LAUREL — Two hunters were found dead on Thursday, November 28, 2024, after being reported missing south of Laurel on Wednesday.
Yellowstone County Deputy Coroner Rich Hoffman identified the men as Ray Bernard Wells of Park City, and James Rheinhart Horton of Laurel. Both men were 71 years old.
According to the City of Laurel's interim chief administrative officer Kurt Markegard, the two men had left Laurel on Wednesday morning to go hunting on private land.
“It was just two old-time friends out doing some deer hunting,” Markegard said.
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The hunters were believed to be on or near Markegard's family property.
By Wednesday night several agencies, family, and friends were searching in the area between Spring Creek Road and Price Hill Road.
"The driver of the vehicle (Horton) is a personal friend of mine. I've known him for 40 years," Markegard said.
The Laurel Volunteer Fire Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, and the Air National Guard assisted in the search.
"We're fortunate to have the resources that we do have and all the different agencies work very well together. So it makes these kinds of things go quicker and to try to find individuals as good as we can," Laurel Fire Chief JW Hopper said. "The searchers did an amazing job on the first night, but without those helicopters, the side-by-side was upside down in the bottom of a ravine and it was super, super hard to see."
According to Markegard, the UTV had rolled down a ravine.
“We went out and flew all the area out there and just did a grid search for where I knew he had been that morning. I'd seen his tracks in the snow...then we just found him in a ravine,” Markegard said. “I don't want to get into too many details, but they went from the top of a Coulee to the bottom.”
