Missing hunter found safe

After an extended ground and aerial search led by the Flathead County Sheriff's Office, a lost hunter was found by a logger Monday afternoon in the Star Meadow area west of Whitefish.

Charles Larkey, 34, of Kalispell had let someone know that he would be hunting in the Tally Lake area on Sunday.

When he didn't return home Sunday night, a road search was launched with no results overnight.

Two airplanes and a helicopter joined the search Monday morning.

"It was a large geographic area, about 320 square miles, so we had a lot of terrain to cover," Sheriff Chuck Curry said. "The roads were very slick."

At about 1:30 p.m., the 911 Dispatch Center notified searchers that a Stoltze Land and Lumber Co. logger had located Larkey, whose pickup truck had gotten stuck near Ashley Mountain.

Larkey stayed with his vehicle overnight and walked about 5 1/2 miles to the Logan Creek Road in the Star Meadow area where he was picked up by the logger.

Joining the Sheriff's Office in the search were Flathead County Search and Rescue, the Flathead National Forest, Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and Red Eagle Aviation.