Couple hunters missing in Southern Colorado.

Doesn't looks like a good situation. I hope they make it out. One source says in Rio grande national Forest and other source is saying San juans. San Juan's has some rough country. Anyone know what the weather's been like out there past few days?

https://www.koaa.com/news/local-new...derway-in-colorado-for-2-missing-hunters




Ol dad

San Juan Mountains are very rugged.

I hope they make it out. Running into grizzles wouldn't be out of the norm.

In Colorado???

You are correct the san juan wouldn't have grizzles. Thanks I'm so so use to them here when elk hunting I take it for granted they are all over.

Oh man...

Scary. Wife made me get an Inreach this year. Its good to have backup communication for situation gone sideways

If no grizzlies...what are some of the other possibilities that may have happened to these guys? Just lost? Mountain lion? Fall off ledge?

Every outdoorsman should have one of these, they are very compact and light, and no subscription fees.

Considering its two hunters and not just one would lead me to believe some type of freak accident. I read somewhere that there had been some storms in the area. I wonder if they caught a lightening strike.

Ol dad

I've been following this on a CO hunting facebook group page and there are some very concerning factors that may lead to dirty play.

Officials gained access to their Garmin and tracked the GPS pins. The two had hiked their equipment out and back to their car, which was located at the trail head with everything except their bows. Strange was the amount of time and dropped pins in a meadow along the route back to their car. The pings continue and show them back at their car where the garmin was turned off and the pings stop.

A HUGE speculation among people watching this is that they may have encountered thieves breaking into their car when they got back from their final trip of packing out gear. Again, that is a HUGE speculation but makes sense.

link has their GPS cords

https://www.facebook.com/bridget.murphy.910716/posts/122240111360163661?__cft__[0]=AZXBVt1f4mfznXp97tO4vA3eYXYccOi-G6cS0g990wMb2uXZ9ratZcBiM3gRI1TwinDvCtKbOgPrwTTfZe5kwwWDdvftpOIN3-qVPZDC-xFFfp2EHu8-xnTFHQqAKECbfKtQB8xdtWBk-hsPtYMCfHYzHSnrQi70FVy1OEXbwHXR8dvMIIs59lzivTtNtHbVeJT-oXpKq0LEZfOpNByzL640dI6GAtOphRxrQjjTM7nbbA&__tn__=-UK-R

Hopefully they are found safe

Interesting.

The San Juans are 50 miles south off my porch, some of the most rugged, steep, and unforgiving mountains in the west. Weather has been intermittent rain/hail/snow, for the last week. Hoppe the outcome is positive for these guys.

I pray for their safe return However its not uncommon to have meth labs in rugged country anymore

I heard their gear was left in the car but not the bows. Some suggest they went out for a quick, close-by hunt. But your speculation is plausible for sure. I just can't think what scenario would leave them both absent in this instance other than malice or a freak accident (lighting strike, tree fall, or rock slide)???.

ol 'dad

Cartels are known to be operating in the wilderness areas….

Prayers that they are found safe.

What Randy posted really does make it sound like there was some foul play. Hopefully not.

Keith

Prayers for their safe return.

Ive heard some pretty stupid threats made by anti-hunters too.

It sure creates some weird circumstances. As an avid bow hunter and a lifetime hunter in the mountains, I can not comprehend why they would turn off their GPS and not take that with them if they went for a quick hunt/scout trip. It just does not make sense. Especially for an evening stalk. Had they shot an elk, pretty standard procedure would be to drop a waypoint on point of impact and any sign of where the animal traveled towards. Additionally, navigating any dark woods at night can be extremely disorientating. More than once I have been twisted around under the dark canopy.

What would the cartels be doing in the middle of that wilderness? Again, prayers for their safe return.

An update on FB by the family says they were seen at a trailhead by other hunter and stated they saw a big bull.
They headed out Friday to chase the bull taking their phones, a Garmin InReach, bows, knives, game bags and light clothing.
Weather moved in either that day or next.

If they left unprepared it can end poorly. Here on the edge of the desert at 6100 feet its been 38-39 degrees every morning since Friday. Top of the mesa north of me 10,000 feet has been in the mid 20's. Hard to survive that if your wet, tired, and turned around.

I wouldn't think that it would be a case of hypothermia etc as they could have activated their in-reach. Assuming the batteries weren't dead.

Ol dad

The South Sand Juan Wilderness does have Grizzles ED Wiseman killed a pregnate sow a few years ago. He and his client were attacked after killing a cow elk. ED killed the Bear with a arrow pulled from the bow quiver . Quite a story !

Following this on Rokslide (hunting forum)

All kinds of speculation

They headed out to chase a "big elk" was the last anyone saw or heard of them.

Someone suggested mudslide (storms in the area) or rockslide could have swallowed them up. Sounds and looks plausible based on sat imaging of the area and their plotted route

Hope they are found alive but each day that passes makes that less likely

Experienced, young and fit so those factors give hope

How many though? Killing one dont mean they are running all over.

I believe the ed wiseman occurrence happened 40 years ago. There are no resident griz in Colorado today.


Ol dad

If one was to ask the Colorado DNR for sure. Don’t remind them though, they will certainly “reintroduce” them for the better of society as a whole..

Closer to 50 years ago that this happened. Last on before that was in the mid 50'S

The Ed Wiseman attack was in 1980. https://www.outdoorlife.com/survival/ed-wiseman-colorado-bear-attack/

It sure does sound like another human was involved.

I would hope anyone going into the backcountry would at bare minimum have a lighter in their pocket. I don't smoke but carry a lighter everywhere I go. It's too easy.

If a cartel is involved, they will never be found.

Not looking good.

People do weird things under the throws of hypothermia, activating an InReach might not be 1st in their mind then.

I hope a big cat didn't burry them somewhere near an elk kill.


An elderly man walked away from a camp here in Wyoming many years back and was never seen again, it was in a very popular area for elk hunters too.
Lots of carnivores out here that will eat anything.

The above scenarios would be reasonable to believe if it was a single hunter. But two, especially young and fit, with experience in the outdoors, in my opinion is unlikely.

Ol dad

I always carry two lighters, a combination compass, a whistle, and a small flashlight everywhere I go. I also carry fishing line and a hook in my boots. You never know when you might need it.

Praying they are safe

I'm hearing both guys found deceased. (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman).

Link.

Hate to hear the outcome but that is what I suspected given that they were missing this long. I hope they passed doing something they love and there was no malice involved. RIP to my fellow elk hunters.

ol' dad

A close friend was on one of the search teams called in today to assist. Horrible day for everyone. Loss of life, loss to the family and friends, and the countless volunteers, first responders, and other response teams that feel that they failed.

Lord, please guide these people through closure.

Hypothermia? This is hard to understand. Prayers to everyone involved. My Sons are out hunting elk in Wyoming right now in grizzly country.

First May the LOARD help the families and people involved through their time of need, grief and struggles. He and he alone knows their need and can fill them.

Second I would like a run down of what went wrong so myself and others can learn from their mistakes. I live in Indiana. Walk 5 miles in a line and you will likely hit a road. We dont have the weather, terrain or Animals let alone large tracks of wilderness. Simple things i would not even think about can kill me so always try to learn from a tragedy.

Colorado Hunters Found Deceased After Weeklong Search https://share.google/6Zl11EGkUA1uAslFq

Oh bad news. The hunt of a life time and gone......jk

Sad news. All the gear in the world won't help if it's left in the truck. Always take some minimal survival gear, Like matches and water, some kind of food.

Very sad. Prayers for the family.
Rest in Peace Ian and Andrew

I agree. I dropped my pack once in the Bob to chase a bear and learned my lesson. Be prepared for the worst. Condolences to the hunters. It is the wild out there….

Little to no details are released yet. I know how my buddies daughter takes these types of recoveries very hard, so passed on calling her. I can’t speak about these two young men. But extremely common for dehydration, exhaustion, and hypothermia. I’ve seen people get altitude sickness on day two or three of a trip and they are in serious shape. We commonly are out second season rifle and most don’t understand temperature swings of single digits to 70s. Add in sweating and underprepared for a 40 degree drop in temps.

I am so grateful for a guy who helped me one night get out. I relied on my phone and OnX taking a different route out through dark woods (dense pines) canopy and snow killed my signal. Unexpectedly ran into cliffs and deadfall and an extra 1500’ elevation change when I missed my desired route. Anyways, I honestly thought death was coming. I knew snow was coming, temps dropping, more than drenched in sweat, hyper ventilation, and leg severe cramps. From nowhere, a guy stepped up to me, took my back packed and talked my up the last 400-500 feet of elevation up to his camp and a forestry road. Shortly after, buddy came on the atv to get me. Could have easily sat down to take a break and doze off. Had I done that, surely would have froze to death

Very sad.

Being wet and a night out in 40 degrees will kill many if not most people.
Hypothermia is a killer.

Not the outcome I was hoping for, but like was said I kind of expected it after they were missing so long. I hope it wasn't some type of foul play. I haven't heard the cause yet.

Worst being cold I have experience was 40° to °50 or so and my truck broke down on a skinny road. somethings on the passenger side front end. I was broke and it was my only vehicle I had to get it fixed. It was raining and I was out in the cold rain half in a ditch filled with water. got if fixed and noticed on the way home my lips had a blur tint to them. Seemed to take a few days for me to be able to get warm. Hard to believe that was colder than flipping my kayak busting through ice cobrred lake beaver trapping. But longer exposure. I can see how it could easily do us in.

I have also ben turned around a few time and its a very uncomfortable feeling. Bought some new compass after that.

Sure makes me respect the pioneers and early civilization that much more. We are way to soft now.

I'm thinking maybe lightning. That would account for two down and electronics out.

an article from outdoor life

https://www.outdoorlife.com/surviva...O74yQwXqtSSmA_aem_UVAmuQUtYixj_-eFRTVk5w


they have not released cause of death

it sure looks like one of them is wearing a inreach type device in the picture in the article

Pete, my understanding is the that devise was turned off and left at the car.

One report has said lightning.

Gary I hope your sons have good luck and are safe !!!

I have thought lightning all along. I can't count how many times I've got caught in a storm on the mountain and tucked up under a big spruce tree until it passed.

Ol dad

Prayers Sent

That's in progress right now, although no timeline has been mentioned by our Governor.

Anyone heard anything more on this? One of the guy's wife/girlfriend made a post on Facebook saying that they died due to the weather, but was not specific about it.

ol' dad

Read on another outdoor forum that the fiancée said lightning. Trying to confirm that through other sources.

Found an article:

Elk hunters found

I've had a few close calls with lightning. I don't mess around any more. I know sometimes you can't get away from it, but it sure has my respect.

Wrong place at the wrong time

Died instantly and doing what they loved to do beside a friend

I was trout fishing in South Dakota one time when a storm rolled in suddenly with hail and lightening. The only warning I had was a rumble of thunder about 30 seconds before the storm. I was very surprised at the lack of warning and the speed it came in. I curled up in a ball for about 10 minutes.

I was muzzleloader hunting elk in the San Juans one September and a thunderstorm rolled in. I remember putting the long barreled side hammer under an over hanging rock while i huddled next to a different rock in my rain gear. Anyone who has been at 12,000 feet when lightning is cracking around you knows how it sounds, LOUD.

Thanks for the link K.

At least they died quick and doing what they love. Sad deal and a good reminder for the rest of us. Not sure what else they could have done, especially if it was a pop up storm.

ol' dad

County coroner cause of death for both, lighting strike.

Thanks for the link.

Lightning strike comforts me in a weird way. Too many crazy leftists out there killing people just because they dont agree with an opinion. Animal rights activists make some stupid statements