A 77-year-old hunter from Massachusetts was safely located Wednesday afternoon after getting lost in the woods near Richland, Oswego County.
According to New York State Police, the man contacted 911 around 4:35 p.m. on November 5, reporting that he was disoriented, had been struggling with rough terrain for hours, and that his phone battery was nearly dead. He had last been seen in the area of State Route 3 near Kelly Road and had been stuck in a marshy area since about 1:30 p.m.
State Police, working with the Oswego County Sheriff’s Office, launched a search that included K9 units, drones, and ground crews. After about three hours, searchers found the man in a marshy area just under a mile from his vehicle. Fortunately, he was uninjured and in good health.
Officials credited the successful rescue to teamwork among multiple agencies. “We’re grateful to all who assisted,” State Police said in a statement, thanking the Oswego County Pioneer Search and Rescue Team, Wilderness Search and Rescue of Onondaga, the DEC, and Northern Oswego County Ambulance.
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