Fifty-two years later:  remembering fallen Fish and Game Conservation Officer Sam Buntrock

By Idaho Fish and Game Senior Conservation Officer Kolby White, Southeast Region

I initially was drawn to the story of Sam Buntrock as I am currently the Idaho Fish and Game conservation officer that covers the area in Bear Lake County where Sam was killed in a plane crash during the spring of 1974.  He was only 27 years old.

I was a little surprised at the lack of information about Sam, and in an attempt to not forget those who have laid down their lives in this line of work, I began asking questions. During my dive into the past, I uncovered a rather brave story.

Sam was born March 6, 1947, in Nampa, Idaho. In 1955, 8-year-old Sam, his father Walter, and older brother John were in a car accident when their family car collided with a county gravel truck. Sam’s father and brother both died as a result of the crash. Sam survived but was reported to have a fractured arm and leg and many facial cuts that left him with scars for the rest of his life.

The accident left Sam as the only child of a widowed mother.

Before Sam graduated from high school in Meridian, tragedy struck again as a close friend died in a motorcycle accident. Sam later attended Boise State College and graduated from Oregon State University in 1970. During his senior year of college, his mother Helen passed away unexpectedly.

Despite the tragedy that surrounded Sam his entire life, every story I read and every person I talked to could only say good things about him. Quotes like “He was just an outstanding person in all respects… I sure miss that big character!” were very common.

Sam was described as a “big man” with a low voice that rivaled that of the late actor Burl Ives. 

Based on my research, Sam worked for Idaho Fish and Game in various temporary positions in Boise and Island Park before joining the ranks as a conservation officer in 1972. Sam was assigned to the Soda Springs patrol area in the Southeast Region.

He immediately began to immerse himself in the Soda Springs community, being an active member of the Soda Springs Lions Club and serving on the Miss Caribou County Pageant Committee. 

One former regional fisheries staff member stated that he and Sam spent many hours fishing together along a section of the Blackfoot River that is now part of a wildlife management area.

Multiple former colleagues of Sam’s relayed that in the year or so before Sam was killed, he had been in another crash… involving a helicopter. The reported crash took place somewhere near Sulphur Canyon in southeast Idaho during what can be assumed to be a wildlife survey. The helicopter went down in deep snow, miles from anywhere. This would have been in the 1972-73 timeframe, meaning cell phones weren’t even a thought and radio service was non-existent in the area. Reports say that Sam and the pilot were uninjured but had to wade through waist-deep snow back to Highway 30, where they eventually hitchhiked back to Soda Springs.

Still after that incident, Sam was just as willing to help with whatever was needed. Such was the case on May 29, 1974. I spoke with Janna Phillips, wife of Blake Phillips (retired Assistant Chief of Enforcement for Idaho Fish and Game) and the daughter of retired Fish and Game Conservation Officer Perry Johnson, who shared more of the story of the plane crash that took Sam’s life.

Janna remembers that it was actually her father, Perry, who was scheduled to be on the plane that morning to fly with some US Forest Service (USFS) employees. She said that her father had come down sick the night prior and asked if Sam would be able to take his place. Sam immediately said he would. Janna said her father was plagued with survivors’ guilt for many years after the accident. 

Unfortunately, time has washed away many of the details from the day, but what records I could find detail the following:

An aircraft was scheduled to fly to the Home Canyon area near the town of Montpelier to look at a possible timber sale, and how that could affect elk calving areas. There were 4 souls on board, Tom Stoor (Pocatello, Pilot), Tom Semrad (Montpelier, Forester USFS), Gary Richardson (Pocatello, Wildlife Biologist USFS) and Sam. 

The group left the Montpelier Municipal Airport around 6 AM, with plans to be back by mid-morning. When they did not make it back in time, a search started at about 1:30 PM. 

Aerial search planes spotted the wreckage at about 5:15 PM. Ground searchers under the direction of then Bear Lake County Sheriff Larry Lloyd reached the aircraft about 6 PM. It is reported that the aircraft clipped the top of a lodgepole pine stand and sent the plane into a nosedive. All passengers of the plane were pronounced dead on the scene.

Those I spoke with who worked for Fish and Game at the time all stated they were extremely devastated by the news of Sam’s passing. They shut down the Southeast Region office in Pocatello, and all drove to Boise for his funeral. They all told me about the positive impact Sam had on their lives, even though they only knew him for a short time.

When I began looking into the story of Sam’s death, I was simply looking for a little more context on what had happened. However, what I really uncovered was a story of bravery and selflessness. I mean, we’ve all heard the expression “if you get bucked off, you gotta get back on”, but that takes on a whole new level when it comes to aircraft. Out of anyone in the department, Sam had the best reason not to climb aboard that plane on that May morning. He could’ve blamed his previous aircraft debacle, and I don’t think anyone would’ve held it against him. Instead, Sam answered the call of his fellow officer with “Sure Bud, I’ll go.”

Sam doesn’t have any immediate family remaining, spare a few cousins with whom I have been in contact. So today, May 29, on this anniversary of his passing, let us remember our Brother in Conservation, who gave his life to “preserve, protect, perpetuate, and manage” the fish and wildlife of Idaho.

If you have more information or details to share about the life and death of Sam Buntrock, please contact Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officer Kolby White at (208) 204-3921. He and his partner, K9 Bear, spend most of their work time in the Montpelier patrol area in southeast Idaho. Kolby also enjoys hunting, fishing, and exploring the great outdoors with his wife Amy, and their other two dogs, Liah and Zoey.