It's season of hunting for hunters
On first weekend of elk, deer season, five lose their way in Shoshone County
Angie Gaddy, Spokan Spokesman-Review
Coeur d'Alene _ Ah, the fresh air. The mountains. The forests.
They could make anyone lose their head. And their way.
The first weekend after elk and deer season opened in Shoshone County, sheriff's officials and volunteers searched for five lost hunters.
"It's something," said Shoshone County Sheriff Chuck Reynalds, whose deputies and search and rescue team scoured the county Friday night, all day Saturday and Sunday to find the hunters.
Last year, Shoshone County search and rescue teams looked for 13 lost hunters throughout the hunting season.
"Five in a weekend is a bit unusual," Reynalds said.
Friday evening, an 86-year-old hunter from Dalton Gardens, was reported lost in the Jordan Saddle area after he failed to contact his hunting partner. Search teams and deputies spent Friday night and early Saturday searching for James P. O'Connell.
O'Connell was found Saturday afternoon in the bottom of a drainage. He had spent the night outside with no coat, but had built a fire, Reynalds said.
"That's what saved him," he said.
O'Connell was taken by helicopter to Kootenai Medical Center, where he was treated and then released Sunday, sheriff's officials said.
On Saturday evening, a 44-year-old Coeur d'Alene man was reported missing in the Porcupine Pass area. Ronald G. Harrelson was found Sunday afternoon after he walked out of the area.
Another Coeur d'Alene hunter was reported missing Saturday night in the Ward Creek area on the St. Joe River. Richard Jay, 32, was found at about 8 a.m. Sunday, after spending the night in the forest. He was in good health, sheriff's officials said.
Two other reports of lost hunters came in during the weekend. While search teams were being organized, both hunters were found.
Reynalds points to the growth in population to the west, in Kootenai and Spokane counties.
The more they grow, the more people will play in a back yard close to home.
"There's just a lot of people in the woods now," he said.
Reynalds said hunters should always have a partner, hunt in the area they say they will and go by the Boy Scout motto: Be prepared.
"It is frustrating," Reynalds said of the hundreds of hours deputies and volunteers spent searching for lost hunters, but, he added, "It's just part of our job to deal with people that make mistakes or use bad judgment. It's just human nature. A lot of people use bad judgment."
• Angie Gaddy can be reached at (208) 765-7124 or by e-mail at
angieg@spokesman.com.
