Pennsylvania Game News - August 2022 - 34

GETTING BACK ON TRACK
If you're exploring a state game lands and
you come across someone who's dirty, disheveled,
scratched and torn, wandering aimlessly,
with an exhausted and vacant stare, be careful.
They might be a zombie.
OK, maybe not. But they could be someone
who's lost.
The hunters, hikers and other outdoororiented
people who spend their time on state
game lands are generally a pretty resourceful
bunch. Few get turned around seriously enough
that they need to be rescued.
But it does happen.
Kevin Anderson, a Game Warden in eastern
Perry County and Team Leader of the Game
Commission's tracking team, said rescue crews
search for those lost on game lands many times
in any given year.
" Many times, the people using state game
lands are comfortable with being in the woods
and have the ability to orient themselves to
the landscape, " Anderson said. " But when
they make a wrong turn or something looks
unfamiliar, they can become confused as to
where they are. "
Just how lost people get is often a function
of what they were doing when they realized it.
" My personal experience with searching for
lost hunters is that they become confused at
decision points like trail junctions, game trails,
social trails, and the like, or lose track of where
they are while trailing game, " Anderson said.
How long people stay lost, and how long it
takes to reach them, depends on a variety of
factors. It's often possible to talk people out
of the woods, if they have a cellphone and can
describe their location well enough that it's
obvious on a map.
That's not always the case, though.
Anderson said some people are too proud
to call for help right away when they get turned
around, and some might not have cell service.
Others try to " self-rescue. " Hunters are
better at that than many others because they're
comfortable in the woods and with walking
long distances.
" But that also means they can become
'more lost' because they can be going in the
wrong direction and may do so for long dis34
tances, "
Anderson said.
Once a call for help comes in, rescuers must
coordinate and organize their team. They might
have to contend with weather - from rain or
snow to fog and wind so loud lost people can't
be heard. Then there's the lost person: anyone
is easier to find if they remain stationary. It's
harder if they keep moving.
" Still, if the correct steps are taken, and
there are enough competent searchers at the
scene, a successful search can be done in a few
hours, " Anderson said.
Anderson recommends people prepare for
a possible emergency before heading off into
the woods.
" Hunters should focus on wearing layers
while afield and stay away from cotton clothes.
Merino wool is a great insulator and does not
stop insulating if it gets wet, " Anderson said. " A
small emergency blanket for warmth can help,
as can a fire starter kit or just a lighter. Water is
always a concern, too. A device like a LifeStraw
or something similar would be ideal. "
A GPS or cellphone with GPS capabilities is
good, so long as it has power and the person
using it knows how to work it. A map and
compass can help, too, Anderson said, if the
person carrying them knows how to orient
themselves.
People definitely shouldn't rely on old outdoorsy
myths about land navigation for help.
" The idea that moss only grows on the north
side of trees, that if you walk downhill you'll
always find a road, that if you follow water
downstream you'll find a town, it is dangerous
to believe these myths, " Anderson said. " But
people still do. "
No one wants to get lost, of course. But
Anderson said it's wise to prepare for the possibility,
and that starts at home.
" It's a good idea to plan out your hunt, then
let someone know what your plan is, " Anderson
said. This includes the area you intend to hunt,
a time that you will return and what to do if
you don't show up.
" Most importantly, stick to your plan once
it's made, " Anderson said.
- BOB FRYE
Pennsylvania Game News - August 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - August 2022
