The bodies of two elk hunters who went missing Sept. 11 in southern Colorado were found Thursday, and officials were still investigating how they died Friday.
Some Wyoming outdoorsmen said that weather is probably the most dangerous threat hunters face. There were reports of rainstorms in the area where the hunters went missing and were later found dead.
They have been identified as Andrew Porter of Asheville, North Carolina, and Ian Stasko of Salt Lake City, Utah, both 25.
Deaths Still A Mystery
Porter and Stasko traveled to Colorado to hunt elk on national forest land in Game Management Unit 81 on the Rio Grande National Forest.
Porter’s fiancé, Bridget Murphy, said she lost communication with them Sept. 11, according to Outdoor Life and news outlets in Colorado and Utah.
They were officially reported missing Sept. 12, and search-and-rescue efforts began the next day.
Their locked vehicle was found at the Rio de Los Pinos Trailhead. Camping gear, packs and wet clothing were found inside, according to reports.
Investigators surmised that the men might have run into inclement weather, gotten wet, changed their clothes at the car and then gone back out hunting.
Searchers found their bodies at about 11 a.m. Thursday about 2 miles from the trailhead.
The bodies showed no signs of external injuries or foul play, and autopsies are scheduled for Monday, The Colorado Sun reported Friday.
Weather Is The Biggest Killer
Porter and Stasko were described as experienced outdoorsmen.
But even experienced people can quickly get into trouble in the backcountry, Wyoming hunters and a search and rescue expert told Cowboy State Daily on Friday.
Of all the hazards hunters face, weather is probably the worst, said Guy Eastman of Cody.
He represents the third generation of the outdoor multimedia family that launched Eastmans Hunting Journal, and he's hunted all over North America.
“The most dangerous weather isn’t the crazy cold. It’s that period when it’s cold rain, right before it turns to snow,” he said “That is super-dangerous, especially out there at higher elevations."
Eastman had just returned from a bighorn sheep hunt in a remote section of northwest Wyoming, and said those cold, wet conditions had prevailed during much of the hunt.
As he understands it, there also was lots of rain and cooler conditions where Porter and Stasko had been.
Those sorts of conditions can turn from annoying to deadly in a hurry, Eastman said.
When it’s cold enough to snow, “you can just brush it off,” he said.
But rain soaks in, he said.
“Unless you can keep dry, you can’t get dry once you’re wet,” he said.
During the hunt he was on, “We had a tent with stove in it, so we could go inside there and get dry and get our clothes dry,” he said.
Hypothermia A Big Killer
When people get wet, and stay wet, they can develop hypothermia. That’s when the body temperature drops below 95 degrees. The body starts to lose its ability to generate heat, which can lead to death.
Hypothermia is a major killer in the outdoors, said Kenna Tanner, coordinator of Tip Top Search and Rescue.
It can often strike when people assume the weather is too cold to risk freezing to death, she said.
But a combination of cold and wet clothing can quickly turn deadly, she said.
The key is to get out of wet clothing and get dry as quickly as possible, Tanner said. The best thing to do is build a fire.
So-called “emergency blankets” made of lightweight materials that people keep in their packs are good mostly as windbreaks.
But “if you try wrapping yourself in one while you’re still wet, it will just hold the moisture in and compound the danger,” Tanner said.
She recommends wearing layers with moisture-wicking fabrics on the bottom.
That might not keep you from feeling miserable if you get wet, but it helps keep dampness from sucking heat out of your body, she said.
Eastman said one of the deadliest things about hypothermia is that it can sneak up on even experienced hunters, because the heat loss attacks mental capacity.
“It’s like a spiral. Once you get into that, you’re not thinking straight and you’re not thinking clearly, and that can lead to a series of bad decisions that can be fatal,” he said.
Falling Trees, Lightning and Sliced Arteries
In addition to potentially deadly weather, hunters must be prepared for unexpected hazards of all sorts, said Olin Machen of Cody.
Among them, falling trees.
"A huge concern is tree fall,” he said. "Our national forests are eaten alive with beetle kill and all it takes is a storm with high winds to roll through to down hundreds of trees at once.
“One huge mistake guys make is setting up camp without looking around to see what trees are dead and could potentially fall on them."
He recalled one terrifying episode during an elk hunt in New Mexico in 2020.
"I killed a bull and a storm rolled in while I was cutting it up,” he said. "I was surrounded by dead timber. Trees were falling and snapping all around me, and it was absolutely terrifying."
Despite the possibility of falling trees, Machen said he likes to stay below the tree line on mountain slopes when afternoon storms roll in “because lightning above the tree line is another big concern for me."
Archery hunters should also be mindful of how dangers the broadheads on their arrows can be, he added.
“Stick one in an artery in a leg and you’ll bleed out before anyone will help you,” Machen said. "For that reason I carry a lightweight tourniquet with me while hunting."
Mark Heinz can be reached at mark@cowboystatedaily.com.
