Missing hunter; Powell butcher finds clues for missing Montana man

Posted 7/2/15

Aaron Hedges, 38, of Bozeman went missing during an elk hunt in Montana’s Crazy Mountains in September. A 12-day search that followed found little evidence despite using 20 dog teams, 59 ground searchers, helicopters with night-vision and …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Missing hunter; Powell butcher finds clues for missing Montana man

Posted

Powell butcher Roger Beslanowitch found items from a missing Montana hunter several miles from where extensive search efforts took place last fall.

Aaron Hedges, 38, of Bozeman went missing during an elk hunt in Montana’s Crazy Mountains in September. A 12-day search that followed found little evidence despite using 20 dog teams, 59 ground searchers, helicopters with night-vision and spotlights and a technical high-elevation team.

“And a dumbass butcher found it,” Beslanowitch said. “My wife says I can’t find a beer in the back of the refrigerator, but I found all that stuff from the missing hunter.”

About 2 or 3 miles from his daughter’s and son-in-law’s home, Beslanowitch found a bow, backpack, field gear and a hunting license with Hedges’ name on it. He made the find around 3 p.m. June 19, about 30-40 miles north of Big Timber, Montana.

His son-in-law, Charlie Rein, was fixing a section of fence along the mountainside and suggested Beslanowitch check out the view from the ridge. While heading back, he found a backpack sitting against a tree, clothes against another — most of which had been chewed on by rodents, he said.

“The first thing I thought was it was a bear, and the hair stood up on my back,” Beslanowitch said. But that theory was quickly disproven, so he gathered up the gear, thinking it was just lost.

“If it was mine, I would want someone to pick it up,” Beslanowitch said. “My conclusion was some out-of-state hunter got cold and tired and went home.”

When he returned to the house, he said he “facetiously” asked Charlie Rein if any hunters had gone missing recently — and Charlie just nodded and stared.

Search efforts for Hedges last fall were on the Livingston, Montana, side of the mountain, and Beslanowitch’s discovery was on the opposite side. The location was several miles away and outside of where Hedges was permitted to hunt, and it was on private property. Some items were found in the fall, but nowhere near where Beslanowitch found more equipment.

The Sweet Grass County Sheriff’s Office investigated the scene later that night, and a grid search was conducted the following day, but nothing else was found other than the gear Beslanowitch picked up about 2 or 3 miles from the Reins’ home.

“My daughter (Rebecca Rein) said it made her nervous, and it was weird it was so close to their ranch,” Beslanowitch said.

No more searches are planned unless more leads are found, according to The Associated Press.

Comments