BOTETOURT – Three lost coon hunters were found this morning not long after daybreak after spending the night in a mountainous area near Oriskany, the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Department reported.
The three were hunting off of Lignite Road in the Jefferson National Forest. One of the young men called the Botetourt County 911 center at 2:17 a.m. this morning and advised he and his two friends had lost their way. The caller said none of them was injured and they were fine. The caller was told to stay where they were until searchers could reach them.
The young men are ages 18, 16 and 13. A command station was set up in the area, and the young hunters were found about a half a mile from the center. Aside from being wet and cold they are fine, the Sheriff’s Department reported.
The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Game Commission, Virginia Division of Forestry and Botetourt County Department of Emergency Services conducted the search.