Missing hunter found in Schoolcraft County

Manistique, MI — A 41 year old lower Michigan man, who became lost while deer hunting in Manistique Township Sunday, has been rescued.

According to the Schoolcraft County Sheriff’s Department, the ordeal started just after 4 PM Sunday when the man called Negaunee Regional Dispatch on his cell phone.  He reported that he was lost and asked for help.  He said he was uninjured but beginning to get very cold and tired.  He also said that he was with a group of men staying in a cabin near Cal’s Road.

The emergency dispatcher was able to obtain the caller’s location from the cell phone and attempted to direct the man back to his camp.  However, the hunter was too tired to continue.

The dispatcher notified the Schoolcraft County Sheriff’s Office, Michigan Department of Natural Resources officers who were in Delta County, and Manistique Public Safety.   The search teams split into two groups with one group, headed by Sheriff’s deputies, beginning from the west of the subject’s location while the other group, headed by DNR Officers, beginning from the east.  The groups  each walked a little over a mile toward each other, through swampy areas and cranberry bogs.

Just after 7 PM, DNR officers found the man:  cold, but otherwise unhurt.

It took about two hours to walk the man out of the woods to an awaiting Manistique Public Safety Ambulance where he was warmed and checked him for injury.  He was then taken to the cabin where he was staying.

“I am very happy with the way this rescue played out.  The terrain in that area is very unforgiving and posed many challenges for the personnel conducting the rescue. The dedicated rescuers did were not stopped by anything as they worked their way toward the lost subject.  Even though they were cold, wet, and tired themselves, they found and brought the man to warmth”, said Sheriff Harris.