Missing Oregon Hunter

[Pacific_Fork]

Because at this point there is just no way he is still alive, so they should be doing a search and recovery mission. So sad, and bizarre they couldnt locate him after the fired shots and using thermal drones.

 

[hibernation]

That's some really rough terrain out there. Wet, steep, unstable slopes, I could see someone taking a bad fall with a heavy pack trying to get a deer out. It doesn't take but one bad fall to render someone incapable of hiking themselves out. Without an inreach or a pretty detailed plan of where you are, it could be very difficult to sustain yourself until SAR finds you.

Really feel for this guy, his friends and family, and for everyone who helped with the search.

 

[hibernation]

They suspended the search.

I don't understand how they hear him make multiple shots yet don't even recover a body, if he has in fact passed... A couple dogs should be able to find him no problem if he's stuck somewhere or injured with a starting point like that. The guy by all accounts is very experienced so if he was able to move he would get out or at least get closer to the trailhead. This seems very odd, but I guess things like this usually do.

I'm not surprised about the shots. Steep, long canyons and draws out there make for a lot of echos, it would be hard to pinpoint much from a few shots - depending where you are when they start. And that's assuming it was even him and not just the random shots you hear all over that area any given day/night.

As for the dogs, I'm no expert but the constant rain has got to make it tough. Plus distinguishing his trail from other random hunters and hikers in the area.

 

[dtrkyman]

Dogs can definitely pick his scent out from another persons, an old track gets tough but unless it’s a gully washer the rain can improve the dogs ability to track, and of course could smell him from a long way!


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[Steve300xcw]

but unless it’s a gully washer

There has been a bit of that lately

 

[dtrkyman]

Could not find any updates, anyone hear anything?

 

[5MilesBack]

Because at this point there is just no way he is still alive, so they should be doing a search and recovery mission.

Didn't you see the story about that hunter in CA that was missing for two weeks before being found alive? I just saw the story on the news about a week ago.

 

[BRTreedogs]

The day the Oregon hunter went missing it poured all day then dropped into the 30s

He is also hunting a large moss covered rocky cliff drainage. With endless amounts of side drainage and rocky cracks.

I don’t see any possible way he would not have gotten hypothermia the first night.

He would’ve have to get a huge fire going before he lost his wits.

Unless he was a prepared and experienced outdoorsman that was able to get himself dried out that night there’s just a very low chance of success.

 

[hibernation]

He is also hunting a large moss covered rocky cliff drainage. With endless amounts of side drainage and rocky cracks.

I don't see any scenario where this didn't start with either a fall or an unrelated medical emergency. That area is so treacherous, a small slip in the wrong place could result in a major injury. Real easy to miss a step packing out an animal in the dark. Now you're stuck overnight but without the physical ability to build much of a shelter, start a fire, or get yourself out. Add the cold rain on top of that...

For the rest of us, this is a good reminder of what emergency scenarios usually look like. They don't usually start with you warm, dry, and in good physical health to go start cutting firewood.

 

[Hoodie]

I went out for a day last weekend to lend a hand with the volunteer search effort.

I killed my buck this year about 7 miles as the crow flies from the confluence of Fish Creek and the Clackamas. I was wearing full on crampons for the pack out and still took a fall in the snow and slid 20 feet. I just got lucky and was able to snag a rhododendron before the grade steepened. If a tree had stopped my slide after another 20 feet to pick up speed I'm sure I would have broken something. Tree cover was dense enough to create issues with satellite LOS.

The burn up there is treacherous and the hunter hadn't been in the area before. There's lots of places up there where someone could take a 400 yard cross canyon shot and get in real trouble trying to get to their deer. Navigating the cliff bands was sketchy before the burn. Worse now.

When I showed up to assist I was appalled at how many of the searchers were carrying 2lb pistols but not carrying a 3 oz emergency communications device. 50% of the folks there, mostly hunters, didn't have one.

 

[mtnbound]

Dogs can definitely pick his scent out from another persons, an old track gets tough but unless it’s a gully washer the rain can improve the dogs ability to track, and of course could smell him from a long way!


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Air/Area search dogs search for anyone in the area.
Track/Trail dogs typically are following the freshest scent or disturbance.

Unless the dog is scent discriminating and most SAR dogs are not they cannot tell the difference between a searcher, another hunter or the missing subject. So it’s not as easy as it sounds.