The Tooele County Sheriff’s Office is reminding residents to be careful when going into the county’s mountains and canyons this weekend for the deer hunt opener.
In the past week, the sheriff’s office had to respond to two calls that required the Tooele County Search and Rescue Team to respond.
On Oct. 9, responders were dispatched to White Pine Canyon in Middle Canyon for two riders who were bucked from their horses around 1 p.m., according to Tooele County Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Johnson.
The riders, a 53-year-old man and 51-year-old woman, were both injured, with the man unable to walk as a result of his injuries.
The pair of riders were about two miles up White Pine Canyon when they were extracted and brought to area hospitals, Johnson said.
The next day, search and rescue had to respond to an ATV rollover north of Stockton. A 63-year-old man and his 10-year-old grandson were out elk hunting when their ATV rolled, Johnson said.
The grandfather lost consciousness during the accident and his grandson injured his leg. Air-Med arrived to transport the accident victims — both were treated and stabilized, the grandson at Primary Children’s Hospital and the grandfather at Mountain West Medical Center.
Johnson said that recent accidents are a reminder to use safety when heading into canyons and other more remote locations in the county, whether for hunting or recreation.
“It’s important that you let someone know where you’ll be hunting or traveling, how long you’ll be gone and that you have some means to communicate with emergency responders,” he said.
Anyone going off the beaten path should also make sure they know their capabilities and limitations, Johnson added.
The rifle deer hunting season kicks off on Oct. 17 and runs through Oct. 25.