Penticton Search and Rescue (PENSAR) technicians with air support from Eclipse Helicopters located a lost hunter shortly before nightfall Tuesday in an area of Darke Lake Provincial Park northwest of Summerland.
According to Randy Brown of PENSAR, Summerland RCMP contacted the volunteer organization around 4 p.m. that day requesting assistance in finding the missing man.
Seven personnel were dispatched, finding the hunter on top of a hill northeast of Darke Lake.
Search and rescue manager Kelvin Hall said the man was well prepared, having located himself in a clear, elevated spot where he could easily be seen and remained in one place.
“That was really key to us finding him, he had limited resources but he did set himself up to overnight if necessary but the big one is that he told his wife he wasn’t going to move which was excellent and gave as much description to his location as he could which helped us a bunch,” said Eclipse president Derek Robinson who was piloting the helicopter. “He was wearing camouflage but he had actually opened his jacket to reveal he had a white shirt and was moving his arms around as I was going by and that caught my eye, so good for him.
“With the time that we had left (daylight) it was more prudent just to pick him up and bring him back to the hanger here. He had been there for awhile and he was a little dehydrated but it was all fine.”
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According to Brown the man was able to connect with his wife by cell phone before the battery went dead to give the description of his surroundings.
PENSAR encourages everyone going into the backwoods to download the AdventureSmart planning app on their phones which assists with trip planning, what essentials to take and advising where they will be travelling.
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