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From the Billings Gazette (http://www.billingsgazette.com/inde...ws/2005/11/09/build/local/35-hunter-death.inc):
November 9, 2005
Lost Billings hunter dies of hypothermia
By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff
A Billings man died early Tuesday after getting lost on a hunting trip in Sweet Grass County and spending a cold night outdoors.
Gordon Longenecker, 49, went missing around dusk Sunday in rugged country between Big Timber and Reed Point off Bridger Creek Road.
He was found unconscious but alive about 11 p.m. Monday in a remote area, but he died of hypothermia just after 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to Sweet Grass County officials.
Longenecker and a hunting friend apparently separated in the early evening on Sunday, according to Kerry O'Connell, a spokeswoman with the Sweet Grass County emergency services office. When Longenecker didn't return, the friend called for help.
Sweet Grass County search-and-rescue crews launched a ground search that night.
Weather problems
Pilots from Yellowstone Air Service in Big Timber and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls attempted to fly over the area but were unable to help because of snow and fog, O'Connell said.
"Unfortunately, we had a huge weather problem," O'Connell said.
Crews had a difficult time finding Longenecker's tracks, she said. The area is full of drainages, high ridges and timber.
"It's easy to get turned around in those drainages," she said.
Around 3 p.m. Monday, a Billings team from Absaroka Search Dogs arrived on the scene. The dog picked up the scent, and the team tracked Longenecker for about six miles. They found him on a logging road just after 11 p.m. He was unconscious, and the team tried to keep him warm with blankets and spare clothes.
They radioed in their position and waited about 90 minutes for help to arrive because the area is so remote.
"I tell you it was a helpless feeling," said Mark Polakoff, who handled the dog on the search.
Polakoff, an emergency nurse at St. Vincent Healthcare, said the searchers were worried about nasty weather moving in.
"He needed to be somewhere else," Polakoff said.
Emergency workers had to use four-wheelers to drive Longenecker about two miles before meeting up with an ambulance. He died just after 5 a.m.
Ill-equipped for cold
Search-and-rescue officials said it didn't appear that Longenecker was equipped to spend a cold night in the backcountry.
They said it's important for hunters and others to be prepared with extra clothing, maps and fire-starting material even if they plan on being away from their vehicle for only a few minutes.
Also, they said, anyone who gets lost should remember to stay in one place and wait to be found.
Longenecker is survived by a wife and two children.
November 9, 2005
Lost Billings hunter dies of hypothermia
By MIKE STARK
Of The Gazette Staff
A Billings man died early Tuesday after getting lost on a hunting trip in Sweet Grass County and spending a cold night outdoors.
Gordon Longenecker, 49, went missing around dusk Sunday in rugged country between Big Timber and Reed Point off Bridger Creek Road.
He was found unconscious but alive about 11 p.m. Monday in a remote area, but he died of hypothermia just after 5 a.m. Tuesday, according to Sweet Grass County officials.
Longenecker and a hunting friend apparently separated in the early evening on Sunday, according to Kerry O'Connell, a spokeswoman with the Sweet Grass County emergency services office. When Longenecker didn't return, the friend called for help.
Sweet Grass County search-and-rescue crews launched a ground search that night.
Weather problems
Pilots from Yellowstone Air Service in Big Timber and Malmstrom Air Force Base in Great Falls attempted to fly over the area but were unable to help because of snow and fog, O'Connell said.
"Unfortunately, we had a huge weather problem," O'Connell said.
Crews had a difficult time finding Longenecker's tracks, she said. The area is full of drainages, high ridges and timber.
"It's easy to get turned around in those drainages," she said.
Around 3 p.m. Monday, a Billings team from Absaroka Search Dogs arrived on the scene. The dog picked up the scent, and the team tracked Longenecker for about six miles. They found him on a logging road just after 11 p.m. He was unconscious, and the team tried to keep him warm with blankets and spare clothes.
They radioed in their position and waited about 90 minutes for help to arrive because the area is so remote.
"I tell you it was a helpless feeling," said Mark Polakoff, who handled the dog on the search.
Polakoff, an emergency nurse at St. Vincent Healthcare, said the searchers were worried about nasty weather moving in.
"He needed to be somewhere else," Polakoff said.
Emergency workers had to use four-wheelers to drive Longenecker about two miles before meeting up with an ambulance. He died just after 5 a.m.
Ill-equipped for cold
Search-and-rescue officials said it didn't appear that Longenecker was equipped to spend a cold night in the backcountry.
They said it's important for hunters and others to be prepared with extra clothing, maps and fire-starting material even if they plan on being away from their vehicle for only a few minutes.
Also, they said, anyone who gets lost should remember to stay in one place and wait to be found.
Longenecker is survived by a wife and two children.
