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The designer of PhotoStalk, Camouflage Systems, Doug Prather has had a time when not being spotted by game animals or other hunters was the last thing in the world he wanted. You see, when you’re lost in the wilderness one would wish the camo clothing they’re wearing could suddenly be transformed to a flashy, bright neon lit outfit that could be seen from many miles away.
The event happened on a caribou hunt in Alaska where Doug was accompanied by his pastor and good friend Tony Cooper. The two had made several trips packing out a 600 lb. caribou that had been harvested. One more trip would finish the job at hand, so the pair decided to hunt their way back with the last of the downed animal. On this trip, they would be traveling solo and the men were given map quadrants to travel to and from their intended destinations. The problem was the quadrants were given to them off of a GPS. Doug and Tony only had conventional compasses and their location in Alaska was 15 degrees off magnetic north which was not taken into account. The sportsmen were reading the compass wrong; the result was being lost in the wilds of Alaska. As the day wore on the hunters realized they would be spending the night away from base camp. No one would be missing them or searching for them that night as the rest of the hunting party had flown off somewhere. Doug says, “The worst feeling in the world is being lost and knowing no one is looking for you.”
The prospect of a very long night loomed before the men, they stopped to pray. Doug remembers, “We prayed as lost men would be expected to pray – earnestly!” In a few minutes after praying, as they continued the journey, a shed caribou antler was spotted which they though they recognized from a previous trip through the area. Even though it was not the antler they had seen, nor were they in the same spot, it turned them left. Still lost, they ended the day’s trek by a lake’s head waters. As darkness settled around them, they thought they could hear distant voices, firing their rifles, the others they heard, wherever they were, responding in a like manner. So, the men made camp with the provisions they had. Morning dawned with a heavy fog and Doug asked God, “Lord what do we do?” They were prepared to fire signal flares, but that would be useless. When the fog lifted they could see a float plane and were viewing the only humans of the area within fifty square miles. The fellow also turned out to be someone Doug knew and he flew them to their base camp. It turned out that they were only 1 ½ miles from their camp, going the wrong way. Doug Prather is convinced it was no accident and God had intervened. When he showed them the antler shed and started them left toward the only lake that had a plane or humans on it for fifty square miles. It should be noted that the two were lightly clothed and the night they stayed out was very low winds for the area, with temperatures in the low forties. The next night winds were 50-60 miles per hour and it rained two inches. One more night and the two would have most likely died of hypothermia.
Doug Prather was given a way to be rescued from the lost condition of the Alaskan wilderness, but may become lost again someday. However, he will never be lost eternally, as he’s asked Jesus Christ to be his Lord and Savior. Why not contact us here at God’s Great Outdoors and we will send you a free booklet on the subject by Charlie Alsheimer called, “The Ultimate Hunt.” You will also receive “The Greatest Hunt of All,” by Dwight Schuh.
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