Mounted search and rescue

["Bruce Murdock" <ki7ci@msn.com>]

Irv:

Actually we had a dog team and a foot team in that area on Tuesday. It was
about 160 degrees SE from the last known point (actually 45 degree arc) and
an area that one would not expect mushrooms. Tracking never picked up a
trail, I spent most of my time working the seeps, meadow edges and bounding
roads, we went over the obvious route after the body was found and could not
identify his trail (partly soil conditions, partly scene contamination).
Contamination was a factor, though not under our control, there were
numerous cattle throughout the search area, particularly in the areas we
might have found a trail through the grass. 

Limited resources, clothing (dark green t-shirt), vegetation, prevailing
winds, access routes and terrain all had their part to play. I can't really
critique the planning or operations, I know the victim profile was based on
interviews with family, locals familiar with mushroom hunting in the area,
feedback from the search teams and ???? It's kind of easy to say the body
should have been found sooner, but from my time on the ground I'm not so
sure.

Bruce Murdock
Gem County Sheriff's Posse





-----Original Message-----
From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Irvin
Lichtenstein 
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 11:27 PM
To: 'Mounted search and rescue'
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Gem County Idaho search

This sounds like a subject who fits the behavior model.
Why did it take 3 days before the area where the body was found
was searched?  Was the probability of that area so low? Or was it just too 
close. Depending on time of death decomp should have started by Thursday and
any scent animal downwind should have picked up on the body.

Were there any clues that pointed you away from the body? I would expect
that the trackers and dog teams should have picked up a route, unless the
prior efforts trampled it.

Search management is a lot of luck, but skill and experience are needed
also. 

Irv Lichtenstein 

-----Original Message-----
From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Bruce Murdock
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 9:06 PM
To: 'Mounted search and rescue'
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Gem County Idaho search

The subject was reported as being overdue returning to the vehicle. The
initial call was received by Gem County dispatch around 9 PM Monday Night. A
deputy and several members of the Sheriff's Posse responded initially, and
spent the night calling and driving the roads in the area. Tuesday morning
more posse members and Idaho Mountain Search and Rescue set up and put ATV,
tracking, dog and foot teams into the area. This is a fairly rugged area,
with steep terrain, a pretty dense canopy, lots of brush and knee high
grass. Daytime temperatures in the 90's dropping to mid 40's at night. We
were also assisted by numerous residents of the area, whose local knowledge
was invaluable. Wednesday was more of the same, with the addition of some
mounted units for a portion of the day and about 3 hours of Blackhawk time
by the Idaho National Guard. Thursday, we had a pretty good turnout of local
volunteers and organized elbow to elbow sweeps through the primary area. A
mounted team discovered the body mid-morning about a quarter mile from the
ICP, an area we had planned on sweeping that afternoon. Cause of death is
reported as natural causes.

In my opinion, being mounted was a tremendous advantage given the grass
height and brush. The terrain and brush limited the areas in which the
mounted units could be deployed, but they proved effective.

Bruce Murdock
Gem County Sheriff's Posse

-----Original Message-----
From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Una Smith
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2010 5:15 PM
To: Mounted search and rescue
Subject: [MSAR] Gem County Idaho search

Bruce Murdock,

Could you give us a summary of the mission for the mushroom hunter in your
county?  I understand the missing subject was reported Monday and found 
Thursday, deceased.  Find was by a mounted team.  Did the horses find him?
Did being on horseback directly aid the human searchers to find him?

        Una Smith
        New Mexico
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