Archive for May 3rd, 2009
At the urging of a close friend, a hunter accepted the loan of a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) for a hunting trip on Kodiak Island, Alaska. It was a decision that saved his life.
On October 25th, the men had to put their safety skills to the test on their first day out when frigid hurricane-force winds whipped up. They were planning to camp and hunt from their 23-foot boat anchored in Sheridan Bay on Kodiak Island. The island, known as “The Rock”, has few roads crossing the remote, rugged terrain. Hunters frequently use boats or float planes to access the island’s many coves.
The fierce winds would not let up and kept pounding the small craft into the shallow bay bottom. Fearing for their safety in the boat, they tied it off, waded to shore and huddled, soaking wet, under a life raft. The sun was setting and temperatures were quickly dropping below 30 degrees. The winds and blowing snow made it impossible to start a fire. They faced a severe threat of suffering from hypothermia.
Knowing they could not get themselves to safety and with no way to contact anyone via any other means, they set off the borrowed Personal Locator Becon. Within minutes search and rescue crews called the number registered to the beacon owner and he said the two men had gone hunting and borrowed his personal locator beacon. The rescue was on and the hunters were found shortly thereafter.
The hunters said a PLB is the best insurance policy one can have. “As outdoors people, we have a responsibility too. Having a PLB gives the SAR teams an edge in finding you. It really levels the playing field. It’s the only way to get help in a life-threatening situation.”