blake
Life Member
NEWS!
From the Iowa DNR:
Hunter Lost While Deer Hunting at Volga Recreation Area
FAYETTE COUNTY, Iowa - A lost hunter from Washburn was found on the afternoon of Dec. 5, thanks to a joint effort by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa State Patrol and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.
Patrick Wellner, 49, was lost while hunting deer in the Volga Lake Recreation Area in Fayette County. The Volga Recreation Area is nearly 5,600 acres of timber, with 80 foot bluffs and few roads. The Volga River runs through it, doubling back on itself many times.
Because of the rugged terrain, getting a cell phone signal is extremely difficult. Fortunately, Wellner had just enough signal strength to call the Sheriff's Office at 2:48 p.m. to let them know he was lost in the southwest part Volga Recreation Area.
Nearby, conservation officers were working with an Iowa State Patrol pilot and plane on a special project just west of the area and were able to get to the scene in about 15 minutes. Trooper Pilot Brian Bartels and Conservation Officer Scott Kinseth located the lost hunter at 3:38 p.m. and directed the Fayette County Sheriff to near his location.
Once Wellner was located, the work shifted to directing the rescue crew to help him get out.
Sheriff Marty Fisher was on an 80 foot bluff above and across the river. He communicated to Wellner that help was on the way and kept an eye on him. The terrain did not allow for cell phones to be used, so hiking in to the hunter was the only way to help him get out.
Park Ranger Scot Michelson and Chief Deputy James Davis were led to Wellner by officers in the plane, with Conservation Officers Dave Elledge and Jerry Farmer providing assistance.
Had the plane not already been in the air and so close to the area, the Wellner likely would have spent the night in the timber as it would have been next to impossible for rescuers to have located him in the dark. The low temperature that night was 15 degrees.
For many years the DNR's Law Enforcement Bureau has made use of the Iowa State Patrol plane and pilots to help during the hunting seasons. The State Patrol, DNR conservation officers, and other law enforcement agencies have worked together many times to locate people who were lost.
From the Iowa DNR:
Hunter Lost While Deer Hunting at Volga Recreation Area
FAYETTE COUNTY, Iowa - A lost hunter from Washburn was found on the afternoon of Dec. 5, thanks to a joint effort by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the Iowa State Patrol and the Fayette County Sheriff's Office.
Patrick Wellner, 49, was lost while hunting deer in the Volga Lake Recreation Area in Fayette County. The Volga Recreation Area is nearly 5,600 acres of timber, with 80 foot bluffs and few roads. The Volga River runs through it, doubling back on itself many times.
Because of the rugged terrain, getting a cell phone signal is extremely difficult. Fortunately, Wellner had just enough signal strength to call the Sheriff's Office at 2:48 p.m. to let them know he was lost in the southwest part Volga Recreation Area.
Nearby, conservation officers were working with an Iowa State Patrol pilot and plane on a special project just west of the area and were able to get to the scene in about 15 minutes. Trooper Pilot Brian Bartels and Conservation Officer Scott Kinseth located the lost hunter at 3:38 p.m. and directed the Fayette County Sheriff to near his location.
Once Wellner was located, the work shifted to directing the rescue crew to help him get out.
Sheriff Marty Fisher was on an 80 foot bluff above and across the river. He communicated to Wellner that help was on the way and kept an eye on him. The terrain did not allow for cell phones to be used, so hiking in to the hunter was the only way to help him get out.
Park Ranger Scot Michelson and Chief Deputy James Davis were led to Wellner by officers in the plane, with Conservation Officers Dave Elledge and Jerry Farmer providing assistance.
Had the plane not already been in the air and so close to the area, the Wellner likely would have spent the night in the timber as it would have been next to impossible for rescuers to have located him in the dark. The low temperature that night was 15 degrees.
For many years the DNR's Law Enforcement Bureau has made use of the Iowa State Patrol plane and pilots to help during the hunting seasons. The State Patrol, DNR conservation officers, and other law enforcement agencies have worked together many times to locate people who were lost.
