CONEJOS COUNTY, CO – A desperate search operation entered its fourth day Tuesday as rescue teams scoured rugged wilderness terrain for two young elk hunters who vanished last week in southern Colorado’s remote San Juan Wilderness Area.
Andrew Porter, 25, of Asheville, North Carolina, and Ian Stasko, 25, of Salt Lake City, haven’t been heard from since heading into the backcountry Thursday for what was supposed to be a routine hunting trip near Trujillo Meadows Reservoir, not far from the New Mexico border.
The alarm was raised Friday when the men failed to check in with family members at a predetermined time, prompting worried relatives to contact the Conejos County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responding to the Rio De Los Pinos trailhead discovered the hunters’ vehicle still parked there, with camping gear and backpacks visible inside – suggesting the men had planned to return.
“We’re throwing everything we’ve got at this search,” said a sheriff’s department spokesperson, describing the effort as “massive” in scope. The treacherous terrain and deteriorating weather conditions have complicated what’s become an all-hands rescue mission involving multiple agencies and dozens of searchers.
Search teams deployed helicopters for aerial reconnaissance while ground crews on foot systematically combed through dense forest and steep ravines. Specially trained search dogs worked to pick up any scent trails, while drone operators flew grid patterns over areas too dangerous for human searchers to access safely.
Local volunteers familiar with the backcountry have joined professional search and rescue personnel, creating human chains to sweep through heavily wooded sections where visibility is limited to just a few yards. The searchers are racing against time as overnight temperatures in the high-altitude wilderness have been dropping below freezing.
The San Juan Wilderness encompasses more than 100,000 acres of pristine but unforgiving terrain, featuring elevations ranging from 8,000 to over 13,000 feet. The area’s dramatic landscape includes steep canyon walls, dense conifer forests, and numerous creek drainages that can disorient even experienced outdoorsmen.
Weather forecasters warned that an approaching storm system could dump several inches of snow on the higher elevations by Wednesday, potentially obliterating any tracks or signs the missing men might have left behind. The impending weather has added urgency to an already intense search effort.
Porter’s family traveled from North Carolina to assist in the search, while Stasko’s relatives arrived from Utah, both groups maintaining a vigil at the search command post. Neither family has spoken publicly, but friends described both men as experienced hunters who knew how to handle themselves in the wilderness.
The search continues around the clock, with teams rotating in 12-hour shifts to maintain coverage of the vast search area. Authorities are asking anyone who was in the area last week and may have seen the two men to contact the sheriff’s office immediately.
