Had a close call--lesson learned!

[Todd_ID]

My buddy and I decided to go out hunting again in pretty much the last area open for elk hunting to try and fill the freezer: Elk Area 1010 near Dayton.  Neither of us know the area well enough to know landowners, and we were quickly frustrated by closed county roads and no hunting signs.  I had put in 3 calls in the past few weeks to the local enforcement officer to see if he had any landowners who had called about elk problems, but he never returned the calls.  Finally I found a section (square mile, 640 acres) of state land on the map, and we drove to the gate at the corner of the piece.

We had good topo maps on the computer in the truck, but the fog was thick something fierce.  Since this was a quick trip on the spur of the moment neither of us were well prepared.  Dark found me following elk tracks over a mile from the truck in seriously tough country.  It took about 10 minutes of semi-frantic search to figure out that I didn't have a flashlight, damn it's dark out there in the fog with no moon.  That same 10 minutes found me wishing that I had more than just blue jeans and white cotton socks with uninsulated boots, and it was 21 degrees with a couple feet of snow.  The only reason I am here to tell about this trip instead of still trying to find the truck is that I had my GPS in my pack.  Even with the GPS I still had a very hard time finding the truck because every trail was going the wrong way, and every creek branched and flowed the wrong way; and did I mention that it's damn dark out there.  I made it to the truck at 7:30: two and a half hours after dark.  I was frozen to the core and probably should have started a fire back in the woods to warm up; hypothermia was pretty darn close.

Imagine my surprise at finally finding the truck only to see that he wasn't there yet.

He had gone in a different direction from the start, but the lay of the land was such that he had crossed my tracks somewhere along the way.  He was well dressed, but the hard walking quickly got him overheated and sweating hard.  Dark came as he was at a gate that he thought was where we started.  He got his flashlight out and figured out that he was in the wrong spot and didn't have a clue where he was and didn't have a GPS.  He started backtracking his own tracks to find that in the daylight he had walked in two circles, but he was having troubles figuring out the right way to follow the tracks in the dark.  As the temperature dropped and he got very cold his recurring thought was that this week he had submitted a cancellation on his life insurance policy because work had been slow; had that cancellation already been processed, and would his wife be hassled about collecting the money?  Pretty dire straits indeed! 

About this time I got back to the truck to find that he wasn't there.   I had my pistol in the truck and started firing at a slow pace: two shots, three seconds apart, every ten minutes.  I honked the horn every 30 seconds.  I turned the truck around and pointed the headlights into the fog towards the center of the area we were trying to hunt.  He was hearing the gunshots, but he was having a hard time trusting the direction because he thought it was echoing in the canyon and messing him up.  He kept walking along but was having trouble walking a straight line toward the shots; each time he heard them they were off to the side, so he'd have to turn and try again.  Finally he started hearing the horn and then was able to see a glow from the headlights.  He got to the truck at 9:00.  That's 4 hours in the dark, lost, cold, dead tired.

The lessons learned in the woods are hard and fast coming upon you.  Both of us are very experienced backcountry elk hunters.  We now have a bit more experience that we should never have had to receive.  I've already went through my fanny pack and will not be out again without the proper clothing.  He'll own a GPS today, and he said he's buying one for each of his kids as soon as he can.  It was a flat fricking scary experience to be that cold and that turned around.  We've both been lost before, but this was the first time it's been that serious.  Maybe that's what it takes for the lesson to sink in.

If possible, learn from our experience!  Always be properly dressed, and have a flashlight and GPS.  Don't just think, "Oh, it'll be a quick trip, so I'll be fine."

[Gobble]

Thanks for sharing. I'm sure it was scary experience. I got turned around in the early elk season last year and was travelling the exact opposite directiion that my mind thought it was going. We were miles from the truck and walking in heavy dark timber. Had it not been for my GPS we would have been lost for sure. I just goes to show that it CAN happen to anyone.

[jackelope]

holy smokes...we had a similar experience in a similar location a few years ago getting a deer out in the dark. realized we had a little puny flashlight and that was it between the 2 of us. since then i have become a gear whore and have at least a headlamp and a surefire in my pack all the time. we ended up on the road a mile from the truck, which wasn't bad, but it was cold and wet and most importantly we had missed dinner   .
lessons learned i guess.

[jackelope]

my wife's great aunt spent the night out there one year after getting turned around mushroom hunting too. had the whole town out looking for her.

[MLBowhunting]

Man thats a good story and just think that was one square mile.  Glad to hear that you an him did not panic, who knows what could of happened if that would of kicked in.

[Little Fish]

Glad to hear you are okay. Pretty close call if you ask me. Thanks for sharing the story so others can learn from it.

[robodad]

You should really think about getting the gps units that track each other, they are great, if one of you make it back to the truck like in your example, your buddy would have found you immedietly and you can communicate with them by voice and text !!

Glad to hear your fine, it really sucks to hear on the news about an experienced hiker is lost and unprepared !!

[bucklucky]

Glad you both found the truck. I have never hunted with a GPS until this year! I know back about 5 years ago I was hunting a wilderness area with my wife and got socked in with fog. No more landmarks to go off to get back to camp and it was getting dark. If my wife wouldnt have had her GPS I 'm pretty sure we would have spent the night under a tree. I can tell you haveing a gps is awesome but I also pack a cumpass also. I used them alot when I was on mt wilderness hunt this year. Man they are a Huge help!

[Todd_ID]

Lost and unprepared even though experienced never even crossed my mind, but that was exactly what occurred.  You always think it is some other idiot that does stupid stuff like that; this time we were the idiots!  I have the Rino 530, and it won't be long before he does too.

[270Shooter]

Thanks for sharing. I'm sure it was scary experience. I got turned around in the early elk season last year and was travelling the exact opposite directiion that my mind thought it was going. We were miles from the truck and walking in heavy dark timber. Had it not been for my GPS we would have been lost for sure. I just goes to show that it CAN happen to anyone.

I did the exact same thing this year on the late buck hunt in colville. We had a buck run right in front if us so we parked got out and followed him. I though we were making a big loop back around to the truck but I only turned 90 degrees and we were walking away from the truck. Good thing my dad realized it or we could have spent the night out there. Never did see that big buck again either.

[MAVsled]

good that you and partner made it back. Now you both have more "experience".

is it just me who only still carries a compass along with my gps unit. Even if I upgrade to the new version, all in one (radio, compass, gps, etc etc) I will still carry my compass of 20+ years along.

[agchawk]

WOW! Glad to hear that you and your partner made it back OK!

I got lost as a kid while out cutting wood with my father and brother outside of Orofino once. He ended up calling in the cavalry and they eventually found me about 4 miles from our rig. Ever since then I make sure I have a full survival kit, GPS (added years later when they became affordable), and extra clothing while out and about. Whether it be a mountain bike trip, casual hike, or a pack-in hunt I always have that stuff on me.

I guess sometimes it takes a "near-death" experience to teach us old farts a lesson.

Again, glad it turned out for the best for both of ya. 

[rasbo]

glad it came out allright.I got turned around in the desert once,eerie feeling.

[oneezreiter]

Glad you both made it out, I got turned around in oregon near Astoria when I was growing up, I know how you guys feel.

[ICEMAN]

This is why I have sewn a quality mini compass to my suspender which supports my pistol belt, in addition to the one in my pack.... It is always there. Alot of survival experts say you should have a few key items on your body and not in your pack, mini compass, mini firestarter, mini knife etc.....in case you get separated from your main gear...


I dont trust a gps, units can fail,...low battery.... I have just always relied on a compass and good map.