A horn hunter endured a chilly Sunday night in the Kirwin area after his truck became stuck in snow.

Daniel McIlroy of Cody, 38, set out for the ghost town west of Meeteetse around noon on Sunday to look for shed antlers. However, by Monday morning, McIlroy had failed to return home, prompting a concerned family member to call the Park County Sheriff’s Office.

Park County Search and Rescue began a search for McIlroy at roughly 8:30 a.m. The weather in the Kirwin area was around 37 degrees and snowing heavily at the time.

While search and rescue volunteers launched the organization’s airplane and prepared to deploy ground teams, Deputy Rob Cooke headed up the Wood River Road and into the Shoshone National Forest to aid with the search.

Around 9:50 a.m., Cooke spotted McIlory inside his truck, which was “buried in the snow” near the abandoned Double D Ranch — some 28 miles southwest of Meeteetse.

The deputy found McIlroy unhurt, “just slightly cold and tired,” according to a news release from the sheriff’s office. “McIlroy had spent the night in his truck and was prepared for the emergency in that he had plenty of food and water and had actually built a fire the day before to keep warm and to dry out.”

Cooke gave McIlroy a ride back to civilization and search and rescue was called off.

In the release, Sheriff Scott Steward praised the response by his deputy and search and rescue members, but also the way McIlroy handled the situation.

“The victim in this case did all the right things,” Steward said. “He let someone know where he was going and when he expected to return. He also had emergency provisions, including the ability to build a fire. Finally, he made the wise decision not to try and walk for help.”

“These are life-saving decisions that all of us should heed before setting out into the back country,” the sheriff said.

McIlroy told the sheriff’s office he plans to retrieve his truck at a later time.