MILTON-FREEWATER, Ore. — Following an overnight stay in rugged, snowy terrain in remote Umatilla County, an injured hunter was rescued following a full-day search-and-rescue excursion.
According to the Umatilla County Sheriff’s Office, dispatch received a call from 49-year-old Danny Rupp of Albany, OR around 8:30 p.m. on November 2, 2022. He was stranded in remote terrain while on a hunting trip in the Mill Creek Watershed when he suffered a serious ankle injury that prevented him from moving under his own power.
Rupp was well prepared with warm clothing and the means to create a fire, so Umatilla County search-and-rescue crews took the night to prepare and venture into the region on the following morning.
At 4:00 a.m., Umatilla County search-and-rescue volunteers gathered near Milton-Freewater to being their search. They had a GPS signal so they could accurately locate Rupp, who they reached around 10:00 a.m. that morning.
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By the time they reached him, the hunter was able to walk with some support from the rescuers, but it took them roughly eight hours to reach the bottom of the drainage area. They used a wheeled litter to transport him for the last two hours, and by 8:00 p.m., they safely reached their vehicles.
Sgt. Dwight Johnson, who coordinates the search-and-rescue efforts, was elated with the response from his team.
“I am very proud of all of those who participated,” Sgt. Johnson stated. “It is my honor to be associated with such a dedicated group of people.”
Crews from the U.S. Forest Service cut a trail so search-and-rescue crews could reach Rupp. Umatilla County search crews also received help from Union County Search-and-Rescue and Walla Walla Basin Watershed crew members.
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