An elk hunter from Michigan received the vital medical attention he needed thanks to a rescue effort by a hunting guide and several others in north-central Idaho. The guide, Darwin Vander Esch, is father of Leighton Vander Esch, linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys.
The hunter was part of a mule pack train packing out an elk when his mule broke off into a run, throwing him to the ground. The man sustained a series of serious injuries including internal bleeding, spinal fractures and broken ribs.
Weather conditions did not allow a helicopter to assist in the rescue so Vander Esch and several others headed into the backcountry, found him, balanced him on a mule and led him back out.
Referring to his son and reported by KTVB-TV, Vander Esch joked, “I have a six o’clock kickoff to watch, so we need to be down the hill by then.”
(Video source: KTVB-TV)