Stranded Yukon hunters survived on rosehips and lake water for 4 days
Their boat drifted away, leaving them waiting days for a rescue
RCMP say three hunters followed "all the right steps" when they found themselves stranded for days on a remote Yukon lakeshore, with almost no survival gear.
The three were successfully rescued on Wednesday, in good health, despite living only on rosehips and lake water for four days.
Police say the hunters left Whitehorse Sunday morning on a hunting trip. They took their aluminum boat out on a lake about 90 kilometres west of Whitehorse.
They beached their boat to look for some prey on shore. That's when the wind carried the boat away, and with it, all their supplies. The three men were left only with the clothes they were wearing, a few lighters, a knife and binoculars.
They weren't able to retrieve the boat, and instead watched as the waves took it to the far shore, and capsized it.
Police say the men — all very experienced hunters — then hunkered down to wait for a rescue. They had told their families they'd be back on Tuesday night, so they knew it would likely be a few days before a search began.
'They didn't panic'
They built an emergency shelter, lit two fires — one for warmth, and one to act as a signal — and ripped apart a floater suit one man was wearing. They laid the red suit out on shore, to be more visible to searchers.
Then, they waited — for three days, eating rosehips.
About midday on Wednesday, relatives reported them missing to police. RCMP search and rescue managers checked two possible locations the relatives had told them about, and soon found the men's vehicle.
A helicopter was then used to search for the men, and they were found at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday. They were hungry, but otherwise in good health, according to RCMP.
RCMP Sgt. Dave Wallace says the men did the right things when they realized they were in trouble.
"They didn't panic, built a shelter right away, started a fire to stay warm, left a signal for help, and more importantly, they stayed put in one location," Wallace said, in an RCMP news release.
Wallace said the men were also smart before they left on their trip — they had told their families where they were going, and when they were expected back.