Gallatin County, MT - Search and Rescue Press Releases

On Sunday at 3:30 Sheriff's Search and Rescue was activated for a 20 year old Bozeman man with a leg injury in Wolverine Bowl north and outside the boundaries of the Bridger Bowl Ski area. The man was skiing with a partner and had hiked the ridge above Wolverine Bowl. At about 2:30, 100yrds for the top, he failed to completely negotiate a turn and struck a tree with his right leg. The impact broke his leg above the ankle. His partner was in front of him and did not see the crash. The victim scooted down the slope and was able to get the attention of other skiers in the area by yelling at about 3:00. Those skiers notified Bridger Bowl Ski Patrol which sent Bridger employees that were also Gallatin County Search and Rescue team members to the scene. The Bridger employees created a landing zone for the Search and Rescue Team. The victim was removed from the site by helicopter and taken to a waiting Bozeman Fire Department Ambulance. The site of the extraction is very difficult to access and would have taken many rescuers many hours to remove him from the site if a helicopter had not been available. Search and Rescue does not have a helicopter and relies on contracting with Central or Carisch Helicopters when they are available. Today's mission was flown by pilot Mark Duffy with Central Helicopters. Duffy is a very highly skilled and experienced mountain pilot and is used for difficult rescue missions when available. The Bridger Canyon Fire Dept also assisted Search and Rescue by securing landing zones at Bridger Bowl.

Mosquito Gulch Rescue

On 01/20/09 at 10:49 hours, the West Yellowstone Police Department received a report of an injured snowmobiler. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue teams were dispatched to the scene.

The accident scene was approximately two miles south of the Two Top Trail towards Mosquito Gulch. Six Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue members from the West Division located a 16 year-old female from Layton, UT. The injured female had apparently struck a tree when the snowmobile she was operating left the trail. The female complained of slight head, neck, back and leg pain.

The female was packaged onto a specialized rescue sled and transported to the Emergency Services Building in West Yellowstone. She was then transferred to an ambulance and transported to Rexburg, Idaho.

The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue wishes to remind the public that winter recreation travel can be hazardous and that wearing all appropriate safety equipment can save lives.

Gallatin County Sheriff/Search and Rescue Activity for the weekend

In 30 hours starting Saturday and ending Sunday evening Gallatin County Search and Rescue Units responded to 6 events including 2 fatality avalanches. Those events included:

Saturday at 1:00 pm

Assist to Park County Sheriff’s Office.

Tactical Divers and Sheriff’s Deputies from Gallatin County Search and Rescue dove the Yellowstone River to recover stolen property related to recent burglaries in Park County. Evidence was recovered and turned over the Park County Sheriff’s Office

Saturday at 2:00 pm

Assist to Madison County Sheriff’s Office

The Heli Rescue Team and Deputies from Gallatin County responded to assist Madison County on an avalanche in southern Madison County searching for a lost Bozeman man

Saturday 8:41 pm

Stranded Snowmobile in the area of Buffalo Horn in the Gallatin Canyon.

Gallatin County SAR and Deputies/Big Sky division retrieved a lone Bozeman snowmobiler that was stranded and could not make it out of the backcountry

Saturday 9:30 pm until Sunday 6:30 pm

Assist Park County Sheriff on an avalanche in the Daisy Pass area near Cooke City

Gallatin County SAR avalanche dogs, Bridger Bowl avalanche Dogs, Gallatin County Hasty Team, Ham radio club members and Deputy Sheriff’s search for an Ennis man buried in a large avalanche.

Gallatin County SAR and Deputies started an investigation into a Bozeman woman who had rented a snowmobile on Saturday but had not returned Saturday night. She and a companion were found in Idaho the following day after having taken a wrong turn on a trail and getting stuck. The two spend the night in a snow cave and walked out the following morning. They had not told anyone of their destination

Gallatin County SAR, Deputies, Bridger Canyon Fire Dept and AMR ambulance units rescued a Bozeman man in his 40s that had broken his ankle on the M trail.

Last year Gallatin County Search and Rescue units responded to 106 calls for assistance. A small percentage of those events were out of Gallatin County. Gallatin County is recognized state wide as having excellent Search and Rescue groups and as having more calls for assistance than other areas. This is attributed to the outdoor recreation opportunities of our area and the number of highly motivated and capable volunteers that make up Search and Rescue.

Attached photos from the M rescue are courtesy of Gallatin County SAR and Sheriff’s Office.

On 1/11/09, at approximately 12:44 p.m., the Yellowstone Police Department received a report of an injured snowmobiler. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue were dispatched.

The accident occurred approximately six miles southwest of West Yellowstone on the Two Top Trail. Five members from the West Yellowstone division of the Gallatin County Search and Rescue found a 54 year-old Australian man had struck a tree when the snowmobile he was operating left the trail.

The male had suffered an injury to his left knee. He was packaged onto a specialized rescue sled and transported to the Emergency Services Building in West Yellowstone. He was subsequently transported to Rexburg, Idaho.

The Sheriff’s Office and Search and Rescue wish to remind the public that winter recreation travel can be hazardous and that wearing all appropriate safety equipment, including helmets can save lives.

Jones Creek Avalanche Rescue

On January 10, 2009, at approximately 3:55 p.m., the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office was notified of an avalanche in the Jones Creek Drainage. Reports indicated that a male had been trapped in the avalanche. Further reports stated the male had food and water and an avalanche transceiver.

Members from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Valley Division were dispatched to respond. A helicopter rescue team that had been dispatched to an avalanche in the Big Sky area was re-routed to Jones Creek.

The team located the male near the avalanche site. He was picked up by the helicopter team. Upon evaluation, he was found to be uninjured. The helicopter team transported the male to the Emergency Operation Center where he was released.

McAtee Basin Avalanche Rescue

On 01/10/09, at approximately 2:20 p.m., the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, and the Big Sky Fire Department responded to a report of a snowmobiler trapped in an avalanche. The snowmobiler was part of a group of eight riders traversing across the bottom of a slope in the McAtee Basin area of the Madison Mountain Range when the avalanche was triggered.

Two individuals were initially trapped under the snow, but one managed to quickly dig himself out. The other snowmobiler, a 39 year-old male from North Dakota, was trapped under approximately six feet of snow for about ten minutes.

The other riders in the group were able to locate him with the avalanche beacon he was wearing. The male was unconscious when the group finally reached him.

Search and Rescue members evaluated the victim, who had since regained consciousness, on the scene. He was transported to the Doe Creek trailhead by snowmobile. A Big Sky Fire Department Ambulance that was staged at the trailhead transported him to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.

The Search and Rescue members responding to the scene described the avalanche as approximately 150 yards wide by 150 yards long. Members stated there was a three to four foot crown at the top of the slope.

Search and Rescue members warned there were multiple other slopes in the area that are extreme avalanche hazards.

South Plateau Trail Rescue

On 12/31/08 at 1030 hours, the West Yellowstone Police Department received a report of an injured snowmobiler. The Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue teams were dispatched.

The accident scene was approximately eight miles south of West Yellowstone on the South Plateau Trail. Six (6) Rescuers from the West Yellowstone division of Gallatin County Search and Rescue found a 47 year old Sunnyvale CA woman had struck a tree when the snowmobile she was operating left the trail. She suffered head injuries severe enough that a helicopter from Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center was summoned. She was packaged onto a specialized rescue sled and transported to a landing zone that was prepared by the rescue team and transported by air to Idaho Falls.

The Sheriff’s Office and Rescuers remind the public that winter recreation travel can be hazardous and that wearing all appropriate safety equipment including helmets can save your life.

West Yellowstone Rescue

On 12/27/08, at approximately 4:37 p.m., Gallatin County Search and Rescue members West Yellowstone Division, West Yellowstone Fire Department, and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department responded to a backcountry rescue. A fifteen year-old male was snowmobiling with his family on a trail approximately one and a half miles north of the West Yellowstone Airport, located approximately a quarter mile from Highway 191.

The snowmobile the young male was operating left the trail and collided with a tree. The male sustained a broken left femur.

The Search and rescue members transported the injured snowmobiler in a rescue sled about one and a half miles to a waiting ambulance. The West Yellowstone Fire Department transported the male to a hospital in Rexburg, Idaho.

On December 3, 2008, at approximately 1:12 p.m. the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Big Sky Division received a call for a rescue in the McAtee Basin area regarding a male snowmobiler with a possible broken leg.

Search and Rescue members located the injured male at approximately 2:10 p.m. During their assessment they found that the injured male’s leg was swollen below the knee and the male complained of pain.

At approximately 3:30 p.m., Search and Rescue members loaded the injured male onto a sled for transport to an awaiting ambulance at Buck Ridge Ranch. At approximately 4:26 p.m. the patient was transferred to the ambulance. At approximately 4:43 p.m., the injured male refused transport to the hospital.

Rescue operations were terminated at approximately 5:30 p.m.

On September 18, 2006 at approximately 1328 hours the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a female resident of Bozeman that her husband had been hunting in the canyon area and she received some troubling messages from his Spot Satellite. She reported that he and a friend had been hunting for the last three days and her 32 year old husband had been sending her “I’m OK” messages from the Spot Satellite. She reported that between the hour of 0900 and 1000 hours on September 18, 2008 she received six “I need help messages” from her husband’s Spot Satellite. The Spot Satellite’s come equipped with an “I’m OK” button, an “I need help” button and a “911” button that ends up in the local 911 center. The other two buttons send an email message to whomever the subscriber chooses. The caller stated that she and her husband had worked out a message if he should harvest an animal and needed help retrieving it. The victim’s hunting partner had split up from him earlier in the day and had already exited the area and returned to Bozeman. The caller reported that some friends of her husband had gone up looking for him at the last known coordinates that accompanied the email from Spot Satellite.

Gallatin County Search and Rescue was activated and a team of four members started working their way to the last known position. The victim showed up at the trailhead a short time later and spoke to a Search and Rescue Member. The victim stated that he was fine and was never in need of help. He had harvested an elk, and was attempting to send his wife a message as such. The code that they had come up with before he left on his trip was that if he harvested an elk and needed help packing it out he would send her an “I’m OK” message followed by an “I need help” and then another “I’m OK” message. He later discovered that if you send an “I need help” message the system keeps sending the message until the unit is turned off. He also discovered that an “I’m OK” message doesn’t send immediately and if you send an “I need help” message it will override the “I’m OK” message and not send it.

The victim located his friends that had gone looking for him and everyone made it out of the mountains without incident.

Garnet Mountain Rescue

On 09/16/08, at approximately 1:45 p.m., members of the Gallatin County Sheriff Search and Rescue, Big Sky Division, Central Valley Fire Department, and the U.S. Forest service responded to the Garnet Mountain Trailhead on Storm Castle Road for a backcountry rescue.

It was reported that a 64-year old female had slipped on the trail and broke her leg. The accident occurred approximately one mile from the trailhead.

Paramedics and the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue located the injured female. She was stabilized and transported to the trailhead. Central Valley Fire Department transported her to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.

On September 14, 2008, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office responded to and coordinated two separate search and rescue events within approximately one-hour of each other.

At 1327 hours, the Sheriff’s Office received a second-hand report regarding two adult females who had become lost in the Mt Ellis area. They stated that they could see the “M” and cow pastures in the valley, but were unable to locate a trail. The two females subsequently found a trail and had walked out of the area on their own by the time members from the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue arrived on scene. The females appeared uninjured.

The second incident occurred at approximately 1435 hours. The Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call stating that a 58 year-old male on the top of Sacajawea Peak was feeling ill. The reporting party stated that the male was complaining of chest pain and tingling in his arm.

Members of the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue team were dispatched to the area, along with a helicopter rescue team. While staging at the Fairy Lake trailhead, the helicopter rescue team located the victim on the trail.

At approximately 1607 hours, the victim was in the helicopter and on the way to the hospital. He arrived at the hospital a short time later, and was evaluated by the ER staff.

On 08-02-08 at approximately 1:15 p.m., the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office received a report of a lost 11 year-old boy in the area of Grotto Falls. A Bozeman family had been hiking the Grotto Falls area when the 11 year old, who has Asperger’s Syndrome (a form of autism), wandered off at about 1130 hours.

The mother hiked out and stayed with her three other children at the trailhead, while the father continued to look for the boy. At the time of call the boy had been missing about an hour. Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue, Big Sky Division was activated and a Gallatin County deputy responded and acted as the Incident Coordinator.

A Search & Rescue member arrived on scene and started up the trail on an ATV. After approximately a half-mile, he located the 11 year-old with his father walking back down the trail. The father had found the boy and continued out to the trailhead. All parties were in good health and the event was successfully ended.

Overdue Hikers Found

On July 26, 2008 at approximately 2210 hours a woman came into the Big Sky Sheriff’s Office to report that her 23 year old daughter and her 24 year old boyfriend had not returned from a day hike up North Fork Trail. The woman reported that she had dropped them off at the trail head in Big Sky at around 1100 hours. They were to either return to the trailhead at 1700 hours, or they were going to call her if they decided to come out in Beehive Basin. The reporting party stated that she had not received any phone calls from them and could not reach them by cell phone. They were all from Florida but had a residence in Big Sky for the last 20 years and her daughter reportedly knew the area they were in well. Both subjects were wearing shorts and t-shirts, with backpacks and a small amount of food and water. They were also traveling with two dogs. Gallatin County Search and Rescue was activated. Members from Gallatin County Search and Rescue responded and started to search the area by foot and by motorcycle. At around midnight the daughter called her mother and told her that they were at Spanish Creek and US Hwy 191. A Deputy Sheriff responded and met with the two overdue hikers. Apparently they had decided during the day to hike over the top and come out Spanish Creek without telling anyone of their plans. They were counseled on changing plans while in the backcountry without telling anyone. Both subjects and their dogs were uninjured and returned to their parents.

Mountain Biker Transported

On Thursday July 24 at about 5:00 pm the 911 center received a report of a mountain biker who had crashed and was injured on the Bozeman Creek trail about 3 miles from the trail head. Gallatin County Sheriff’s Search and Rescue along with the Rae Sourdough Fire Dept and AMR ambulance service responded to the scene. Sheriff’s Deputies opened the gate at the trail head allowing Search and Rescue to transport the Ambulance Crew up the trail to the patient. They found a 62 year old Bozeman man with a head injury about 2.5 miles up the trail. He was transported back to the trail head by Search and Rescue vehicle and transported to Bozeman Deaconess Hospital by AMR. No details of the crash were available at the time of the press release. The patient was at the hospital within 1.5 hours of the 911 call. The patient was wearing a helmet. The 911 call was made by another user of the trail who had to go down the road to find a phone.

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