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

[Hexe]

It seems logical that an experienced hunter from Tennessee, who had been planning a hunting trip in Alaska, would be studying up on all information that would be needed for preparation of such a trip.
I don't hunt but have friends who do and who also go fishing in distant locations. They are constantly training and learning and studying before such adventures. They purchase special tools, clothing, and equipment, based on counsel and expertise from those who have been before.

And without a first hand experience of what an arctic tundra is, many perished, even despite an equipment and training they had. It was his first time so far up north, he did not know Arctic at all. A misadventure is highly probable here.

 

[Jade]

It does seem it would just be asking for a bear by leaving a carcass in a pack in the open.

I would have preferred my companion to come along to fetch it so we could both be alert and keep an eye on my back while I was distracted by situating my pack.

I believe reports said he had a gun but did he also have bear spray?


>>>
Firearms are not recommended for stopping an attack. Using a firearm during a bear attack may only worsen the attack. An injured bear will be more aggressive, especially during a fight. It’s also harder to hit a charging bear with a firearm rather than bear spray, and a firearm can be dangerous to any hiking partners.
>>
Firearms are not a substitute for proper bear avoidance practices and knowing how to properly handle a bear encounter.

Staying Safe in Bear Country: Bear Spray & Firearms (U.S. National Park Service)


>>
Special care should be taken by hunters recovering kills in grizzly country. Bears will often claim hunter-killed animals surprisingly quickly and defended them as they will any other food resource. Bears can be incredibly aggressive around carcasses, and several deaths have resulted from bear attacks on hunters at kill sites. Kills should be approached cautiously from an upwind direction, if possible, and an excess of noise should be made to alert the bear to human presence and give it an opportunity to move off. If a bear claims your kill, cede ownership to the bear and contact your local game management agency.
>>
Bear Attacks



But wouldn’t a bear still be nearby if that is what happened?

Would there be signs of other scavengers indicating the scene? Scavengers of the Tundra



What of the back pack with the meat? Was it still there disturbed; undisturbed?

Comments on the family Facebook page say SK’s walking stick was found. If so was it still by the backpack marking the location?

That SK didn’t have his own sat phone but still they separated then the lack of urgency by the partner knowing SK couldn’t communicate is extreme inexperience, naivety?




All imo

 

[J-Kat]

The walking stick was found? Was the backpack not with it? If that was the case that would imply to me he never made it to the backpack location as I would think he would pick up the pack and the stick. I find it odd that he could not get the pack back to camp in the first place. Could his hunting buddy not help or was he carrying his own stuff? So many questions.

 

[Hexe]

The walking stick was found? Was the backpack not with it? If that was the case that would imply to me he never made it to the backpack location as I would think he would pick up the pack and the stick. I find it odd that he could not get the pack back to camp in the first place. Could his hunting buddy not help or was he carrying his own stuff? So many questions.

I suppose each guy carried his share of load to the camp, that's how it usually is done. I also hope these two gents did not plan on having that meat in the camp as this is a recipe for having a hungry bear popping up for a lunch. Bad and very dangerous idea. As for Steve being unable to carry the pack, well, if that's true, it certainly would make me think about his overall health and condition. Maybe he wasn't as fit as he thought.

 

[LauraAnne]

The walking stick was found? Was the backpack not with it? If that was the case that would imply to me he never made it to the backpack location as I would think he would pick up the pack and the stick. I find it odd that he could not get the pack back to camp in the first place. Could his hunting buddy not help or was he carrying his own stuff? So many questions.

According to the family search website, the walking stick was found along with the untouched pack of caribou Steve was seeking. Additionally, both "gut piles" from where the two Caribou were field dressed were untouched, and non of the searchers have spotted a bear during this search.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

If he was attacked by a bear near the meat, would there not have been signs of this found by search parties?

 

[Hexe]

According to the family search website, the walking stick was found along with the untouched pack of caribou Steve was seeking. Additionally, both "gut piles" from where the two Caribou were field dressed were untouched, and non of the searchers have spotted a bear during this search.

So, either something caught Steve's attention, he ventured deeper into tundra and got lost, or the LE need to check his hunting pal very carefully.

 

[HongKongPhooey]

So, either something caught Steve's attention, he ventured deeper into tundra and got lost, or the LE need to check his hunting pal very carefully.

Or, he was avoiding a bear - except, as the meat wasn’t scavenged I don’t think this is likely. In fact, I would take bear out of the equation due to the meat still being there. Chances of both Steve and the bear perishing in some kind of attack, then remaining not found, would be slim to none I think.

 

[neesaki]

There is now a public group on Facebook for the search for Steve. Log into Facebook

Thank you. Just read over there a comment, asking if it’s possible that SK went through the “Muskeg”, and that it can close up without warning. CD replied that yes, it is possible.
Does anyone know exactly what that means? TIA

 

[Hexe]

Thank you. Just read over there a comment, asking if it’s possible that SK went through the “Muskeg”, and that it can close up without warning. CD replied that yes, it is possible.
Does anyone know exactly what that means? TIA

A muskeg is basically a bog. It resembles a plain, covered with short grass, but underneath that grass is a layer of water which was unable to drain off due to the permafrost.

 

[neesaki]

A muskeg is basically a bog. It resembles a plain, covered with short grass, but underneath that grass is a layer of water which was unable to drain off due to the permafrost.

Thank you. So it can close off due to water , thus making it impassable?

 

[Black Diamond]

Very informational post on the Facebook group that answers a lot of the recent questions posed here.

Update: I wanted to take a minute to explain what we know about the circumstances surroundng Steve Keels disappeance and search efforts.
Order of events.
Steve was hunting his friend Bryan Collins. Steve had killed a Caribou on the 25th of August. Bryan had taken taken one the a few days before. They camped by a river west appox 3 miles west of their base campsite, which out them 5 miles from the Dalton Highway, which is reuired by law for hunting unit 26b. On the 26th, they began their hike back to basecamp. Approximately six thenths of a mile from base camp, Steve grew tired of carrying the pack, decided to leave it at that location and return the next day to retreive it. The pack was marked with a hiking stick. They then proceeded to base camp and stopped one more time to place another hiking stick on a ridge to provide Steve a line of direction towards the pack.
The following morning, after his morning coffee, Steve headed out to retrive his back. His was carring his pistol, a bottle of water and he had his cell phone. He told Bryan he would be back shortly, Bryan told him to fire a shot if he needed help. Approimately two and a half hours later, Bryan became concerned that Steve had not returned to the camp. He Hiked out to the location near the second walking stick, and saw no sign of Steve. He fired a couple of shots with his gun, they where not answered. He then went back to camp. Their emergency plan was to make their way to the Dalton Hwy and meet at their vehicle if either got seperated or lost. Bryan hiked out to the van, which was a 4 hour hike. When he arrived at the van, there was no sign of Steve. It was late and he decided to stay the night at the van. The next morning he hiked back to camp to fine no new sign of Steve. He then his the SOS on his GPS unit.
Additional Facts.
Steve never made it to the meat pack. It was undisturbed.
Bryan had both a Garmin ETREX 30, Celestron GPS and a Zoleo unit. The Zoleo unit was used to check in with the mens wives, those check ins gave of a map of both campsites and near the kill site of the caribou. All locations check out. Bryan had loaned Steve the Zoleo for the hunt. Steve left the unit in the tent the morning he went to retrieve the bag.
It was approximately 30 hours from the time that Bryan hit his SOS button, that the airsearch began. There was no ground search authorized for search and rescue teams. Of which The Alaskan State Troopers where prepared to do with K9's, but were never authrized to search. The air search was performed by the Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol and the North Slope Search and Recue team. The last information I have has about 40 hours of airsearching performed. A volunteer for the North Slope Search and resuce team stayed on the ground searching as a volunteer in his off time to assist in the ground search, as well as Steve's two son's and his hunting partner Brian, prior to the 4 man team from Dover.
There have been several comments made on post about Steve being a non-Native Alaskan, denoting he was not a native decent, and non-native decent. I'm uncertain as to how this relates to the search, but I can promise you this, if you come to Tennessee and are in a car wreck, our first responders are not going to check your license before they try to save you. We have been told that Native hunters and trappers are keeping an eye out. We also have a searcher on the ground.
The last ping on his phone was on the road out of Fairbanks heading north to the hunt location.
No, Steve and Bryan did not check in with local authorties. They were unaware that they needed to.
In the two weeks of searching, zero bears were seen in the search area. As of Sunday, the gut piles remained for both kills undisturbed and the pack remained undisturbed for around 10 days. The was also no sign of a bear attack.
As far Bryans involvement, he stayed and searched for several days after Steve went missing. I have been incontact with him since he has been home and he has gone out of his way to help with the search and me get information to the searchers. There is zero substantiated evidence to lead me to believe that he had anything to do with Steves disappeance.
Steve is a former Marine and by all accounts an excellent outdoorsman. The ground in the area he went missing is covered in blue berries, and there is pleanty of fresh water. We are unsure if he had anything to start a fire with, and there is not much on the ground there that will burn. the tempatures there rang this time of year between the mid 40's for the highs and the nights get cold. Fog can move in at anytime.
Please continue to keep Liz in your prayers and prayers for our contiued efforts to locate him.
Chris Dowdy

 

[RickshawFan]

It does seem it would just be asking for a bear by leaving a carcass in a pack in the open.

I would have preferred my companion to come along to fetch it so we could both be alert and keep an eye on my back while I was distracted by situating my pack.

I believe reports said he had a gun but did he also have bear spray?


>>>
Firearms are not recommended for stopping an attack. Using a firearm during a bear attack may only worsen the attack. An injured bear will be more aggressive, especially during a fight. It’s also harder to hit a charging bear with a firearm rather than bear spray, and a firearm can be dangerous to any hiking partners.
>>
Firearms are not a substitute for proper bear avoidance practices and knowing how to properly handle a bear encounter.

Staying Safe in Bear Country: Bear Spray & Firearms (U.S. National Park Service)


>>
Special care should be taken by hunters recovering kills in grizzly country. Bears will often claim hunter-killed animals surprisingly quickly and defended them as they will any other food resource. Bears can be incredibly aggressive around carcasses, and several deaths have resulted from bear attacks on hunters at kill sites. Kills should be approached cautiously from an upwind direction, if possible, and an excess of noise should be made to alert the bear to human presence and give it an opportunity to move off. If a bear claims your kill, cede ownership to the bear and contact your local game management agency.
>>
Bear Attacks



But wouldn’t a bear still be nearby if that is what happened?

Would there be signs of other scavengers indicating the scene? Scavengers of the Tundra



What of the back pack with the meat? Was it still there disturbed; undisturbed?

Comments on the family Facebook page say SK’s walking stick was found. If so was it still by the backpack marking the location?

That SK didn’t have his own sat phone but still they separated then the lack of urgency by the partner knowing SK couldn’t communicate is extreme inexperience, naivety?




All imo

Such great points.

I hadn't realize a hiking pole was found. SK did leave a hiking pole to mark the carcass, so it might have been found with the carcass instead of just out there, as you suggest. Also, it looked like a trekking pole that comes in a pair, so there was presumably a second one somewhere or other.

 

[RickshawFan]

As the SK search went on, there was another big search for hunters in AK. These were moose hunters. I've put some info ^^^^, but I thought I'd add another article because it gives an idea about the complexities of organizing a search in AK. It's so huge and sparsely populated, volunteers might have to be flown in, agencies have to be coordinated, etc.:

A dive team is helping BSAR look for three missing hunters

The dive team brings additional skills and equipment to the search as it enters its second week.

www.kyuk.org

 

[Jade]

As the SK search went on, there was another big search for hunters in AK. These were moose hunters. I've put some info ^^^^, but I thought I'd add another article because it gives an idea about the complexities of organizing a search in AK. It's so huge and sparsely populated, volunteers might have to be flown in, agencies have to be coordinated, etc.:

A dive team is helping BSAR look for three missing hunters

The dive team brings additional skills and equipment to the search as it enters its second week.

www.kyuk.org

I was sad to see the comparing of a rescue in the Arctic, miles from the road, with the level of response and danger to the rescuers that entails, to a car accident in Tennessee.

There just seems to be no awareness that this trip required an acceptance of risk in a on your own region.


all imo

 

[RickshawFan]

It sounds like the two hunters were used to hunting separately? That's why they'd have an agreement to meet back at the vehicle if they couldn't find each other?

And it sounds like SK's hunting partner scored his kill several days before SK. What were the logistics here? Did they hang out together during that time? Did the hiking partner head back to camp?

For me, the new details raise more questions than they answer. And I continue to be concerned that there seems to be a lack of trust that local SAR ran the appropriate protocols. A reminder, too, that the airborne resources in that area, while they can be available for SAR, are also paid for by local taxpayers for medevac. Medical facilities are so far away, flights are needed. Also, LE, SAR, and medical personnel everywhere have to prioritize their resources according to likelihood of success: this is called triage.

 

[RickshawFan]

I was sad to see the comparing of a rescue in the Arctic, miles from the road, with the level of response and danger to the rescuers that entails, to a car accident in Tennessee.

There just seems to be no awareness that this trip required an acceptance of risk in a on your own region.


all imo

Thank you so much for saying this. I feel exactly the same way.

 

[neesaki]

Very informational post on the Facebook group that answers a lot of the recent questions posed here.

Update: I wanted to take a minute to explain what we know about the circumstances surroundng Steve Keels disappeance and search efforts.
Order of events.
Steve was hunting his friend Bryan Collins. Steve had killed a Caribou on the 25th of August. Bryan had taken taken one the a few days before. They camped by a river west appox 3 miles west of their base campsite, which out them 5 miles from the Dalton Highway, which is reuired by law for hunting unit 26b. On the 26th, they began their hike back to basecamp. Approximately six thenths of a mile from base camp, Steve grew tired of carrying the pack, decided to leave it at that location and return the next day to retreive it. The pack was marked with a hiking stick. They then proceeded to base camp and stopped one more time to place another hiking stick on a ridge to provide Steve a line of direction towards the pack.
The following morning, after his morning coffee, Steve headed out to retrive his back. His was carring his pistol, a bottle of water and he had his cell phone. He told Bryan he would be back shortly, Bryan told him to fire a shot if he needed help. Approimately two and a half hours later, Bryan became concerned that Steve had not returned to the camp. He Hiked out to the location near the second walking stick, and saw no sign of Steve. He fired a couple of shots with his gun, they where not answered. He then went back to camp. Their emergency plan was to make their way to the Dalton Hwy and meet at their vehicle if either got seperated or lost. Bryan hiked out to the van, which was a 4 hour hike. When he arrived at the van, there was no sign of Steve. It was late and he decided to stay the night at the van. The next morning he hiked back to camp to fine no new sign of Steve. He then his the SOS on his GPS unit.
Additional Facts.
Steve never made it to the meat pack. It was undisturbed.
Bryan had both a Garmin ETREX 30, Celestron GPS and a Zoleo unit. The Zoleo unit was used to check in with the mens wives, those check ins gave of a map of both campsites and near the kill site of the caribou. All locations check out. Bryan had loaned Steve the Zoleo for the hunt. Steve left the unit in the tent the morning he went to retrieve the bag.
It was approximately 30 hours from the time that Bryan hit his SOS button, that the airsearch began. There was no ground search authorized for search and rescue teams. Of which The Alaskan State Troopers where prepared to do with K9's, but were never authrized to search. The air search was performed by the Coast Guard, Civil Air Patrol and the North Slope Search and Recue team. The last information I have has about 40 hours of airsearching performed. A volunteer for the North Slope Search and resuce team stayed on the ground searching as a volunteer in his off time to assist in the ground search, as well as Steve's two son's and his hunting partner Brian, prior to the 4 man team from Dover.
There have been several comments made on post about Steve being a non-Native Alaskan, denoting he was not a native decent, and non-native decent. I'm uncertain as to how this relates to the search, but I can promise you this, if you come to Tennessee and are in a car wreck, our first responders are not going to check your license before they try to save you. We have been told that Native hunters and trappers are keeping an eye out. We also have a searcher on the ground.
The last ping on his phone was on the road out of Fairbanks heading north to the hunt location.
No, Steve and Bryan did not check in with local authorties. They were unaware that they needed to.
In the two weeks of searching, zero bears were seen in the search area. As of Sunday, the gut piles remained for both kills undisturbed and the pack remained undisturbed for around 10 days. The was also no sign of a bear attack.
As far Bryans involvement, he stayed and searched for several days after Steve went missing. I have been incontact with him since he has been home and he has gone out of his way to help with the search and me get information to the searchers. There is zero substantiated evidence to lead me to believe that he had anything to do with Steves disappeance.
Steve is a former Marine and by all accounts an excellent outdoorsman. The ground in the area he went missing is covered in blue berries, and there is pleanty of fresh water. We are unsure if he had anything to start a fire with, and there is not much on the ground there that will burn. the tempatures there rang this time of year between the mid 40's for the highs and the nights get cold. Fog can move in at anytime.
Please continue to keep Liz in your prayers and prayers for our contiued efforts to locate him.
Chris Dowdy

Also in another of his comments, he states that Bryan was preparing his own meat for storage in the coolers when SK left to retrieve his. He did ask SK if he needed any help, but no. Rugged independence I guess.

 

[Jade]

News Channel 5 Facebook:

See comments by MC daughter of hunter BC

Click next to post by AG- 18 replies-to open more interesting comments

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...49WueK18vjSX7SK9k3CBfszHzl&id=100044302692250

Imo



It seems a bit strange that SK, an electrician, which requires skills and attention, former Marine, avid outdoors man would, MC says, “forget” the GPS then disappear without a trace.



Black Diamonds post quotes “he left the unit in the tent” which sounds more deliberate.



All imo

 

[RickshawFan]

News Channel 5 Facebook:

See comments by MC daughter of hunter BC

Click next to post by AG- 18 replies-to open more interesting comments

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?st...49WueK18vjSX7SK9k3CBfszHzl&id=100044302692250

Imo



It seems a bit strange that SK, an electrician, which requires skills and attention, former Marine, avid outdoors man would, MC says, “forget” the GPS then disappear without a trace.



Black Diamonds post quotes “he left the unit in the tent” which sounds more deliberate.



All imo

It was unclear to me if the hunters had one zoleo or two. Maybe they only had one, and that's the one Bryan used to call SOS?

A zoleo gets used in conjunction with a smartphone. It calls via satellite when there's no cell service. It also has an SOS button.

I guess the etrek GPS wasn't used to mark where the carcass was, and instead it was marked by a trekking pole? Why?

ZOLEO Satellite Communicator | REI Co-op

The small, rugged and award-winning ZOLEO satellite communicator connects with your smartphone or tablet to offer seamless global 2-way messaging wherever your adventures may take you.

www.rei.com

Very helpful: the new iphone has integrated satellite communication. This is WOW!