The South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks is asking the Civil Air Patrol for help in finding at least two hunters that are missing in the Black Hills due to recent heavy snowfall. Officials say they fear there may be more than just the two that are stranded.
Civil Air Patrol Major Bruce Kipp says with heavy snow, rugged terrain, and a potentially remote location - rescue attempts will likely be difficult.
“So they have requested us to conduct aerial reconnaissance of the area trying to locate those groups of stranded hunters. Our aircraft have special GPS equipment on board which allow us to get an exact fix on the location of the people and they will radio that location to Game, Fish & Parks personnel on the ground who can then get in and rescue the stranded hunters,” says Kipp.
Kipp says the Civil Air Patrol is ramping up efforts and going from two to three planes to help with the aerial search. He says if hunters find themselves needing to be rescued they can help by making themselves visible to search parties by spreading out their orange clothing on the ground to make a large dot, making a fire that has visible smoke, or stomping a help message in the snow.