Jim Mahanna made it to within two miles of his home. And yet, if it wasn’t for search and rescue crews, he most likely would have died out in the woods. Mahanna set out to hunt elk on Friday, armed with his hunting gear, flashlight, and cell phone. Most of us would have considered him prepared. But disorientation and steep terrain caused him to get lost and forced him to spend a night in Tillamook County’s wilderness.

“He had fallen several times, knocked himself unconscious at one point and lost his flashlight and cell phone,” said Don Taylor, the county’s search and rescue coordinator. “He’s an experienced outdoorsman, but if we hadn’t come on when we did, I’m not sure he would have made it.” (Read full Oregonian news story.)

Although Mahanna was found roughly two miles from his home, he was in dire need of attention and care. This story shows once again that even the most prepared and knowledgeable hunters must do everything they can to protect themselves, including:

• Having a well-stocked survival kit that you can carry easily.
• Carrying flares or other device to mark where you are and get the attention of search and rescue.
• Knowing your hunting destination and sticking to it – don’t wander off your intended route.
• Carrying multiple light sources, if possible, such as a flashlight and a headlamp – see LED lights available at DLK.
• Telling people where you are going and when you plan to return.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 8:00 am and is filed under Hiking, Hunting Gear, LED News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.