A man who had gone hunting and didn’t return home when he was supposed to sparked a successful search and rescue operation Friday night in the Mississippi Mills, Ont., area. Sgt. Joe Tereschuk of the Lanark County detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police said the call about an overdue hunter west of Ottawa came in around 6:30 p.m. The 78-year-old man is a frequent hunter and had informed his family where he was going and when to expect him back. Tereschuk said this was important because it resulted in rapid notification of police and rescue teams. “That’s what really led to the immediate response and the immediate activation of the necessary resources for this search,” he said. You never know with the weather.- OPP Sgt. Joe Tereschuk “If somebody doesn’t know that, or they’re like, ‘Oh, we’ll give it a few more hours, maybe it’s just going to be late,’ … Then that can delay even the police starting the search process.” After about 20 hours outside, some of them in the rain, the man was located. No injuries were reported. Multiple teams participated in the search, including OPP K-9 and aviation units.
Get ready
Tereschuk had a few other suggestions for hunters, hikers or anyone who might find themselves lost in the woods. Make sure you have food and water with you, even if you don’t plan to be out for long, and dress for the worst possible weather, because temperatures drop once the sun goes down. “Are you going to be outside and it’s only going to be five degrees, or is it going to be -10 like we’re seeing with the temperature starting to drop lower and lower every day now? You never know with the weather.” He also said not to hunt or hike alone if possible, and that having a fully charged cell phone is highly recommended. A hunter who went missing in the Mississippi Mills area has been found after 20 hours, according to Ontario Provincial Police. (OPP East Region/Twitter) “Obviously, depending on where you’re going, you might not have cell phone coverage. … At least if you have a charged cell phone with you, you might be able to get that one or two bars that allow you to make a call,” he said. he said. “It’s not guaranteed to work, but it’s better to have it than not need it, as the saying goes.” Tereschuk said there are apps, such as What3words, that can locate a location with data or cell service. It’s also important to note that if you get lost and people know where you’ve been going and what time you should be back, at some point you’ll have to stop moving. “Hold tight and wait for them to find you, because if you keep moving it might make it harder for the searchers to find you.” He said finding somewhere that’s visible from the air and the ground — an area that’s not heavily wooded, for example — can also speed up the search.
