High Buck Trip Cut Short

[Pacific Ghost]

Ok, so I’ve got another incident for you all to think about, and this one happened just last weekend.  I have debated posting this, but think that it is only fair considering what we went through, and that there should be some awareness that these types of things, although rare, can happen. This is a fairly condensed version of about a 3 or 4 hour ordeal involving another “hunter”, and I will not use any names or locations.

We were just winding down for the evening on Saturday, sitting and talking by the fire, when a single rifle shot rang out around dusk. 5 to 10 minutes went by, then another shot, some more time and then another.  By now we thought we had started hearing a voice in the distance as well.   :oWe came to the conclusion someone was either hurt, lost or both, and desperately in need of help.  From what we knew of camp and trail locations in the vicinity, we assumed other people around the area would have heard the shooting, but most likely not the cries for help. It is dark by now, and there have been 5 periodic shots. We spent a little time trying to pinpoint the direction of the commotion which seemed to be coming from somewhere between 1/3 to 1/2 mile northwest and above us on the mountainside. We activated SOS on one of the two Garmin InReach satellite communication devices we had in our possession, and started preparing everything we needed (first aid, water, space blanket etc) to start hiking in the direction of this person. I reminded my buddies to hope for the best, but plan for the worst, because you never know for sure what you might be getting yourself into. One of the others stayed below with one of the radios, while I and the other set out. This guy was screaming, pleading and begging for his life and any help he could get. On and on it went. Halfway up the steep and heavily treed and brushy rock-strewn terrain, we are finally able to somewhat more clearly communicate with this person, and things begin to take a turn.  We are able to hear him say that what’s happening is a bear attack/standoff, that there are 5 bears and that he has already shot several, and also that he was running out of headlamp light and ammunition(we've heard an additional shot or two since we’ve been in the woods).   At this point, we hit the brakes because we are not adequately prepared to deal with the situation. So, I stayed where we were and sent my buddy back down the hill.  During this time, the person was imploring me to help, as we would want the same if we were in his situation, he mentioned his family and repeated numerous times that he was going to die. After some time, both friends were back with me now, and I’ll just say that we are now much more heavily prepared.  We began to slowly (and super intensely)close in on this guy, and we are in self-defense mode from him now as much as anything, as by this time we begin to question the validity of his claims. While we are still discussing the final approach, we huddle behind some available cover and switch off our own headlamps so as to be unidentifiable to him. One of us decides to cut the final distance, requesting that he shoulder his weapon, in which he does comply.  He is standing/balancing about 4 or 5 feet off the ground on a fallen snag that is diagonally protruding over the top of a knoll. We were all then able to move in and attain his weapon and ultimately defuse the situation. We did not ever hear any noises from any animals or anything moving through the brush. He mentioned the bears tearing through his pack, and kept directing us to look in and around a bush that was about 10 feet away. We poked around quite a bit and didn’t find any dead bears, tracks, blood or any sign of anything at all accept him and his stuff, etc.  There was some untouched food in a ziploc bag that was on the ground outside his pack, and there was not a mark on the bag. He made sure to tell us a few times that a very similar thing in this same location had happened to him several years back.  We slowly escorted him down to the valley below to a waiting sheriff, who called off the medics at that point. He also told the sheriff that we had looked at the bear when we were up there.

As if there isn’t already enough things to focus on while out in the field, this was very sad and disturbing, and really put a damper on things. I'm really glad none of my family was with me on this trip, and I wish I could say this event wasn’t true. Hopefully though, something in here will be useful for someone on this site someday.

[hunterednate]

Wow. That is bizarre. You don't think he was on any substances, do you? Maybe just mental health issues? Good for you for helping him anyway. Sounds like if you hadn't intervened it could've been much worse.

[bulldogs40]

Stories like this make me a lot more prone to carry a side arm when I’m in the woods.

[Pacific Ghost]

IDK, haven't heard anything back yet. Such a mixture of emotions.  We really didn't know until the last moments if we were helping to save someone, or if something else was going on.  We were in much danger, regardless.

[jackelope]

What. The. Heck....

[Platensek-po]

That’s some crazy shhhh right there.

[JimmyHoffa]

Hypothermia? Dehydration?

[Platensek-po]

Hypothermia? Dehydration?

Ate the wrong shrooms?

[ffbowhunter]

I suspect mental health honestly. Nice work helping out though.

[ganghis]

Man, you have had some crappy luck lately.  That sounds really scary - but sounds like you guys did the best you could given the situation.  Hope the guy is okay and the rest of your hunting season goes smoother.

[pianoman9701]

Crazy stuff, man.

[Pacific Ghost]

I know a lot of interesting things happen during the general rifle season, or any season for that matter, but the early High Buck?  A lot of time, money and energy is invested preparing for these adventures.  Was really starting to become quite familiar with a significant amount of a particular area that I had been learning over the last 5 years.  Had already logged 7 days and 38 miles this season.  This person was on a day hunt in a lower portion, and will probably be back in the area again when things quiet down.  I don't really care to ever see them again.

[bigdub257]

WOW! Mental health or the dude was high as a kite on something! Damn Scary!

[ctwiggs1]

This goes down as one of the more bizarre back country stories I've read. 

Glad you guys are all ok... Hope he gets the help that he needs.  I really do.

[Bushcraft]

I know a lot of interesting things happen during the general rifle season, or any season for that matter, but the early High Buck?  A lot of time, money and energy is invested preparing for these adventures.  Was really starting to become quite familiar with a significant amount of a particular area that I had been learning over the last 5 years.  Had already logged 7 days and 38 miles this season.  This person was on a day hunt in a lower portion, and will probably be back in the area again when things quiet down.  I don't really care to ever see them again.

You would be surprised at how many people - who have absolutely no business doing so, take a flier and try High Buck unprepared.  Quite frankly, I'm surprised more people don't die every year from exposure, fall off cliffs, or whatever.

Good on you and your friends for helping out this person who had apparently become emotionally/mentally hijacked.