City Slicker Goes Missing While Hunting Near Christoval

CHRISTOVAL, TX — A late evening varmint hunt on land south of Christoval turned into a search for a missing person late Friday night and stretched into Saturday afternoon.

On Friday, June 18, at 11:14 p.m., the Tom Green County Sheriff's Office responded to a distress call from an individual who advised he was in a dangerous situation. He made the call on his cell phone. The nature of the problem was not immediately clear due to the caller being in an area with very poor cell service, the Sheriff's Office stated.

After further investigation by the Sheriff's Office, they determined the caller had been hunting with friends and became separated from his group. The hunter subsequently was lost on unfamiliar terrain at night and remained missing from the time the Sheriff was called until daytime hours Saturday afternoon.

A ground and air search was initiated for the lost hunter. The lost subject was ultimately located via a cell phone ping to a tower. His location was triangulated to a ranch approximately two miles south of Christoval.

The lost hunter was recovered at approximately 3:50 p.m. and the Sheriff identified him as Houston resident Zachary Pfluger, 27.

After Pfluger was evaluated by medical personnel at the scene, he was found to be in good condition and released to his family.

The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office was assisted by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Tom Green County Precinct 2 Constables Office, United States Customs and Border Protection, Wall Volunteer Fire Department, Aubrey Lange, and several civilians.

The Tom Green County Sheriff's Office expressed appreciation to the agencies and citizens who assisted with this recovery in difficult terrain and high temperatures.

The photo above is a representative image of a lost hunter and does not represent the exact likeness of the missing hunter.