Park County Search and Rescue volunteers prepare to get a lift home after hiking 2 miles from the scene of a rescue in the South Fork area earlier this month. A team of six rescued an Iowa man after he broke his leg in a fall during an elk hunt.COURTESY PHOTO

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PostedThursday,October 22, 20208:15 amByMark Davis

A recent rescue mission in the backcountry of the South Fork highlighted the importance of being prepared — and the commitment of Park County volunteers.

After a hunter shot an elk on Friday, Oct. 9, his guide returned to camp to get horses to pack out the trophy. In the meantime, while trying to reach his harvested elk, the hunter slid down a steep ravine and snapped his lower right leg.

When the guide returned, he found the elk, but couldn’t find his client. He went back to camp, thinking the hunter had…