Search and rescue 'season' begins in Elmore County

It doesn't show up officially on any calendars, but it's fairly easy for Rick Summers to predict when the "season" will begin. He doesn't even need to mark the date since it always begins around the same time each year.

Just take several hundred outdoorsmen and set them loose in the mountains as soon as hunting season begins. It's just a matter of time before one of them turns up missing.

As the commander of the county's search and rescue team, Summers knows he will get the phone call. It's just a matter of when. So far this fall, they've been called out to find four missing individuals, which is already above a typical season.

On average, the team will end up responding to three rescues per season, although there are times the search is called off after the missing person is located or makes contact with their families.

Oddly enough, it's not the novice outdoorsmen that end up getting lost, he said. Typically, it's the more experienced individuals who end up needing to be rescued.

Many times, people simply get lost. Other times, their vehicle breaks down far from the nearest road. In a few instances, people end up getting hurt and are unable to get out on their own. Then there are the cases where people head into the wilderness and lose track of time. They forget to call in to their families at the designated time, who then panic and call for help.

Elmore County represents one of the most diverse regions in the state with the terrain ranging from desert plains and mountains to river canyons and lakes. Most of these areas are interconnected with paved roadways or backwoods trails, some of which are not clearly marked.

For those unprepared to explore the great outdoors, the terrain can become very unforgiving, according to the search and rescue team commander. "If you get to doing something and not paying attention on where you are or what you're doing, you can get lost real quick out there," Summers said.

A common mistake made by hunters involves their lack of familiarity with the terrain, which makes it easy for them to get disoriented, Summers said. They could end up walking to the northwest thinking they're heading east.

"They go over a ridge and down into a gully and they assume that if they walk down that stream that they'll come out where the other stream was," Summers said.

However, that's not always the case. Some ridges and gullies don't match up, meaning a person could end up 10 or more miles off course.

Regardless if a person is going into the woods or mountains for the first time or if they've made the same trek a number of years, it's important for all of them to remain prepared for the worst-case scenario.

To avoid being a statistic, it's important for people to prepare before they leave on any outing in the mountains or other parts of Elmore County. They should keep a 24-hour bag in their vehicle containing non-perishable food, water, blankets, candles, waterproof matches and a flashlight with extra batteries.

The goal is to survive the overnight conditions, because the search team will begin looking for them the following morning, Summers said. Even a small candle will produce enough heat to keep people warm until morning.

It's equally important for hunters and hikers to prepare for Idaho's often-unpredictable weather, especially in the fall.

"Knowing the conditions and weather patterns is something people really need to pay attention... because it always changes here," Summer said. "You can leave (home) and it's 70 degrees outside, and three hours later it's snowing."

Before people go on an outdoor trip, they need to let a responsible individual know where they plan to travel, which route they plan to use and, most important, when they expect to return, Summers said.

"And don't deviate from your plan without calling back and telling someone," said search and rescue team vice commander Mike Moore.

In 2013, a search and rescue team ended up looking for a missing family in the wrong part of the county because the group changed their travel plans after they left home and never contacted anyone. As a result, they ended up being stranded longer before a search team finally located their truck.

During the last search and rescue season, areas in the northern half of the county posed additional safety concerns for hunters and travelers. A pair of wildfires that swept across the northern half of the county in 2013 reshaped much of the landscape across this region.

People should report missing individuals by calling the county dispatch office at 587-2100. The search and rescue team can't start until they get approval by the county sheriff.

For those who do get lost, the goal is to do things that makes it easier for search teams to spot them, Moore said. "We look for things that are out of place. If we see something that shouldn't be there, it's a point of interest to us."

People that plan on going hiking should wear bright-colored clothing, which stands out against the trees and ground cover.

When in doubt, be creative, Summers said. For example, a broken compact disk can serve as a makeshift signal mirror.

It's also a good idea for stranded individuals to leave their cell phones turned on, Summers added.

"We've found people where their last cell phone 'ping' put us in a location where we can at least start a search... at least it gives us a starting point," he said.

Summers and Moore added a few more safety tips to keep people safe during this hunting season.

The team leaders urged those not actively hunting to avoid loading their weapons. Last year, an individual shot himself in the back of the leg after he left a live round in the chamber of his weapon, which he was trying to pull out of his backpack.

Weapon safeties do fail, Summers said.

People planning on riding all-terrain vehicles should check their tires and fluid levels before the leave home. Many times, these end up getting stranded because these off-road vehicles break down.

Riders should also watch their speed when riding an ATV, regardless if they're on a forest road, paved roadway or off-road trail.

The search and rescue team has seen too many cases where someone ended up crashing their vehicle due to riding too fast for the road or terrain conditions.