Pair of lost hunters in Mendocino County found after two days

Two hunters lost in the wilderness east of Covelo were found Tuesday afternoon, two days after they missed a plan rendezvous, according to the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office.

The men, who were camping with a larger group in the Blands Cove Road area of Mendocino National Forest, went on a morning hunt Sunday and were not seen again until they were found Tuesday, said Lt. Shannon Barney.

The deer hunters left their campsite at about 7 a.m. and did not show up to a planned 11 a.m. rendezvous, according to Barney. They were reported missing Monday.

Barney said one man was 29 years old and the other was 33 years old, and they were both from Yuba City. He declined to provide their names.

Search crews were working to locate the men Tuesday morning when officials received word that the hunters had been able to use a cellphone and were head toward a known road in the area, according to Barney.

Barney said the men, who had hunted in the area before, became disoriented but determined the road was closer than their campsite and they would run into it if they walked far enough.

The hunters eventually wandered onto private property, and a landowner directed them to the road, where they caught a ride with a woman driving in the area, Barney said.

You can reach Staff Writer J.D. Morris at 707-521-5337 or jd.morris@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @thejdmorris.