Hunter reports seeing Jeep stuck in mud, igniting forest search, NC rescuers say

A hunter is credited with helping rescuers find a couple who got stuck in mud while off-roading in Pisgah National Forest, according to first responders in the North Carolina mountains.

Burke County EMS reports the Jeep was spotted around 5:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8, on a trail at Brown Mountain.

“It was a couple who were unfamiliar with the area who turned down a wrong road that led to them becoming stuck in the mud,” Burke County Emergency Services Director James M. Robinson told The Charlotte Observer.

“They were seen by a hunter who made the report, but could not give their exact location, and he was out of the area due to cell service so we could not GPS plot his 911 call for their location either.”

Oak Hill Fire and Rescue and the Burke County Rescue Squad mounted a search that set out in the dark, during heavy snowfall. Temperatures hovered near freezing much of the day, creating dangerous conditions, the National Weather Service reports.

Crews “working methodically” found the couple and their Jeep Compass around 7:30 p.m., officials said. No injuries were reported.

The couple lives in Hiddenite, about a 45-mile drive east from Brown Mountain OHV (off highway vehicle) trail system, officials said.

The Brown Mountain OHV area includes 34 miles of designated trails, most of which are set aside trail bikes and ATVs, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Only one trail (Trail 8) is accessible to Jeeps and 4-wheel-drive vehicles, officials say.

The trailhead is near Gamewell, about an 80-mile drive northwest from uptown Charlotte.

This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 11:34 AM with the headline "Hunter reports seeing Jeep stuck in mud, igniting forest search, NC rescuers say."