US senior survives 3 weeks lost in woods A 72-YEAR-OLD hunter has survived more than three weeks lost in a remote Californian forest by eating squirrels, lizards and berries and wrapping himself in grass to keep warm. Gene Penaflor was rescued after he was discovered by another group of hunters in the Yuki Wilderness more than two weeks after the official search for him was called off. He told them he became lost after falling and hitting his head, causing him to pass out, NBC News reported on Monday. He is recovering in hospital after being evacuated by helicopter. "He's fine," Penaflor's son, Jeremy, said. It's like he went on vacation and came back with a beard.