Since my original thread has been hijacked I thought it best to start a new one on the lost Prineviller, Oregon hunter.

He is presently recouperating in the hospital.

From the Bend Bulletin:

"On Thanksgiving Day, Alan Hewitt set out on his horse, Vegas, to hunt for elk from the high ridges in the Ochoco National Forest. He grabbed an extra pair of gloves but left most of his survival kit, like the fire starting equipment, at his camp. It was too bulky, and he was only planning to be away from his camp during the day.

But it would be three nights and four days before Hewitt made it back to shelter. He was rescued Sunday afternoon. He was scheduled to leave the hospital last night."

I'll post the rest of the article on my web site:

www.bendbulletin.com.

My web site www.outdoorquest.biz is down.

All the best,

Blake

He was horseback riding, apparently with another horse along (pack animal?) and his survival kit was too bulky? Certainly a cautionary tale -don't overbulk your PSK

Too bulky? I carry more than that to work. Imagine if he had just an RSK, knife and radio....1 pound total.

Where is the article on the website? Can't find it. TimW.

Visit www.bendbulletin.com for the article.

The article is there but it's a pay site to see past the headline:

"bendbulletin.com is available at no extra charge to print subscribers. To continue reading, please log in — or purchase a day pass"

I read the article for free by searching for "Prineville" once I was on the newspaper site. At least that was the case about two hours ago.

I am still at a loss to understand, given that he was riding a horse, why he could not carry adequate survival gear. Some of the biggest problems happen to people who are just out for the day.

Tough guy, that is for sure. The will to survive is key.

Tried your search trick, but they still wanted to charge me.

HJ

And we still don't know what happened to the horses.

I really am not interested in eating them. But I somehow seem to like the horses better than I do the dumb hunter.

Just my misanthropic two cents....Tim W.

Working link to the full article

Hewitt got to the forest on Monday, Nov. 22. At his camp he had a horse trailer for the two horses he had with him. There was also a camper, his truck, feed for the animals and food for him. He planned to spend a week at the camp hunting elk during the day. His wife wasn't expecting him home until Sunday.

On Thursday afternoon, Hewitt's horse lost her footing and slipped on a log. A branch smacked into the back of Hewitt's neck. The horse eventually crashed to the ground, pinning Hewitt underneath her.

'He'd been trained in mountaineering survival techniques in the Marines, even winning the award of “most likely to survive,” he said...'

I guess he's forgotten a few things since his training. How bulky is some firemaking equipment?

Sue

Whew, I finally got my web site back up.

The complete article is on the home page.

www.outdoorquest.biz

I love it! A quote from said hunter:

But, he said, he would tell other people not to do what he did.

“You don't want to be a lone hunter,” he said. “This has turned out fortunately because I had the knowledge and training. ... Follow the general rule: Have a partner.”

Yeah, the training really helped! I'm glad he didn't die but it looks more like dumb luck than training. Especially he did nearly everything wrong.

Luck, yes, but also one heck of a will to survive. He did some really dumb stuff (no fire making equipment? Huh?), but his making rhymes for himself and visualizing his family is classic survival psychology. Glad he made it, and I hope he serves as a cautionary tale for at least a few.

HJ

I don't disagree with you, HK- I just wish his hubris hadn't survived with him. He was plucky but also lucky.

We discuss these situations in order to learn. The lesson to learn here is - How much easier would it have been for this victim if he had carried a basic kit to make fire and even something to fabricate a shelter?

A well thought out, Altoids-sized tin, equipped for fire making and carried in a shirt pocket, would have been an enormous benefit. Add to that the basics for some sort of shelter, which need not be very bulky, and this guy would not have been a headline.

Also, equip yourself for short trips as well as long trips. Both can easily devolve into survival episodes.

Personally, I would leave the horse at home. Big animals just add complexity. But that is just me

Based on the two articles on Outdoorquest´s website I find little evidence for the status of his hubris.


I think that guy would have been dead within a few hours if he hadn't been found exactly when he was. I would be very surprised if he himself hasn't realize that - in particular given his level of training and experience. But his inner reflections on that may not be the sort of thing he wishes to publish in the newspaper...

He is a good example that armed with nothing but good clothing and knowledge you can squeeze out a few days when stuck out in the wild. But not more than that - at one point, even the toughest will cave in.


I admire this guys mental survival attitude, which I frankly is a good example for us all.

Apart from that, there's the usual arsenal of lessons for optimizing your chances for survival prior to getting that deep into trouble. Leave a game plan, fire making, PLB etc etc, ya all know the drill.