PHOENIX -- Northern Arizona authorities say they will continue Friday morning to help hunters who may be stranded in the forest due to the heavy snowfall earlier in the week.

Thursday night they received calls from two groups who said they were not in immediate need of assistance but would need help Friday morning. Authorities said all other reports of stranded or overdue hunters had been resolved.

Authorities received more than 22 reports either from hunters themselves or families concerned about their loved ones. Coconino County Sheriff's Office spokesman Gerry Blair says 50 hunters were offered assistance, some of whom declined.

Authorities said the hunters got caught in a powerful storm that dropped 2 to 3 feet of snow Monday and Tuesday with wind gusts of up 78 mph.

Coconino County sheriff's spokesman Gerry Blair said no injuries have been reported. The priority was to retrieve hunters who might be low on food and heating fuel, and get to them before the next storm hits, possibly this weekend, Blair said.

Searchers checked known camps where the elk hunters might be based and looked for any signs of distress. Cell phone coverage can be spotty in some areas.

Colin Piburn and two others in his hunting group tried to get out on their own but quickly realized they were stuck.

"We’ld get up on top of the snow. break through, and your tires are right up against a snow bank and you just spin. We didn’t have any chains but I don’t think chains would have gotten us out either," Piburn said.

Between 2,500 and 3,000 permits were issued for the latest nearly weeklong hunt, said Shelly Shepherd, a spokeswoman for the state Game and Fish Department.

Many hunters are well equipped for long trips, with propane, generators, days worth of food, all-terrain and four-wheel drive vehicles, and camping trailers, Shepherd said.

"They do come prepared and do come with supplies, (but) it's hard to say how much they brought," she said.

Searchers from the sheriff's office, Game and Fish, the Department of Public Safety and the U.S. Forest Service were using snowmobiles, helicopters and planes to locate the hunters scattered across the region. Hunters tried to dig themselves out of the snow, but some roads were impassable, Blair said.

Hunters also got help from private rescue workers. Bruce Evenson, who owns 6 Points Guide Service, pulled out at least 10 trucks in the past two days. He said he knows other people are stuck in areas where there is no cell phone service and may not have a way to call for help.

"My biggest fear is people are gonna run out of propane and they’re gonna run out of fuel and that’s gonna be a problem," said Evenson.

One hunter died Monday night when wind gusts sent a pine tree crashing down on his tent as he slept. Blair said those who have been rescued are cold and hungry but have not had any major medical issues.

Blair said search and rescue missions are typical following a winter storm, but it's unusual for have so many active missions at one time.

"The storm just hit when everyone was out in the field," he said.