Arizona officials searching for more than 30 hunters reported stranded after snowstorm

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: Associated Press

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — Officials in northern Arizona are searching for more than 30 hunters who became stranded in snow after a powerful winter storm swept through the state.

Gerry Blair of the Coconino County sheriff's office says authorities received 11 reports, some from hunters themselves or others in the field, and some from family members reporting the hunters overdue.

Blair says the reports will be prioritized based on the hunters' locations, the number in each party and the estimated threat.


Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/wire/sns-ap-us-stranded-hunters,0,5337738.story

[kestrel91316]

1. The people I know who go hunting in the West this time of year

tend to go VERY well prepared for weather and a prolonged stay. It's DECEMBER.

[tomm2thumbs]

2. 11 reports of groups, total of 30 hunters - must have been a real surprise to all

...for that many to get caught up in it

[Lone_Star_Dem]

3. That's what I found disturbing

If it were one or even two largish groups that would be less surprising.

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Kali]

6. yeah

fucking jerks that don't have the exact same values as me...fuck them. they deserve no human compassion whatsoever. and all hunters are the same - bunch rich guys out for trophies - so just fuck them.





:eyes:

[uppityperson]

8. Exactly! They hunted animals so now they get hunted by snowflakes!

Besides, they are different from me so fuck them.

eyeroll indeed. Sometimes some posters amaze me.

[The Stranger]

12. It's actually their own values, not mine or other posters.

They think they are hunting for sustenance, rather than for sport. Then let them hunt for sustenance.

(Whether or not you want to fuck one of them (or all of them), though, is beside the point.)

[Kali]

14. oh I forgot

please note this should have been in my post :sarcasm:


at least for the sarcasm-impaired

[theHandpuppet]

7. Um... don't hunters follow the weather reports?

Hell, I saw the forecasts for that area days ago. Another case of public monies being wasted by the millions to rescue STUPID.

[Tim01]

10. It was probably a lot worse than they expected.

Sometimes the weather is wrong by a little or a lot. But just before or after a storm is just about the BEST time to hunt.
I could see it pretty easily. The report comes in that snow is coming. Everybody that hunts cancels everything and heads for the woods. Then "Oh, shit, this is a lot worse than what was predicted."
We got 24 inches of snow once when they predicted 3 inches of snow.

[Javaman]

13. Living in the high desert isn't for the faint of heart.

And if those hunters aren't prepared, it's their own fault.

ALWAYS over prepare for hunting and camping at this time of the year.

Anyone that makes the statement (if they survive) afterward, "I didn't expect it to get this bad", is a fool.

Always expect it to get that bad.

[Kali]

11. oh like the weather reports are always accurate, right?

same storm had my area predicted for huge wind, rain and snow at 90% odds for over 1/2 inch of moisture. sidewalk didn't even get wet, although the wind part was close. Hunters in AZ have to go when they are drawn, it's not like you can just go next week if the weather is bad.

Not saying some of them may not be STUPID, but the automatic broad brush sure is. Just the sheer numbers of people caught out should give some indication the situation was unusual.

[boppers]

9. Morons with guns are not hunters.

Nice storm, though.

[undeterred]

15. the search continues...

Deputies search for snowbound hunters in Arizona

By FELICIA FONSECA (AP) – 47 minutes ago

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Searchers fanned out across a wide swath of Northern Arizona on Thursday in an effort to reach hunting parties stranded in deep snow and freezing temperatures. Authorities said the hunters got caught in a powerful storm that dropped 2 to 3 feet of snow Monday and Tuesday with wind gusts of up 78 mph.

Coconino County sheriff's spokesman Jim Driscol said no injuries were reported when officials reached some of the hunters by cell phone. The priority, he said, is to retrieve hunters who might be low on food and heating fuel, and get to them before the next storm system hits, possibly this weekend.

Searchers were checking known camps where the elk hunters might be based, Driscol said. Authorities received four to seven reports of stranded or overdue hunting parties but expected to get more calls as the elk hunting season drew to an end Thursday. Between 2,500 and 3,000 permits were issued for the latest nearly weeklong hunt, said Shelly Shepherd, a spokeswoman for the state Game and Fish Department.

Many hunters are well equipped for long hunting trips, with propane, generators, days worth of food, all-terrain and four-wheel drive vehicles, and camping trailers, Shepherd said.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jdiRmrP4B24PAxpjQBb16aMgdQmgD9CGL3PG0

There's an adventure I don't want to have! I hope they are found safe, before the next storm hits.

[Yavin4]

16. Here We Go Again, Socialist Police Force Looking for Hunters

Why can't these lost hunters find their own way back home?

:sarcasm:

[closeupready]

17. That area is so gorgeous, but very remote - I wouldn't

want to get stranded, even on a paved road. There are highways in Arizona that stretch for miles in either direction but are utterly devoid of traffic, esp. at this time of year. And you can't get a signal on your cellphone at ANY time. Talk about scary.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

18. Update: 16 Hunters from remain stranded but not missing

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz., Dec. 10 (UPI) -- Emergency crews Thursday worked to reach a total of 16 hunters left stranded by a storm that dumped a few feet of snow on the Arizona highlands.

Authorities said the hunters were in five groups, KPNX-TV, Phoenix, reported. Another 50 or so hunters had already been rescued.

Coconino County Sheriff's Department Chief Deputy Jim Driscoll said officials know where the hunters are, it's just a matter of getting to them through the deep snow. Temperatures below zero also were a factor.

Helicopters, ground vehicles and snowmobiles were all pressed into service, the TV station said.

Two of the hunting parties, one south of Flagstaff and the other northwest of Williams, included children, including one who is 5 years old and other age 10, KPNX said.

Read More: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2009/12/10/16-hunters-stranded-in-Arizona-snow/UPI-41911260487071/


I don't get why you'd take a 5-year old out in the wilderness when there was a risk of such severe weather blowing in. But to be fair for all I know it's a plush lodge with massive generators and enough fuel to see them to spring.