82-Year-Old Hunter Found Safe In Tillamook State Forest

An 82-year-old hunter was found more than 12 hours after going missing in the Tillamook State Forest on Saturday.

Meeting Point

The hunter and his group had been tracking a bull elk west of the Jones Creek Equestrian Staging Area. When he failed to return to their agreed-upon meeting point, after hours of looking for him, the rest of the party reported him missing around 9 p.m. via 911. Search efforts continued into the next day, and the hunter was located before noon on Sunday, Sept. 8

Tillamook County Search and Rescue

“This was a successful mission thanks to our dedicated Tillamook County search and rescue volunteers, Tillamook County Emergency Dispatchers, Oregon Department of Forestry employees, and Tillamook County Sheriff’s Office Deputies,” said Deputy Chris Barnett. “These individuals worked through the night and into the next day with minimal or no sleep.”

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Emergency Location Device

Rescuers noted that the hunter had an emergency location device but was unfamiliar with its operation, rendering the device ineffective. The lesson from this story is to get familiar with your equipment if you plan to get lost in the woods.