by Michael Meier
Boundary County Idaho
Public Information Officer

Last Wednesday, November 12, the Boundary County Sheriff's Office received a call at 11:00 p.m. regarding two missing hunters.

The hunters, a father and son team, had left home at 3:30 p.m. that afternoon with plans for a quick hunting trip in the local area before returning home for dinner that evening. At around 11:00 p.m. that same night, when the hunters had not returned, the Sheriff's Office was notified.

All the information the Sheriff's office had for a destination was that the hunters had left with a half tank of gas in the vehicle, so the Sheriff's Office concentrated their search in an area that would be within that range.

After an extensive all night search by the Sheriff’s Office, Boundary County Search and Rescue, the Sheriff’s Posse, and the U.S. Border Patrol, and with temperatures dropping into the teens during the night, the hunters' vehicle was found on the East side of the Dawson Ridge area around 5:30 a.m. the following morning.

The Sheriff’s Office then used the patrol car siren as a locator beacon, and began broadcasting for the lost hunters who responded with three rifle shots.

At 6:30 a.m. the hunters walked out to their vehicle and the waiting Sheriff’s Office Patrol. The father and son team had started a fire and spent the night staying warm by the fire. To the surprise and relief of all, they were in great shape.

The lost hunters stated that they had been caught in the dark, with no GPS or navigation equipment. Finding your way on a dark night in the cold, in an area you do not know, is almost impossible without the proper quipment. Building a fire and waiting for rescue is the best plan in this situation.

Good job Boundary County Sheriff’s Office, Boundary County Search and Rescue, Boundary County Sheriff’s Posse, and the United States Border Patrol for a happy ending to a potentially deadly situation.