Three men lost, but now they're found

COEUR d’ALENE — Three local men who got lost huckleberry picking in the area of Fernan Saddle area were found after a several hour search Tuesday evening.

Howard Hudson, 62, and Ray Gomez, 67, both of Coeur d’Alene, were found around 8:30 p.m. in the Fernan Creek drainage by Kootenai County Fire and Rescue and Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department deputies, according to the sheriff’s department.

A third man, Johnnie Hudson, 55, of Hayden, was located around 6:15 that evening. Hudson had gone looking for the other two men when he noticed they hadn’t returned from picking.

It was reported that all three subjects had some medical conditions and they had no extra food or water.

What helped deputies locate Hudson was the three distress shots the missing man fired from a gun. Deputies responded to the area of the shots and located Hudson. Hudson stated he was not injured and was huckleberry picking with the two others when they got separated.

After waiting approximately 5 hours at the vehicle, Johnnie hiked back up the mountain to make a phone call for help.

The Coeur d’Alene men were helped out of the ravine where they were found and treated at the scene by medical personnel for minor injuries.

The Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department would like to remind everyone going into the woods to make sure they are prepared and have proper safety gear even for short hikes.