Missing hunter found alive in remote Nevada wilderness after days of searching

ELKO, Nev. (KUTV) — An overdue hunter survived nearly five days in the remote wilderness of northern Elko County after his vehicle became disabled in an area with no cell service, authorities said.

The Elko County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that Joshua Gansberg of Carson City, Nevada, was last heard from on Nov. 20 while he was hunting in the Merritt Mountain area – about 75 miles north of Elko.

Temperatures in the area have dropped to near or below freezing

“…His family was concerned as this was out of character for him” and contacted authorities on Sunday, the sheriff’s office statement said.

ECSO initiated a multi-agency search and rescue operation involving the Nevada Department of Wildlife Wardens and an aviation company working with local law enforcement. The next day they took to the air to continue the search.

Thanks to information provided by Gansberg’s family, ECSO said search and rescue teams quickly discovered the missing hiker after taking a bird’s eye view of the area.

He was hiking along the east side of Merritt Mountain “just before reaching cell service to call for help” after his truck slid into a ditch about five miles away and got one of its rear wheels stuck completely off the ground.

“His family’s knowledge and ability to provide GPS coordinates for possible camp and hunting locations were critical in the search,” the sheriff’s office said. “These locations significantly reduced the search area and ensured rapid location.”

Gansberg survived despite temperatures in Elko dropping to near or below freezing over the past five days, reaching lows of 27 degrees on Wednesday.

Authorities did not say whether Gansberg suffered any physical injuries.

The statement thanked partners and encouraged anyone interested in volunteering for the search and rescue team to contact the Elko County Sheriff’s Office.

__________