Lost Deer Hunter Rescued After Night in Wilderness
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LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST — A 53-year-old South Gate man who was stuck overnight in Ventura County’s snowy back country after becoming lost during a weekend hunting trip was rescued Monday afternoon.
Hernando Maldonado and a friend had been hunting deer Sunday in Los Padres National Forest near Alamo Mountain, which is at the 6,500-foot level, when the two became separated.
Maldonado’s friend, who was not identified by authorities, was able to return to the pair’s base camp at Dutchman Campground, but Maldonado did not show up Sunday evening.
Twenty members of the Ventura County sheriff’s search and rescue team were dispatched to the Alamo Mountain area Monday morning along with two helicopters. About 4:15 p.m., Maldonado was spotted by a helicopter crew during an aerial search after the hunter used fallen logs to write “HELP” in a clearing on a hillside to mark his location.
The helicopter crew landed in the clearing near Maldonado. He suffered from dehydration and exposure but was otherwise uninjured.
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