Lives saved
2
Hunting
Forest
Medical emergency
Challenging Terrain
Stranded and Injured: A Hunter's Decision to Activate His Lifesaving Beacon
-43.019378118959°S, 171.01128482819°E
Posted on October 14, 2024 by jim lahey
What happened?
After finishing work on Thursday, I loaded up the car and headed to the hills of Kakapotahi for four days of hunting, sightseeing, and everything in between. It was going to be a perfect getaway.
I arrived at the hut around 9:30 p.m. but found someone already fast asleep inside. Not wanting to disturb them, I decided to push on, aiming to camp just below the bush line so I could start my morning hunt in prime terrain.
However, around 10:30 p.m., I lost the track and spent the next hour searching for it. Instead, I found myself in steep terrain, far from where I needed to be. With a heavy pack, rifle, bow, and my dog, managing the situation was becoming too much. I decided to turn around and find some flat ground to set up camp until daylight.
While descending through some steep terrain, I slipped and slid down, catching my foot on a tree root. The adrenaline masked the pain, so I kept pushing on, following the main river valley in hopes of finding the track. No luck.
Eventually, the pain from my ankle kicked in hard. I climbed back into the bush and finally found the track I had been searching for, but it wasn’t exactly where the map had marked it. I laid out my mat and tried to sleep, but the pain in my ankle kept me up most of the night.
By morning, after a long, sleepless night and with my ankle in worse shape, I decided to activate my ResQLink 400 PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) around 10:00 a.m. It was a tough call since I wasn’t in immediate life-threatening danger, but there was no way I could hike the four hours back to my car in my condition.
The rescue team arrived and winched me out from where I was, even helping to gather my seemingly endless pile of gear. Two months later, my ankle is almost back to full strength, and I’m back in the hills doing what I love.
Thanks to the rescue team from both Jim and Ruger!
Words of wisdom
There’s a reason we buy them and carry them. don’t be afraid to push the button if you need to. Don’t be a hero
Thank you note
i was amazed how quickly the team arrived, and how easy they made everything. looking after the dog, rifle and bow!
thanks a ton.
Rescue location
X2J6+6G Kakapotahi, West Coast, New Zealand
Rescue team
Local Search and Rescue
ResQLink™ 400
Go to product details$379.95 – $394.95
Small but resilient, the ResQLink 400 has been professionally engineered and tested to ensure it can withstand even the harshest elements. This buoyant Personal Locator Beacon requires no subscription for use and can be utilized to enhance your safety in a wide variety of environments. Whether on land, at sea, or in the air, trust that the ResQLink’s satellite precision and military durability, put rescue in the palm of your hands.
Features and Benefits:
- No Subscription Required
- GPS and Galileo GNSS
- Built-In Buoyancy
- Strobe and Infrared Strobe
- Global Coverage
- MEOSAR Compatible
- Small and lightweight
- 5-year battery life
- 24+ hours Operational Life**
- Multi-function Clip System Included