The effort by Faro RCMP, area residents and search and rescue volunteers to find a pair of missing hunters ended in success Monday morning, and averted a possible medical emergency, police say.

The search began Sunday morning, after two local hunters failed to return home as scheduled.

The friends, both experienced outdoorsmen familiar with the area, had set out Saturday morning for Mount Mye, and had told their wives to expect them back by nightfall.

When they didn't return, the women contacted friends, who organized a search team for the following morning.

They searched the area the two men had said they were headed to, but by evening, had not found them.

Police were called at 5 p.m. and began a ground search with trucks and ATVs, which was also unsuccessful.

At that point, police called in help from above, and the men were finally located by helicopter at 10:00 Monday morning.

The pair had been travelling in an Argo, a six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle, which broke down, leaving the men to walk in poor weather conditions.

They decided they were best to leave the area they had said they would be in and take shelter in a cabin they knew of on the north side of the mountain.

The cabin was out of the area that they were hunting in, but was the closest shelter they could get to, according to police reports.

Both men used their knowledge of the area to find a safe location and wait for assistance. In this case, the hunters did all the correct things in filing a trip plan and sought shelter to await help, police said today.

One of the men was taken to Faro for medical attention, because of diabetes-related issues, but otherwise they were in good condition, according to police.

Their names were not released.

"They're both experienced men, and without the medical condition it wouldn't have been as urgent to find them,” RCMP spokesman Sgt. Don Rogers said today.

"RCMP want to remind all back country users to ensure that they plan any trips and ensure that there is a contact who is aware of the planned return time and date,” Rogers said in a news release.

"All users should carry extra provisions, shelter and emergency equipment, including any medications.

"When possible, RCMP encourage people to have a satellite phone or other emergency locator devices such as a SPOT beacon.”