Rescue efforts to locate a lost hunter remained underway as of early Monday afternoon.
“They’re still continuing the search,” said the Sundre RCMP detachment’s Sgt. Jody Achtymichuk.
RCMP resources were deployed over the weekend in search of a missing Calgary man, said a police press release dated Sunday, March 31.
On Saturday, March 30 at about 8:30 a.m., the man went hunting with his son and an adult male friend in the Williams Creek area west of Sundre, police reported.
The male got lost after pursuing an animal track. However, his son and friend returned safely after being unable to locate him and proceeded to contact police.
The missing man is reported to be Timothy Benedict Campbell, who is described as an Indigenous 33-year-old male weighing about 161 pounds and roughly six feet tall. He was last seen wearing blue jeans and a Carhardt jacket.
Local RCMP members have been involved in the search and were assisted by Sundre and Rocky Mountain House Search and Rescue, an Edmonton-based RCMP Air Services helicopter, RCMP Police Dog Services from Red Deer, and Clearwater Fire Rescue, which made available a drone for additional aerial support.
Roger Tetreault, president of Sundre Search and Rescue, spoke over the phone from the command post in the Williams Creek area.
“Sundre Search and Rescue is managing the operation,” Tetreault said, adding the search was the group’s first so far in 2019.
He said early Monday afternoon that 18 searchers from Sundre as well as Rocky Mountain House and Mountain View SAR were on the ground.
“We are not currently looking for any assistance,” he stressed, adding, “We’re actively requesting Good Samaritans avoid the area and allow searchers to do their job.”
The missing man, a subsistence hunter allowed year-round access, was reportedly searching for a deer, he said.
“He wasn’t breaking any laws.”
With spring upon us, Tetreault said, “It was amazing how many people headed out over the weekend after being cooped up all winter.”
People are encouraged to plan trips carefully, with tips outlined on www.distancetoassistance.com.
The search effort began Saturday following the initial call, said Tetreault, adding road conditions have been problematic and that he had been flown into the site on Monday.
