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Coon Hunter That Spent 4 Nights In Hole Article

Article this morning on the 19 year old who went missing last week while coon hunting and found in a hole 4 days later.

quote:

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4 nights in a hole leaves raccoon hunter Wesley Weaver tired, weary



MOBILE, Alabama — Wesley Weaver still can’t quite get it straight in his own head.

The 19-year-old from Jackson goes on a spur-of-the-moment coon hunt, alone, late on the night of Oct. 19. It’s something he’s done so often that his father Scott didn’t give it a second thought when his son left the house shortly before 11 p.m. that Wednesday.

Heading to a Walker Springs hunting club off Good Hope Road in Clarke County that’s been in his family for more than 40 years, Weaver released his coon hounds, Shep and Eli.

In no time, he was following their excited bawling that was telling him they had a raccoon hemmed up in a tree. Weaver easily made his way in the dark toward the barking hounds along Bassett Creek’s moist bottom terrain.

Then he fell in a hole that he’s never encountered, despite having grown up on the property and years of hunting there.

'Scared I was going to die'

Scott Weaver awoke the next morning to find that his son still hadn’t come home.

“About 8 or 8:30, I started to get a feeling something wasn’t right,” he said.

When he learned that Wesley hadn’t shown up at work either, Scott Weaver headed straight to the hunting club, locating his son’s Ford pickup truck about 10:30.

“When I saw his truck, I about had a heart attack,” Scott Weaver said.

In short order, family members found dogs Shep and Eli resting beneath a tree, where tracking collars and other evidence suggested they’d spent the night.

In the hole, Wesley Weaver was glad to see the sunlight but said he never heard his family members’ shouts.

The hole’s rim was high above his head, and he’d failed in his efforts to scrape dirt off the side to build up the bottom so he could try to jump up.

He wasn’t warmly dressed, since he’d figured to be in the woods only a short spell and to build up a sweat chasing his dogs.

He’d left his cell phone in the truck rather than risk getting it wet crossing the creek.

Eventually, day turned into night again. “Cold is not the word for it,” Wesley said.

He was able to lay in a fetal position in the bottom of the hole, he said, but sleep came only during fitfully short periods.

Yet another day came and went. Wesley endured his third night in the hole.

“I got scared I was going to die,” he said.

As the lack of food and water began to take its toll, he became weak, disoriented and lost track of time.

He said, “I heard the helicopters, but I really thought maybe my dad, uncles and a few friends would be out looking for me.”

Instead, by the beginning of Wesley’s last hours in the hole, an estimated 350 searchers were scouring the woods for him.

Said Scott Weaver, “I didn’t know where my boy was, I couldn’t find him. I never asked the Lord to do anything for me, but I hit my knees in my living room at 10:30 Saturday night and I prayed.”

He got his miracle that next day.

Hope in a hopeless world

As he had done numerous times over his days in the hole, Wesley fashioned a loop in the end of a 6-foot dog lead and began throwing it over the hole’s rim, praying it would lasso something so he could pull himself out.

He doesn’t remember how many times he flipped the loop over the rim, but finally it caught on what he soon would see was a cypress knee.

“I don’t know how I found the strength to climb out,” he said.

Free but exhausted, Wesley said, he may have curled up right there outside the hole and slept.

About 1:30 p.m., three local young men who had volunteered in the search found him walking along Evergreen Road. He was about a mile from his Sugar Baker Lane home.

“I didn’t realize there were so many people looking for me until those guys turned around and picked me up,” Wesley said. “I would like to thank all those who searched for me. It’s all so unbelievable.”

Clarke County Sheriff Ray Norris said results of hospital tests showed that Wesley was dehydrated and suffering ketosis, a blood disorder often triggered by not eating.

Wesley and his family went looking for the hole on Monday but didn’t locate it. They planned to look again along the creek this weekend.

“I want to put to rest some of the rumors circulating,” Scott Weaver said, referring to doubts expressed by some questioning his son’s account.

He added, however, “In my 49 years on this earth, I have never seen such an outpouring of compassion. Clarke County is a great place to live.”

Wesley Weaver’s life returned to some semblance of normalcy Tuesday. He went back to his job at a Jackson tire store. He also takes welding classes at Alabama Southern Community College in Thomasville.

His family informed him, however, that there’s a new normal when it comes to coon hunting. No longer will they let him go alone.

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If you live or hunt in cave regions you need to be aware that sinkholes can appear or fall in with you on what used to be solid land. I don't know if that is what happened to this guy but it is one more thing to be aware of. Things like this happen but how do you avoid all hazards? You just can't but going with another hunter is going to keep the risk level lower. Also keeping yourself in good physical health and letting someone know the area where you are planning to hunt can better your chances if you get into a pinch.

there is something about that story that doesn't ring true. he fell into a hole but that hole hasn't been found. why would a hole, as he described it be there, maybe a sink hole, unless he was in the mountains or a mining area. he hooked his lead onto a cyprees knee, that would be in a low lieing area, why would a hole that big be in that kind of area? i think he got turned around and couldn't find his way out, otherwise he could have walked back to his truck. i know, i could be wrong, and he would have no reason real reason to lie, would he, unless he was ashamed of of getting lost.

__________________
happiness is: being saved by the grace of GOD! i'm happy and hope you are too!

quote:

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Originally posted by willseeyalater
If you live or hunt in cave regions you need to be aware that sinkholes can appear or fall in with you on what used to be solid land. I don't know if that is what happened to this guy but it is one more thing to be aware of. Things like this happen but how do you avoid all hazards? You just can't but going with another hunter is going to keep the risk level lower. Also keeping yourself in good physical health and letting someone know the area where you are planning to hunt can better your chances if you get into a pinch.

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Glad he is alright, but it sounded a little odd to me that for four days he couldn't get out of this hole but somehow on that fourth day he was able to get out of this hole? Four days no food no water? Doesn't seem to me that if he didn't have strenght on the first day to climb out that on the fourth he would. Either way my theories really dont matter just glad the hunter is ok.

__________________


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www.woodstockenglishkennels.com

Just curious, why are yall going hunting without your cell phones ? That was the main thing in the article that got my attention.

Today's article and chain of events is a little different than the one in the news when he was rescued. Notice the difference in the red text.

quote:

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Originally posted by Buckshot
JACKSON, Alabama - 19-year-old Wesley Weaver has been found alive in the woods where he went missing Wednesday night. He went missing in a wooded area outside Jackson in Clarke County. He was found a little after 1:30pm Sunday afternoon.

Searchers found him trapped inside a hole in the woods. Apparently he fell into the ditch and could not get out. Weaver told the sheriff he heard the helicopters passing overhead a couple of days ago, but could not flag them down.

Wesley Weaver was immediately rushed to the hospital, and officials tell News 5 he will be fine. News 5 was also there when the 19-year-old was reunited with his family.

Hundreds of volunteers had been searching a 2500 acre area for the missing hunter, and their efforts finally paid off. A helicopter was also searching the woods at night for the young man.

Authorities found his truck and hunting dogs on Friday, but Wesley was nowhere to be found.

News 5s Blake Brown is on the scene and will bring us more information and exclusive video tonight on WKRG at 5:00pm and 10:00pm.

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DAD AND I FOUND A WOMAN IN THE WOODS A FEW YEARS BACK. THE STORY WAS ON THE NEWS FOR AROUND 3 OR 4 DAYS. EVERY DAY THE STORY WAS TOLD ON THE NEWS IT CHANGED A LITTLE. BY THE FORTH DAY THE NEWS SAID SHE WAS FOUND BY PARK RANGERS. THERE WHERE NOT ANY PARK RANGERS AROUND.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

If only he had a garmin then they could find the hole, glad he's ok and always take a cell phone with you.

We have sink holes bad around here that open up in new spots every year..about 6 years or so ago me and 2 buddies were hunting in a spot that i have hunted more than ever..had two dogs and one got treed deep and we walked to her along the edge of a corn field and she was still treed by herself..the other dog usually always came into a dog treed and she never showed up so i thought something was wrong right away..had no tracking system then either..we walked back towards where we cut loose and could barely hear her barking..found out she was about 50 yards from us straight at the bottom of a sink hole..it was right on the edge of the field that we had just walked down...i have no idea how none of us fell in it cause we had our lights off when we walked by and had to have missed it by a couple of feet...this hole was about 25 feet deep..we spent 6 hours trying to get her out and finally got a rope looped around her neck and pulled her out without a scratch on her...I have real hate for those **** holes after that night.....If a person fell in this hole by themselves they would never make it out of there

__________________
Seth Olson

we have an area we hunt that has old wells and cisterns,,always trying to keep an eye out,caution to those that hunt alone he probally thought a few hours hunt.. ended up 4 days

__________________
Country Boy Can Survive



Anderson County Coon Club
Lance White
865-919-7234

Lost Hunter

Here's the rest of the story. On the last three nights the weather was in the mid thirties, wearing only a cotton t-shirt, a cotton flannel shirt and pr of jeans. He was not found in this hole. He was found walking towards his house vs. toward the search area where his truck was. The vols. that found him said they drove past him and after some discussion, turned around to see if it was him. Had he stayed three nights in a hole in these conditions (37 degrees w/ 4 knot wind) w/ no water or food, he would have been under distress and would have attempted to flag the vehicle down. His clothes were very fresh and dry, no dirt on his hands and was in very high spirits. Hospital for some reason, did not ck him for hypothermia, but instead gave him a blood test that showed some dehydration and ketosis. Released within a half an hour.
He says he laid fetal position in hole. Had no smell of urine or feces on clothing.
No signal shots from shotgun
Could have used the gun as a step up.
A hole in the ground at a creek moist bottom would be full of water.
He has hunted this property for his entire life, yet he can't seem to be able to retrace his steps back to where this hole is that he "almost died in".

Should I go on?
This smells of hoax all the way, but the local sheriff is satisfied that the bloodwork tells his story.
He is hailed a hero in his community and is giving all the glory to God. Right...

so were was he someone knows something

__________________
“If winning isn’t everything, why do they keep score?”

Do you know how much money you could win with that dog?.................Now ask if I care.

so what happened to the part where he was throwing his lead end out trying to hook something? he finally hooked onto a cypress knee. then he couldn't find his way to the truck and was found walking down a road. i've never seen a sink hole in low lieing areas where cypress knees are or a ditch with sides so steap i could climb out of. how long was that ditch? he couldn't walk to the end and get out?.

__________________
happiness is: being saved by the grace of GOD! i'm happy and hope you are too!

Re: Lost Hunter

quote:

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Originally posted by Patriot13
Here's the rest of the story. On the last three nights the weather was in the mid thirties, wearing only a cotton t-shirt, a cotton flannel shirt and pr of jeans. He was not found in this hole. He was found walking towards his house vs. toward the search area where his truck was. The vols. that found him said they drove past him and after some discussion, turned around to see if it was him. Had he stayed three nights in a hole in these conditions (37 degrees w/ 4 knot wind) w/ no water or food, he would have been under distress and would have attempted to flag the vehicle down. His clothes were very fresh and dry, no dirt on his hands and was in very high spirits. Hospital for some reason, did not ck him for hypothermia, but instead gave him a blood test that showed some dehydration and ketosis. Released within a half an hour.
He says he laid fetal position in hole. Had no smell of urine or feces on clothing.
No signal shots from shotgun
Could have used the gun as a step up.
A hole in the ground at a creek moist bottom would be full of water.
He has hunted this property for his entire life, yet he can't seem to be able to retrace his steps back to where this hole is that he "almost died in".

Should I go on?
This smells of hoax all the way, but the local sheriff is satisfied that the bloodwork tells his story.
He is hailed a hero in his community and is giving all the glory to God. Right...

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