MISSUAKEE COUNTY, Mich-- A missing hunter from Ohio was rescued late Saturday night, hours after he was reported missing. Many of the efforts were recorded on camera.
Around 6:30 p.m., police say a hunter called Roscommon County Dispatch to report a member of his hunting party didn't return to a designated meeting spot. Troopers from the Houghton Lake Post were dispatched and began looking for Donald Sokol, 59 of Ohio.
Due to cold temperatures and the large search area in question, officials quickly deemed it an 'urgent matter'. The search party for Sokol then grew to include 7 troopers, 2 MSP K9 Units, one MSP sergeant, 6 DNR Conservation Officers and 2 Missuakee Deputies.
After hours of searching the area, including water that was chest-deep at times, a K9 unit located Sokol on the opposite side of a deep waterway that was unsafe to cross.
After the K9 handler began experiencing hypothermia, they left the woods for treatment, while other crews were directed to Sokol's location. When they found him, they say he was exhausted, dehydrated and in a hypothermic state. They began removing his wet clothes and building a fire to keep him warm. Once they determined he was too weak to walk out by himself and couldn't be carried out due to the terrain, officials requested help from a Coast Guard helicopter.
A rescue basket was dropped from the Coast Guard helicopter to lift Sokol to safety. He was flown to Munson Medical Center where he was treated for dehydration and hypothermia.
The crews that helped Sokol were able to leave the woods on their own and were treated on-scene by EMS before being medically cleared by 2:45 a.m.
Officials say had this not been such a coordinated effort, this incident may have had a different outcome.
