Two hunters and two stranded vehicles rescued in recent Union County SAR missions. Residents reminded to stay prepared
By Garrett Christensen on Tuesday, December 2nd, 2025 in More Top Stories Northeastern Oregon News
UNION COUNTY – Winter is slowly closing in, the nights are regularly freezing, and even some lower elevation communities are seeing the occasional skiff of snow. Colder temperatures and more frequent precipitation mean increased hazards for hikers, hunters, and anyone looking at exploring the more remote areas of Eastern Oregon’s backcountry. This in turn means an increased likelihood that emergency services may be needed.
Following a relatively quiet start to the season, Union County Search and Rescue has seen a recent uptick in activations, reporting four different missions over the past few days. These included two lost hunters and two stranded vehicles. Thankfully, these recent cases all reportedly had positive outcomes and conveniently serve as good learning opportunities on staying prepared. As written by Union County SAR in a recent social media update:
“These calls, and their positive outcomes, highlight the critical importance of carrying supplies appropriate for the conditions, and being able to start a fire even under very adverse weather conditions. In both of our recent searches for hunters, they had been dressed for the conditions and [were] able to stop and build a fire which not only makes them easier to locate, but also dramatically increases the odds of survival.
One call also highlighted the value of stopping when you realize you’re lost, especially if you’re able to communicate your location to us. Often continuing to move results in a delayed rescue, which in cold and wet conditions can change the outcome.”
In addition to being prepared for conditions and staying in place after calling for help, Union County SAR emphasizes the importance of sticking to major highways during winter travel and NOT relying on GPS to find a bypass during highway closures. As further written by SAR:
“Not only is this more likely than not going to result in you getting stranded and facing a survival scenario exposed to the elements, but with few, if any, tow companies willing to drive into the mountains, having a vehicle get stranded in the snow until spring is a real risk. Often in these cases the vehicles get vandalized and/or inhabited by unwelcome animal guests looking to get out of the weather.”
Last year, no less than 46 vehicles became stranded up Ruckle Road in Northern Union County following GPS instructions during I-84 closures. When the highway shuts down, it’s best to stay put and wait it out. If insistent on finding an alternative route, don’t rely on GPS. Instead, abide by local signage and pay attention to local conditions first.
For a more detailed summary of the Ruckle Road rescues and the dangers of relying on GPS during road closures, see our previous reminder here.
A map showing the locations of the recent calls (as posted by SAR) is attached below:
