Missing Hunter Found Alive After 19 Days Lost in California Wilderness

A California hunter missing for nearly three weeks in the rugged Sierra wilderness has been found alive, a recovery officials are calling “nothing short of a miracle.”

Ron Dailey, a 71-year-old from Selma, vanished on October 13 during a solo hunting trip near Shaver Lake. His disappearance sparked a massive search effort through steep and remote terrain. On Saturday, nearly 20 days later, a group of fellow hunters discovered him alive along the Swamp Lake Trail in the Sierra National Forest.

“They saved my life,” Dailey said in a recording shared by his family.

According to Dailey, he had driven up a jeep road and gotten his truck stuck on rocky ground, where he remained for several days before deciding to continue on foot. “This is it, Ron. You either try to get out or you sit here and die,” he recalled telling himself.

Battling exhaustion and high altitude over 10,000 feet, Dailey said he had to stop every hundred yards to rest. He eventually lost his phone and hadn’t eaten for six days before spotting headlights in the distance. “I started hugging them and praying,” he said of the hunters who found him.

The Fresno County Sheriff’s Office said search teams had spent “countless hours” scouring the wilderness. Dailey’s wife, Glenda, thanked the rescuers and community for their support.

“To the men who went down that road and found him, I am eternally grateful,” she said.