Hunter survives nearly 3 weeks alone in woods
Posted: Oct 15, 2013 12:38 AM EDT | Updated: Nov 6, 2014 1:11 PM EDT
MENDOCINO NATIONAL FOREST, Calif -- A 72 -year-old hunter survived for 19 days, nearly 3 weeks, after he got lost on a hunting trip.
Gene Penaflor, got separated from his partner and then suffered a serious fall.
He survived by eating lizards, frogs, and squirrels and by huddling under logs to stay out of the elements.
"I didn't panic because panic would kill me right away, I knew that," said Penaflor.
Rescue teams searching for Penaflor for weeks finally found him on Saturday at the bottom of a ravine. By then, Penaflor could no longer walk on his own and he had to be carried on a stretcher.
Doctors say Penaflor is going to be fine.