekend because of the chance of rain/snow. I'm not prepared for that in my limited backcountry experience and don't want to end up in this same situation.

 

[glass eye]

This why I bought one. Weather was much worse than anticipated. We had over 40 hours on non-stop rain ( 10 inches ) driven by 100 kph sustained winds with 140 kph gust'. After the rain stopped it snowed.