Bow hunter’s lost arrow impales another man walking off-trail, Colorado rescuers say

An arrow lost by an earlier hunter impaled a bow hunter in the leg as he walked off-trail, Colorado rescuers reported.

Rescuers used a helicopter to airlift the injured hunter to safety, Routt County Search and Rescue said in an Oct. 7 Facebook post. The incident took place sometime in the previous week.

The lost arrow impaled the man’s leg above his knee, CBS News reported. He used a rescue beacon to summon help

“The arrow was presumably released earlier in the archery hunting season,” rescuers said.

The same team had rescued another hunter also impaled by a lost arrow last year, the release said.

Rescuers reached that man, who also had been impaled in the leg, by ATV and brought him out to an ambulance, CBS News reported.

“While we know that it is not always feasible, bow hunters should make every effort possible to find a lost arrow as the razor sharp broadheads pose a very real risk to any humans or animals who may pass through the area in the future,” rescuers wrote on Facebook.

They suggested using illuminated nocks, adhering strips of reflective arrow wraps or fletching brightly colored vanes to make it easier to find lost arrows.

Routt County is 175 miles northwest of Denver.

This story was originally published October 10, 2022 at 11:06 AM with the headline "Bow hunter’s lost arrow impales another man walking off-trail, Colorado rescuers say."