Canadian mounties used flares to signal their position to a hunter lost in darkness in the wilderness and help in his rescue.
The 60-year-old become lost in thick woodland near Patuanak, northern Saskatchewan, while hunting with a friend. Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers and a member of the Canadian Rangers began the search for the missing man.
Constable Kirk Ingham of the Patuanak RCMP Detachment, currently an acting corporal, led the search. “Northern Saskatchewan can be very treacherous, even for an experienced person. Being so far north, we get dark extremely quick. By the time we got the call, it was already completely dark. No ambient light coming in. The sun had set and was long set. We knew we had to get out there right away, because as the sun stays set, even when we have a mild day, temperature-wise, when night rolls around and that sun goes away, it can get extremely cold.”
The mounties used a flare to indicate where they were coming from. Constable Zach Mann, says, “We had a couple of flares and followed the trail and called out his name – 200- 300 yards in, we started hearing a faint response to our calls.”
They eventually located the missing man and escorted him out of the forest and back to safety. “(The missing man) wasn’t new to the bush, but anytime someone’s not heard from in the wilderness, it’s a big deal,” said Cst. Ingham. “Based on the community response, wanting to help, they knew this was a dire situation. If he wasn’t found that night, the situation would be different in the morning.”
Cst. Ingham praised the teamwork involved. The image is courtesy of the RCMP.
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