Two groups of hunters were lost in the snowy mountains around Princeton last week, according to RCMP Sergeant Barry Kennedy.
In one case Ground Search and Rescue responded, with police, to quickly find the disoriented men, he said.
In the second instance four hunters faced the prospect of a fierce night in dismal weather before they were found at 11:30 p.m.
“It was snowing and minus 10,” said Kennedy. “None of the hunters were prepared to spend the night on the mountain should they had not been located. They did not have food or the proper clothing to get through the night.”
The call for help came about 6 p.m. on November 4. The stranded hunters said their truck was stuck in the snow on Pasayten River Forest Road.
However the group was actually found about five kilometers from that location, and only after police pinged the cell phone, said Kennedy. “They knew they were in trouble and they needed someone to come get them…but they weren’t where they thought they were.”
Kennedy said it was fortunate the hunters, who are from the Lower Mainland, were within a cell service area. “This early in the year we usually don’t have this much snow and it’s not that cold. Hunters are coming out and not expecting the conditions they are finding this season.”
