Freezing hunter calls 911 for help just as his phone dies, Colorado rescuers say

A lost, cold and wet hunter in a Colorado national forest called for help just as his phone battery died, rescuers reported.

The hunter in the Gunnison National Forest told dispatchers he could no longer continue after being “soaked through by passing thunderstorms and snow showers” at 9:18 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, the Saguache County Search & Rescue team said in a news release.

Dispatchers were able to retrieve the caller’s location just before his cellphone battery reached 0% charge, rescuers said.

The hunter improvised a sleeping bag using a mylar rescue blanket and tarp, rescuers said. He used cloth game bags as insulation and changed out of his wet clothes to await rescue.

Eight rescuers in three vehicles found the hunter about 300 yards from the nearest passable road, “although in a very remote part of Saguache County,” the team said.

Rescuers warmed the man with chemical heat packs and helped him recover, then walked with him to safety, officials said.

“Hiking conditions were challenging in freezing temperatures with a thin coating of ice on all surfaces,” rescuers said.

Gunnison National Forest is about a 200-mile drive southwest from Denver.

This story was originally published September 22, 2025 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Freezing hunter calls 911 for help just as his phone dies, Colorado rescuers say."