On Monday December 3rd, 2007 a group of three hunters set out near Tumbledown Mtn. in western Maine to hunt deer. To date, only two have returned. The group was separated while tracking a buck in a heavy snowstorm.

Please keep this hunter in your thoughts and pray for his safe return.

I'm not the religious type, but I'll cross my fingers for that fellah, as well as this other one from NH. On the subject, I probably don't do it as much as I should (which is always, I suppose), but as much as I can remember, particularly when hunting alone for duck/deer or headed offshore for fish, I try to let someone (usually my wife) know where I'm headed and when I'm planning on returning. As she's not much for remembering specifics, as much as possible I write it down, even if it's as simple as "I'll be deer hunting NH between rt. 107A and 150. If I'm not back or haven't checked in by 8:00 tonight, something's wrong"

KG


CONTACT:
Col. Jeffrey Gray: (603) 271-3128
NHFG Dispatch: (603) 271-3361
Jane Vachon: (603) 271-3211 or 271-5619
December 3, 2007

Search Continues for Lost Hunter in Allenstown, N.H.

CONCORD, N.H. - New Hampshire Fish and Game Conservation Officers are continuing to search for a hunter reported missing on Sunday afternoon (December 2, 2007) in Allenstown, N.H. Russell H. Bussiere of Hooksett, age 70, was last heard from when he communicated with his son by radio at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday while hunting off Dodge Road in Allenstown. He had planned to hunt until about noon, according to his son. When he did not return to his vehicle, he was reported missing by his family at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 2.

Using line searches and a dog team, Fish and Game Conservation Officers began an extensive search in the Dodge Road area of Allenstown, parts of Hooksett and Bear Brook State Park, continuing until 3 a.m. The search resumed at daybreak on Monday, December 3.

Bussiere has grey hair and is 5 foot, 4 inches tall and weighs 180 pounds. He was last seen wearing a camouflage jacket, green wool pants and an orange or red wool hat. Anyone with information about Bussiere's whereabouts should call Fish and Game dispatch at 603-271-3361.

Fish and Game officers are being assisted in the search by Allenstown Police and Fire officials, as well as volunteer search and rescue personnel. Additional volunteers for the search are NOT being sought at this time.

No further information is available at this time.

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I hope they are both found alive and well, northern New England has been very cold for the last week.

I'm happy to report this hunter has been located alive.

Yep, heard on the radio he was found by a snowmobiler. Looks like the lost guy was from Vermont too!

Glad the guy in ME was found. It does not look good for the older gent from NH, though. As Ann has said, it has been cold here in New England. Down in the southern tier where I am, it has gotten into the low teens at night. I don't like the idea of scaling down any searches so soon, especially for hunters who I assume (right or wrong) in general are somewhat more schooled in survival in the woods than the general population. If I get lost at this time of year, and I have my usual hunting kit with me, I'm damn well going to be able to survive much more than three days, even if it is frigid cold!

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Crews Scale Down Search For Missing Hunter
ALLENSTOWN, N.H. (AP) ― The search for a missing hunter in New Hampshire will be scaled down Thursday, Fish and Game officials said late Wednesday afternoon.

Frustrated searchers concede it's getting more unlikely that an elderly hunter, who has been missing for more than 3 days in frigid temperatures and snow, is alive.

Russell Bussiere, 70, was reported missing Sunday afternoon in a densely wooded area of Bear Brook State Park. Since then, overnight temperatures have fallen into single digits and several inches of snow has fallen.

The search was planned to scale back to specially trained search and rescue teams and additional volunteers will no longer be asked to help, officials said.

About 100 searchers, who are experienced and trained in winter rescue, were in the woods Wednesday. An Army National Guard helicopter searched from the air.

Fish and Game Colonel Jeffrey Gray said search teams remained hopeful Wednesday, but concedes the extreme weather in the past four days make it increasingly unlikely that Bussiere has survived.

"Our search commanders and all of the participants in this incident are extremely frustrated and disappointed that we have been unable to locate Mr. Bussiere or find any clues as to his whereabouts," Gray stated. "At this point, we are approaching the limitations of our search and rescue resources."

In addition to coordinated ground search teams, the National Guard helicopter will aid in Thursday's search.

(© 2007 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

I think there is a lesson here for the rest of us: one of the local papers carried an interview with the hunter from his hospital bed. He and his friends were driving logging roads searching for fresh tracks and when they found a good one, they got out and started tracking it. His two companions worked off to one side in case the deer tried to flank them and they got separated.

Mistake number 1: the lost hunter left his pack with the truck.

Mistake number 2: when he realized he was lost he kept walking in the dark.

Mistake number 3: His GPS wasn't working for him (although Maine game wardens later determined it was totally operational) and it is unclear if he had a backup compass, but by his own admission wasn't totally familiar with how the GPS worked.

Mistake number 4: he tried to cross a pond and fell in up to his chest at night.

Mistake number 5: he did not make a fire of shelter to warm and dry himself as best he could.

Mistake number 6: he wasn't thoroughly hydrating himself (see mistake number 1).

Clearly, this situation could have turned out much worse as it appears to have with the hunter in neighboring NH. Personally, I always have a pack on my back with enough gear to get myself through a time such as this. I am thankful he is going to make it, but it is a strong reminder of the need to go into the woods prepared to take care of oneself.

Totally agree. It only took one bad night for me to figure oiut that if I don't take it with me, it can't help me. In addition to my firearm and ammo, I always have a compass, knife, section of rope, water, rag, small first aid kit and three separeate small fire starting kits with me (2 waterproof) in my bag (oh, and a bit of TP). If I head out of the truck, I've got my pack with me, even on quick upland game jaunts. I figure that even in freezing temps, being out in the woods for a few days will not kill me, as long as I can fashion some kind of shelter, have a fire going and some water. Fun? No. Survivable? Absolutely.

I know Steve Wright personally - he's the hunter that was found on Wednesday. He has been known in the past to spend many hours in the dark woods of northern Vermont trying to get his snowshoe rabbit hunting dogs back when they cut a track and kept going. Those who have never met him may question his survival skills. I can assure you that he is as comfortable in the "big woods" as 99% of us. He's also a husband, father, gentleman and friend of many.

I haven't had a chance to speak with him yet, but we've all likely drawn conclusions that he made some mistakes. Without knowing all the circumstances I will not be a "Monday morning quarterback" on this. If it happened to him, it can happen to almost any of us, regardless of what you think right now (when you are warm, dry and hydrated). Most of us have been lost while hunting at least once in our lives, even if it was only for a minute.

It could have ended worse, and does for a few each year. I'm thankful that he made it out. I'm also thankful for those many volunteers and paid professionals that find lost hunters each year.

Here's the story:

From Benningtonbanner.com

Area hunter lost in Maine is found alive
NEAL GOSWAMI, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 12/06/2007 03:04:55 AM EST



Thursday, December 6
BENNINGTON — Maine authorities say a hunter from Woodford, missing since Monday afternoon, was found alive Wednesday in a forested area in Madrid, Maine.
The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife said Woodford Select Board member Steven Wright, 53, of Woodford, was hunting with two friends, Michael Harrington and Barry Bishop, both of Bennington, on Tumbledown Mountain near Byron, Maine, when he went missing on Monday.

A massive search began early Tuesday morning but was unsuccessful until Wednesday afternoon, when a snowmobiler, Donald Eisenhaur, 68, of Madrid, Maine, found Wright around 3:30 p.m. He was located about 11 miles from where he set out with his group, according to the Maine Warden Service. Authorities said they had been concentrating their search within five miles of the group's camp.

Lt. Patrick Dorian of the Maine Warden Service, said what the missing hunter endured is an "incredible story of survival."

"This is probably one of the most remarkable stories I have heard in my life," Dorian said Wednesday night.

Eisenhaur said Wright was wet and covered with ice when he found him. The muzzleloader and the GPS unit carried by Wright were also frozen.

Wright told game wardens that his GPS "messed him up," Dorian said

Eisenhaur said he had decided to go out for a "joy ride" after lunch and headed toward the Byron area. As he was leaving for his ride his wife told him to watch for the "missing hunter," he said.

On his way home, Eisenhaur said he saw what he thought was a moose in the distance ahead on the trail. As he approached, however, he saw Wright kneeling down in the trail. Eisenhaur said Wright must have walked up from a gully and was missing a glove.

According to Dorian, Wright told game wardens that he decided to keep walking as darkness set in Monday night to stay warm. He fell into a water hole and was submerged up to his neck, got out and continued to walk to what he called "a good bridge." Eventually he came up to a camper, "but he decided not to break in," Dorian said.

In the early morning hours Tuesday, as daylight broke, Wright's glasses fogged up and he became snow blind. At that time, knowing the snow was too bright to continue, he laid on a road in an open location where he hoped to be spotted, and he stayed there for quite some time. He said his vision was restored by the next morning but that his neck was too stiff to look down.

Wright told game wardens that he heard a snowmobile on Wednesday but was not in sight of the driver as he was in the gulley trying to get a drink of water. Wright headed toward the road it passed on and eventually the snowomobiler, Eisenhaur, returned on the same path to find Wright.

Wright was able to confirm his identity and answer a few questions, according to the Warden Service. An ambulance transported him to a nearby LifeFlight helicopter that took Wright to the Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston, Maine.

Officials said Wright was in stable condition and lucky to be alive.

"I think he's going to make it. He was on his deathbed and he doesn't let go of his rifle. That's a hard-core hunter," said Maine Game Warden Lt. Adam Gormley.

Some of Wright's family and friends had traveled to Maine to help with the search and were with him at the hospital, according to the Warden Service.

Wright is an experienced hunter who has hunted nationwide, according to a fellow town official.

"He hunts a lot," said Neil Hoag, a fellow Select Board member. "He was out West a while ago. I know he typically hunts two or three states."

Woodford Town Clerk Ron Higgins said Wright suffered from some health problems over the summer that worried those who knew him.

"I was a little frightened because of the slight stroke that he had had, but he's a real strong and determined man," Higgins said.

Wright and his friends had been hunting deer with muzzleloader guns, according to Deborah Turcotte, acting director of public information for the Warden Service. She said the group found a deer track Monday and Wright followed it while the other two men split to the outside of the track. The three were supposed to meet back up at a certain point but Wright never showed.

Turcotte said the Warden Service was notified of Wright's disappearance around 3:30 a.m. by his two friends. Three game wardens began an initial search immediately, and a larger search effort began around 11 a.m.

At least 26 game wardens participated in the search along with state police, the Maine Forest Service, special search and rescue units, three K-9 units and two airplanes and two helicopters, according to Turcotte.

Turcotte said Wright was wearing appropriate clothing for the weather, but the area consists of rugged mountainous terrain. In addition, 15 inches of snow had fallen and erased possible tracks, she said. The snow had ceased by Wednesday, but temperatures had dropped.

"We had that storm that passed through on Monday into Tuesday. ... The day did start out sunny, but of course the temperature has dipped to 10 degrees," Turcotte said.

Wright had packed a survival kit for the trip, but it was found inside his truck parked where his group began following the deer track, Turcotte said. He was carrying a compass and Global Positioning System unit, but authorities were unable to locate him with the device. Turcotte said she was not sure if the device had run out of batteries or if he had neglected to input his location.

Turcotte said authorities had been planning to call off the search at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday and were beginning to plan the search for Thursday when Wright was found.

Total cost of the search could exceed $20,000, and Mr. Wright will not be billed for it, according to the Maine Warden Service.

The Sun Journal (Lewiston, Maine) contributed to this report.

Glad your bud was found, and he sure sounds as if he's tough. That said (and yep, I am armchair QBing), I'd have broken into that camper right quick. I'd pay for any items used and any damages, naturally, but if my life depended on it, the legal issues notwithstanding, I'm going in. Losing hope for the older fellah in NH. I do hope they find him, but I think it's getting very unlikely-- unless he's curled up in a camper himself...

KG

I am going to offer another monday morning QB...

Up here in Northern Maine the woods seem huge and vast, and they are. But due to nearly 200 years of heavy logging there is hardly a place in the entire state where you can walk more than 5 miles without hitting a road.

It might be an old road, it might be a skidder trail that leads to an old road but that will lead to a real road.

Anyone can get lost, especially when tracking deer. So I guess the real near fatal error was not having his pack that should of contained the ability to make fire in it. If he could of made a fire and a crude shelter he could of sat tight on the nearest road and been found that night most probably.

We're using the same armchair playbook, Uglystick ( Bill Belichick ). And what you say about the skidder trails and logging roads is very true, although in a panic a man--particularly one that gets wet in temps like we've been having-- and then disoriented can fade fast. Add an injury, and well, if you don't have your wits and some rudimentary means for shelter/fire, it can, and has spelled tragedy before. And will again, unfortunately.

quote:

Originally posted by Kamo Gari:
Glad your bud was found, and he sure sounds as if he's tough. That said (and yep, I am armchair QBing), I'd have broken into that camper right quick. I'd pay for any items used and any damages, naturally, but if my life depended on it, the legal issues notwithstanding, I'm going in. Losing hope for the older fellah in NH. I do hope they find him, but I think it's getting very unlikely-- unless he's curled up in a camper himself...

KG

Heck yes I would of broken into the camper if my life depended on it. And paid for any damages later. If it were my camper I would be happy for someone to break into it if it meant saving their life.

If you fellers don't mind I would like to know what happened to the gentleman in NH when you find out.

Bothers me to no end to think about a 70 year old gentleman scared, alone and lost.

It is a troubling thought indeed, and I've been looking for any additional news, but haven't read anything for several days now. We are getting more snow as I write. I don't think it sounds good, very frankly. The article below is already 5 days old.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22141548/

Sadly, I believe the NH Fish and Game suspended their search efforts at the end of last week. I think it sucks big time. If that was my dad I would still be out there looking.

You and me both. I've read too many stories and watched too many documentary type shows about folks being essentially alive and well, and saw rescue/search aircraft from the ground, but were never seen from above. There was one in Europe I watched where a father and son team got lost skiing (the Alps, I think), and an intense search was begun. For days they heard and saw aircraft flying, but as they were hidden in a cave for shelter most of the time, never got out quickly enough to be seen. As the young son got weaker the father eventually made the decision to try to go for help, and came across a work/logging camp after half a day of walking or so. Eventually he was spotted by locals, and they went back and found the kid alive. Frostbitten he was, and lost some toes I think, but he was alive. This was days after the search had been 'called off' by authorities. It's a lousy thing for anyone, or their families to have to deal with. Be safe and use your head out there, kids.

KG