AK AK - Steve Keel, 61, missing from hunting trip, from TN - Aug 27, 2022

[WingsOverTX]

There's a hotel, an airport and a hunting camp in the vicinity - I can't imagine Alaska telling people from Tennessee they can't come there.

When you look at the area on google streetview, it's hard to imagine anything besides a sinkhole happened to him. There's not a tree or shrub or tuft of grass, and it's flat. To be unable to find him by helicopter doesn't leave many options.

However, I didn't say they would be told not to come. I was just pointing out that LE might not permit them to search the wilderness due to dangers they might not be as well-prepared & equipped for as SAR.

This is the Arctic. Streetview gives absolutely no info about the challenges of that environment. Other than thousands of oil workers that come & go, the population in Deadhorse in about 100 people. As to dangers, we should start with the weather, polar bears, muskeg, quick sand, frostbite.....the list of dangers is as endless as this place's remoteness from civilization.

The rigors of prep to hunt in the area are well documented here:

CARIBOU | Deadhorse Outfitters

www.deadhorseoutfitters.com

MOO

ETA: Your statement "There's not a tree or shrub or tuft of grass, and it's flat" is incorrect. It is tundra & hunting there is no walk in the park. All kinds of things hinder visibility, as info at my link explains in detail.

 

[Gardenista]

There's a hotel, an airport and a hunting camp in the vicinity - I can't imagine Alaska telling people from Tennessee they can't come there.

When you look at the area on google streetview, it's hard to imagine anything besides a sinkhole happened to him. There's not a tree or shrub or tuft of grass, and it's flat. To be unable to find him by helicopter doesn't leave many options.

Agree, I just watched some hunts on YT and you can pretty much see for miles. It's weird.

 

[LauraAnne]

However, I didn't say they would be told not to come. I was just pointing out that LE might not permit them to search the wilderness due to dangers they might not be as well-prepared & equipped for as SAR.

This is the Arctic. Streetview gives absolutely no info about the challenges of that environment. Other than thousands of oil workers that come & go, the population in Deadhorse in about 100 people. As to dangers, we should start with the weather, polar bears, muskeg, quick sand, frostbite.....the list of dangers is as endless as this place's remoteness from civilization.

The rigors of prep to hunt in the area are well documented here:

CARIBOU | Deadhorse Outfitters

www.deadhorseoutfitters.com

MOO

ETA: Your statement "There's not a tree or shrub or tuft of grass, and it's flat" is incorrect. It is tundra & hunting there is no walk in the park. All kinds of things hinder visibility, as info at my link explains in detail.

From what I can tell, from the pic of Steve with the caribou antler rack on his back that's in this thread, and pics I've seen of the sons searching there in Alaska, there is nothing at all to obscure the visibility of a search from a small plane or helicopter.

Considering how similar the pic of the landscape is of Steve, compared to the search area the sons are in, I believe that pic to be taken from his camp or nearby.

There are no trees at all, anywhere, and no shrubbery or tall grasses that would cover a body and make it in visible.

Do you agree?

 

[WingsOverTX]

From what I can tell, from the pic of Steve with the caribou antler rack on his back that's in this thread, and pics I've seen of the sons searching there in Alaska, there is nothing at all to obscure the visibility of a search from a small plane or helicopter.

Considering how similar the pic of the landscape is of Steve, compared to the search area the sons are in, I believe that pic to be taken from his camp or nearby.

There are no trees at all, anywhere, and no shrubbery or tall grasses that would cover a body and make it in visible.

Do you agree?

No, I don't. But I haven't looked at those pics, either. As posted earlier in the thread, visibility is not good for aerial searches but they are still trying. RSBBM: Visibility is terrible in the Arctic this time of year....."

"
***UPDATE: HERE IS AN UPDATE ON THE EFFORT TO LOCATE TENNESSEE RESIDENT STEVE KEEL IN NORTHERN ALASKA.
— THE FIRST TIME I’ve heard from search and rescue in Alaska.
I know that many of you here are concerned about resources and the ground search effort.
To be clear they are actively involved looking.
I’ve been contacted by North Slope Borough Search and Rescue in Utqiagvik, Alaska.
That is the area where Keel disappeared.
The map shows their search grid.
They’ve covered a lot if ground mostky by air.
Search and Rescue reports:
——
“Search and Rescue has been conducting ongoing search operations since Sunday, August 28 when a misding hunter was reported in the vscinity of Pump Station 2 and Happy Valley along the Dalton Highway.
Multiple rotor wing and fixed wing air assets were immediately deployed and have conducted multiple days of aerial search operations.
GROUND CREWS were deployed from air assets to conduct intensive ground searches and investigations.
Additional assistance was requested for ground and air assets from District 17 Command Center United States Coast Guard, the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center, the Alaska State Troopers and Civil Air Patrol.
Continued aerial search operations were conducted by the United States Coast Guard and Civil Air Patrol and a volunteer helicopter from HilCoep.
At least thirty-five hours of aerial searching involving over twenty air crew members and aviation support staff have been conducted.
North Slope Borough rotor wing assets have been exhausted and undergoing maintenance.
All search operations have been unsuccessful in locating the missing hunter.
Once air assets are available, evaluation of continued aerial search operations will be made.
North Slope Borough Mayor Harry K. Brower JE. Sends his prayers and hopes for the safe return of the missing hunter to his family.”
——
BEYOND THAT SEARCH AND RESCUE TELLS ME:
— They have spent a great deal of hours, money, and allotted flight time for our air assets looking for this out of state resident.
— Visibility is terrible in the Arctic this time of year....." More at link

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02yat5T3SuoasiknvFNneanMBDneVms92fhTMTJWFwX35u8HbDk4ExDMVSbV1rnePtl&id=100044302692250

<modsnip>

I hope this man, who is obviously much loved by his friends & family, is found very soon!

 

[WingsOverTX]

THE LATEST UPDATE NOW ON THE SEARCH FOR A MISSING TENNESSEE HUNTER IN ALASKA.
I’ve been in touch with Steve Keel’s wife Liz is Stewart County, TN.
Her husband disappeared while on a hunting trip in remote north Alaska a week ago Saturday.
His two adult boys flew up this past week to look for their father.
Now Liz tells me a crew of four prior-military men with search and rescue experience from Stewart County will be flying out to Alaska early Tuesday morning.
They will receive ground assistance from authorities in Alaska to help in the ongoing search.

Steve’s two sons are now returning to Tennessee, but have shared GPS coordinates with the new crew to locate the campsite.
They will meet up with Steve’s hunting partner who remains in Alaska helping with the search.
Also, a member of Alaska search and rescue has driven fourteen hours with a K-9 to help look for Keel — perhaps pick up his scent.

Authorities there are also working to try to detect the last location Keel’s cellphone pinged — he was carrying it when he disappeared.

Some have asked if the scope of the effort has shifted to recovery?
I’m told it remains search and rescue at this time holding out hope that Keel is somehow still alive.
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid058j4wz6AQgHK7B9etQb7oN4buZAkP8P8c2Rh8YpJjbE3bHm95N94WkyXatQ8RgAhl&id=100044302692250

This was shared by a Nashville reporter with:

Homepage

Get the latest local breaking news, Storm 5 Weather and sports for Nashville, Clarksville, Murfreesboro, Franklin and all of Middle Tennessee

www.newschannel5.com

BBM

 

[5W's]

No matter his trouble seems he could have fired off some shots from his gun as an alert?

That's true even if he did go into quick sand he would have been able to reach his gun to fire off an alert. Sinking into the sand doesn't happen instantaniously.

 

[WingsOverTX]

That's true even if he did go into quick sand he would have been able to reach his gun to fire off an alert. Sinking into the sand doesn't happen instantaniously.

I read he was carrying a Glock .45. I know nothing about firearms. Would that have a sound that carries very far if fired?

ETA: Post including Glock info

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0GUcEQ6FckKDnn8Jy5iUCprXBgVMNoGoT1vCewwHseqB8k8HKq8TmGfZ5jm7ucobzl&id=100044302692250

 

[5W's]

Excellent point. A quarter mile to the caribou and sound would likely travel at least that far. Quicksand is not really quick and he could have alerted his friend. It's been 6 days now. Wonder what weather conditions are/

"In some areas, there are mudflats that essentially act as quicksand or muskeg which resembles a plain covered with short grasses, but is soft and a human can get stuck and sink.

Those are possibilities, they say there is no sign of a bear attack and authorities have not ruled out the possibility of foul play... ."

Dover man reported missing in Northern Alaska during caribou hunting trip

Authorities are on the lookout for a man who went missing last weekend in northern Alaska while hunting caribou.

www.newschannel5.com

Same reporter as above from his new station. It's just terrible. I've read of the animals in the area and the quick sand and the dangers of both. Praying for answers for this well loved family!!

If it was quicksand couldn't he have yelled out for help. He would have time before being completely engulfed in it. Plus he could also fire some shots to alert his friend.

 

[perfectingpink]

Here I go wondering about one shot.

Ditto.

 

[RickshawFan]

There's a small group of guys from our super small community (2 stop lights, one high school in the entire county) that are heading up to Alaska as we speak. The support from locals here in TN is astounding. We're hoping that after the holiday weekend, more searches will be happening. His wife is a warrior and her faith is unwavering.

I think some caution is due here.

Generally, non-trained volunteers are not welcome in SAR operations because they put themselves and SAR members at risk. They have been known to require on-site rescue resources themselves. This is not a rare problem during backcountry searches. I trust LE has explicitly called for non-SAR volunteers if Tennessee-ans are showing up?

AK backcountry is not the TN woods (which, after being out West for years, seem kinda tame to me, from personal experience, because there are so many roads), so it would be very easy to overestimate "experience". As it is, we're hearing about some very specific AK hazards in the area, such as quick sand, mud holes, grizzlies..... And, yep, it's obvious there are no woods. This is clearly an area where "experience in the woods" does not apply.

The National Park Service is so concerned about the mis-perception of experience by folks coming from the lower 48, that the Denali rangers issued this statement last summer. While it applies specifically to climbers in this instance, the NPS highlights the dangers of inexperience specifically in AK, and would apply equally to ALL backcountry adventurers.

We have seen a disturbing amount of overconfidence paired with inexperience in the Alaska Range. While climbers may have a good deal of experience at elevations up to 14,000 feet in the Lower 48, the remoteness and extreme weather we get in the Alaska Range make the experience here more challenging and dangerous.

Troubling Trends - Denali National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

www.nps.gov

So, yeah, while local support is lovely, I think a HUGE amount of caution is necessary when it comes to involving oneself in ground searches in unfamiliar backcountry without SAR express approval. IMO

 

[RickshawFan]

From what I can tell, from the pic of Steve with the caribou antler rack on his back that's in this thread, and pics I've seen of the sons searching there in Alaska, there is nothing at all to obscure the visibility of a search from a small plane or helicopter.

Considering how similar the pic of the landscape is of Steve, compared to the search area the sons are in, I believe that pic to be taken from his camp or nearby.

There are no trees at all, anywhere, and no shrubbery or tall grasses that would cover a body and make it in visible.

Do you agree?

With a caribou rack and reeking of fresh-kill caribou, I would think SK was at high risk of attack from a predator. If he crouches, he's gonna look like caribou?

 

[RickshawFan]

It might be fruitful to discuss "lost person behavior" in general, since the particulars of the search will be in the hands of local, experienced, SAR and local LE.

Yes, there's a science of "lost person behavior". The US Govt Homeland Security even has an app for it.

So, here's a source to get started with this concept. I can't afford the SAR manual, but a Harvard video, BC SAR, and NBC will give some clues.

 

[WingsOverTX]

With a caribou rack and reeking of fresh-kill caribou, I would think SK was at high risk of attack from a predator. If he crouches, he's gonna look like caribou?

Yes. I was surprised to read the North Slope is grizzly country. And they hide & protect their kills.

I wish we had a good map of where their camp & caribou cache were located. Camp was near mile 336.5 on the Dalton Highway south of Deadhorse where that unpaved highway ends.

Tennessee Man Goes Missing on Alaskan Hunting Trip, Authorities Launch Search

Authorities and an anxious son are currently searching for a Tennessee man who went missing while on an Alaskan hunting trip.

www.google.com

 

[RickshawFan]

IMO a firearm won't get you un-lost or protect you from the elements, but a paper map, compass, and the other 10 essentials will. These include items that may keep you alive until SAR can be summoned, e.g. warm clothing, fire starter, signal mirror, tarp, whistle, water, extra food, knife, water purification, headlamp, first aid....

Also, predators will bury their prey, carry it off (sometimes in pieces), and there are layers of predators in the backcountry, predators lower on the scale who take the leavings of those higher on the scale. Plus, a prone person is easily going to be hidden in that vegetation. There's miles and miles and miles of it..... Frequently, the lost are not found in the backcountry, even if above tree line, in the snow, among rocks, or simply just out there..... Look, for instance, at where Paul Miller was found in Joshua Tree, or consider the missing Germans in Death Valley. They weren't hidden.

Remains of Man Missing Since 2018 Found in Joshua Tree: 'It Doesn't Make It Any Easier,' Wife Says

Paul Miller went out for a hike in Joshua Tree National Park on July 13, 2018, and never returned

people.com

 

[RickshawFan]

However, I didn't say they would be told not to come. I was just pointing out that LE might not permit them to search the wilderness due to dangers they might not be as well-prepared & equipped for as SAR.

This is the Arctic. Streetview gives absolutely no info about the challenges of that environment. Other than thousands of oil workers that come & go, the population in Deadhorse in about 100 people. As to dangers, we should start with the weather, polar bears, muskeg, quick sand, frostbite.....the list of dangers is as endless as this place's remoteness from civilization.

The rigors of prep to hunt in the area are well documented here:

CARIBOU | Deadhorse Outfitters

www.deadhorseoutfitters.com

MOO

ETA: Your statement "There's not a tree or shrub or tuft of grass, and it's flat" is incorrect. It is tundra & hunting there is no walk in the park. All kinds of things hinder visibility, as info at my link explains in detail.

Thanks @WingsOverTX, for being cautionary and real. It is so easy to underestimate what all can happen in the backcountry, and to underappreciate hazards, let alone in AK. Exposure alone in the wilderness can be fatal in no time.

I can't find a weather report for the Deadhorse area, but I would guess it goes below freezing at night. This does not bode well. And if a lost person is wet from encountering a mud hole, you could get hypothermic at almost any temperature that area has on offer this time of year, day or night.

Fog and wind would add to the likelihood of hypothermia. I am not optimistic for SK because hypothermia is so easily fatal.

 

[RickshawFan]

If you haven't looked at the pictures of where he disappeared, and the pictures of his sons searching for him currently showing the terrain they are currently searching, then I guess I agree, we have nothing to further discuss.

I urge caution about making judgments from photos of terrain. I have given some examples ^^^ where remains were out in open desert.

I also think it's being forgotten that hunters, on purpose, are outfitted to conceal themselves. It's going to be VERY difficult to find someone who has deliberately blended themselves into any terrain, and this certainly seems to be the case here.

 

[RickshawFan]

That's true even if he did go into quick sand he would have been able to reach his gun to fire off an alert. Sinking into the sand doesn't happen instantaniously.

There's no telling if gunfire would be heard (I doubt there's echo in that landscape), and once you're done with your clip, you're done.

It sounded like SK's hunting partner slept in a vehicle, too, and might not hear a whole lot of anything? And he was probably tired. If you're super-tired from being in the backcountry, you're likely to sleep like a log.

 

[RickshawFan]

I read he was carrying a Glock .45. I know nothing about firearms. Would that have a sound that carries very far if fired?

ETA: Post including Glock info

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid0GUcEQ6FckKDnn8Jy5iUCprXBgVMNoGoT1vCewwHseqB8k8HKq8TmGfZ5jm7ucobzl&id=100044302692250

I doubt the sound is going far without an echo. It doesn't look like there's a whole lot of potential for echo, and sound will easily get sucked in if there are mudflats.

 

[RickshawFan]

Authorities there are also working to try to detect the last location Keel’s cellphone pinged — he was carrying it when he disappeared.

Snipped for focus....

Without cell service, I don't know how they'd get a helpful ping. I would guess SK wasn't carrying a PLB to signal for help either from LE or to his hunting partner (via satellite email)?

Do we know if it was overcast? If so, even a PLB wouldn't function, 'cos there'd be no way to latch onto a satellite.

 

[RickshawFan]

Did we ever find out why SK was hiking back to the caribou carcass? Do we know why the hunting partners didn't remove the carcass immediately to their vehicle? I thought this was odd (but know nothing about hunting). It sounded like the vehicle was close, since SK's partner walked there and spent the night there.