Three hunters from the same Denver family fired their guns in the air to attract a search helicopter Tuesday in the snow-covered Flat Tops Wilderness Area, but it was Wednesday morning before searchers found them, ending four days in the wild.
The men, who were not named, suffered only mild cases of hypothermia, despite temperatures in the teens, authorities said.
“They did absolutely everything right,” said Tanny McGinnis, spokeswoman for the Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. “They found shelter from the wind and they stayed together by their fire, and that kept them warm.”
After more than 2 feet of snow fell since Sunday, seven other people in five groups called for help in the area Wednesday because they were stranded by the storm, McGinnis said. All of them were rescued and no one was injured, she said.
The three Denver men had gone hunting Saturday, before the storm rolled in.
Tuesday, two OH-58 Kiowa helicopters from the Colorado Army National Guard’s High-Altitude Army Aviation Training Site in Gypsum went up for the first time during a break in the storm.
The gunfire narrowed the search area, but ground crews found nothing after searching until late Tuesday evening. A helicopter crew spotted the men about 10 a.m. Wednesday.
Scores of hunters are in the high country for the rifle season for deer and elk that lasts until Sunday.
In the wake of the rescues, the Colorado Division of Wildlife urged all hunters to plan for rapid weather changes.
Early snow is a lure to hunters as elk gather into larger herds and move toward their winter range, according to the division.
“While hunter success increases with snowfall, folks need to have the proper winter gear before heading out to hunt at this time of year,” Perry Will, DOW’s wildlife manager in Glenwood Springs, said in a statement.
Hunter-education coordinator Mark Cousins recommended always packing survival gear, including an electronic locator device, the means to build shelter and a fire, food, water, a shovel and sleeping bag, as well as sand and tire chains for vehicles.
