A helicopter rescued an archery hunter in Colorado last week after another hunter’s lost arrow hit him above the knee while he was hiking off trail, CBS4 reported.
No one knows how long the “lost” arrow had been, but another hunter had shot off course, the Routt County Search and Rescue (RCSAR) told CBS4.
The RCSAR search team rode four miles to Elk Park Trailhead near Steamboat Springs, hiked 2.5 miles to reach South Fork of Mad Creek, then traveled through timber and swamps for 1.5 miles before finding the hunter’s coordinates, CBS4 reported. The hunter had stayed near the area’s coordinates after sending an SOS on his rescue beacon before turning off his device due to low battery power, CBS4 reported.
A helicopter flew the hunter to UCHealth’s Yampa Valley Medical Center in Steamboat Springs before returning for the rescue team, CBS4 reported. (RELATED: REPORT: Two Politicians Survive Horrific Helicopter Crash Caught On Camera In Brazil)
“With penetrating injuries it is never recommended to remove the object in the field,” RCSAR Vice President Harry Sandler told CBS4. “It is best to let surgeons at the hospital perform this task. Leaving the object in reduces the chances of severe bleeding and additional tissue damage.”
“Having a PLB or satellite messenger likely saved this hunter’s life as he was alone, immobile and in an extremely remote area with no cell service.”