BuzzH
Well-known member
Anyone know what the weather was like the day they went missing?
Missing CO Hunters
- Thread starter rjthehunter
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CoHunter1991
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- Jan 18, 2021
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- 510
Heard the day and few days following there were storms.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Lightning is no joke and if they were close enough together it could have struck both of them. Personally I would be looking on the upper 1/3 of the highest points/ridges and spur ridges (also where elk hang out).
Easy to arm chair QB it without all the info.
Hope it ends well.
Actually funny you mentioned that. I seen more bear in that area than anyplace else I've hunted but i never would worry about them. But lightning Is bad that high
can't get an actual time stamp on these strikes (the dots), but here is the lightning map for 9/11 right there.
as far as i know the sensor network is fairly accurate on ground locations of strikes. IMO this doesn't tell us much except lightning was for sure occurring fairly close to them. red circle is their basin.
as far as i know the sensor network is fairly accurate on ground locations of strikes. IMO this doesn't tell us much except lightning was for sure occurring fairly close to them. red circle is their basin.
Johnny Bravo
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I’m not buying the lighting theory…they went back to the car, dropped EVERYTHING off and then just wondered into the woods without the garmin? I seriously don’t think anyone who had a garmin would just do that.
lastlight
Well-known member
Logic tells me there was no foul play and only those sitting behind a keyboard are speculating that. Meth heads aren’t going to be any good covering up a double murder in a popular spot to park rigs.
Logic also tells me if I had to bet the most likely scenario was lighting. I feel so bad for their families and the stress they must be going through.
Logic also tells me if I had to bet the most likely scenario was lighting. I feel so bad for their families and the stress they must be going through.
lastlight
Well-known member
You’ve never taken off after a bugle? They thought they’d be back soon and got stuck in a lighting cloud is entirely possible.
Gulf of America
Well-known member
For those familiar with the area, is it cliffy? I have a little bit of a hard time believing it could be a lightning strike but them still be unfound - I would think if they had been struck, they'd have to be in a somewhat open area and searchers/drones would have covered the openings and meadows already... But getting cliffed out in heavy fog could be believable. Flash floods are also a very real danger that has been mentioned in articles. One other could be falling trees - I've been in deadfall areas when storms start whipping wind and you hear trees cracking. Things can get western fast. Prayers that they're found safe.
mevertsen
Well-known member
This makes sense. I always have my SPOT on my belt loop of my pants.
i don't think anyone is saying it WAS lightning.
just thrown on the board as a possibility, especially given lightning was in the relatively immediate area on the date of last communication.
so many things could've happened and, ultimately, it doesn't really matter right now what exactly happened because all we know is that we don't know where they are, so finding them is all that really matters. LE and SAR have a lot of tools and knowledge at their disposable and they undoubtedly have a lot more to go off than anyone on here.
Cliffs mainly near the falls and rim of basin as best i can recall. But that's a pretty long hike from vehicle and zero chance they would have heard a bugle from car where cliffs are concerned. If they would have glassed elk up near cliffs it's pretty far to think about going without your pack, unless they had daypacks and also larger packs and took off with smaller packs. Was there mention of what the packs size and gear left at vehicle?
Maybe. I learned a hard lesson once..... I was working in on a bugle and dropped my pack to move faster and quieter in the short distance. Turned into a longer distance as can happen before i turned back and it took me over an hour to find my pack.... Never again. I was sweating bullets over that. Never, ever leave your pack if it has your life saving clothes, gps and fire starter
rjthehunter
Well-known member
One of their aunts created a gofundme. Already up to $51k after 19 hours.
www.gofundme.com
Donate to HELP FIND ANDREW PORTER AND IAN STASKO, organized by Lynne Runkle
Please help us find Andrew and Ian, now! We are raising funds to aid in the… Lynne Runkle needs your support for HELP FIND ANDREW PORTER AND IAN STASKO
rjthehunter
Well-known member
Worst feeling in the world. I just keep my pack on all the time. The 5 seconds it takes to throw it on are worth the peace of mind.
I dropped my pack once in tall sage. Snuck in and shot a bull. It literally took me several hours to find my pack again. Sweating bullets for sure as Schamlts said. Never again.
Hope they find these guys.
Yes, not to sidetrack the thread but a good time to teach newer hunters about this. Never ever leave your pack! Unless you have a buddy staying with it. Literally it's possible this could play part of what might have happened. I still remember the panic that was starting in me when I was searching for the thing when things all started looking like the same little hill with the dead tree as my pack location marker.
BuzzH
Well-known member
I just did that very thing while working about 3 weeks ago. Got in a hurry and left my inreach on the seat of the truck. Had the plot packet and rather than go back to the truck used the aerial imagery to navigate to my work site.
I have left my GPS in camp, binoculars, all sorts of stuff.
I could easily see them hearing a bugle or seeing elk, just get excited grab your bow and go.
@jrabq @schmalts you guys both mentioned hunting this area before. Is this a popular trailhead? It seems to me that if multiple people on HT have hunted the area, that the trailhead parking lot probably wasn't empty in the middle of September. Just feels like there should be some witnesses who had seen them at some point.
It feels like a lot of details are being left out...
It feels like a lot of details are being left out...
It's been 10 years for me. Really wasn't a ton of people when I was there but a few. Also was and still is a Yurt up there but more so out of where most would have probably hunted. I think it's used more for xcountry skiing than fall hikers. It's a bigger area than it looks on a map as always. There's a lot of horse hunters that come in from the top and probably just hunt the rim and areas just below timberline. Im sure they are asking the horse people to look as well. I just remember being up there in just thin base layers and getting hammered with hail in 10 minutes. Altitude has those extra dangers.
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