FREMONT COUNTY, Idaho (KIFI) — A local hunter is safe today after becoming separated from his group in Fremont County over the weekend, leading to a sizable search and rescue response.
Fremont County Search and Rescue (FCSAR) was dispatched around 8:30 p.m. Sunday to assist in locating a hunter who had split up from his partner near Warm River Butte.
Because the missing man did not have a cell phone, FCSAR could not find his exact location via GPS coordinates or a cell ping. With limited information on his last known location, FCSAR immediately launched a ground and air search. Two teams swept the areas west of Warm River Butte, while an Air Idaho Rescue crew conducted a grid search of the surrounding terrain from above.
Fortunately, a breakthrough came later that night around 10:30 p.m. when a separate group of hunters stopped by the search command post. They told FCSAR that while calling elk near Fish Creek Road, roughly three miles west of the main search area, they thought they heard a faint voice shouting in the distance.
FCSAR deployed a team to investigate the tip and found the missing hunter in good condition about an hour later. The hunter told rescuers that once the sun went down, he made the smart decision to stop moving and build a fire to stay warm and visible until help arrived.
“Fremont County Search and Rescue would like to thank the hunters who took the time to report what they believed they had heard. Their information provided an important clue that helped searchers locate the missing hunter,” stated the agency in a press release. ” FCSAR also thanks Air Idaho and all personnel involved in the search for their assistance.”
