Ron Dailey, 65, survived nearly three weeks in the frosty, mountainous wilderness after taking a wrong turn

The California hunter who spent nearly three weeks stranded in the frosty, mountainous wilderness reportedly survived by rationing out the little food he brought with him - eating 70 or fewer calories daily for a stretch - as well as consuming melted snow to stay hydrated.

Yet before his 1 November rescue, 65-year-old Ron Dailey was so unsure whether anyone would save him that he tried to text his family regrets for possibly missing the rest of their lives - while assuring them that he would watch them "from heaven".

A local sheriff's office that investigated Dailey's disappearance after a 13 October hunting trip released additional details, with the agency posting video of him relaying his experience in his own words Friday.

Some online trolls have flooded news coverage and social media posts about Dailey with skeptical comments. Nonetheless, in the officials' video, he calmly explains how he stopped at a gasoline station to fill up his pickup truck and buy an extra bag of peanuts before a solo hunting trip in the rugged Sierra national forest in Fresno county.

He eventually took a wrong turn, damaged his truck and became stranded - all before snow fell to further complicate his ordeal.

Dailey said he had some things going in his favor, including gloves and hats that he had packed to stay warm. The Selma, California, resident took shelter in his truck, where he had a solar charger for his phone - though he lacked a strong enough cell signal to call for help.

He said he eventually started a fire using magnesium, a flint, toilet paper, old maps and wood in his vicinity. He rationed out the 900 calories of food that he had into a two-week supply, limiting himself to 50, 60 or 70 calories daily during that time. The Fresno news outlet KFSN reported that he kept hydrated by drinking melted snow.

Meanwhile, rescue teams from several California counties searched for him after his family realized he had not made it home from the hunting trip. Dailey's family had reported him missing to officials, who then released his identity and publicized efforts to search for him.

Dailey said he had resigned himself to possibly dying at one point and texted farewells to his family that did not go through.

"I apologized to them that ... [I] probably won't be there for the rest of their lives," Dailey said. "But I'll be watching you from heaven."

Dailey called that moment the "saddest" part of his disappearance. He said he ultimately decided to try to find someone in that area because he knew the end of the deer hunting season was imminent and anticipated there would be "a ton of people up here" for that.

"I said: 'We either got to walk out ... or I got to sit here and die," Dailey remarked.

Dailey explained that he then marched what he initially estimated was 10 miles - but later learned had been less than half that. He fell and lost his phone on that walk; fortunately for him, three fellow hunters in a vehicle spotted him.

"These guys are looking at me with binoculars and I literally just jumped up and started waving and the guys are looking at me and the guy in front leans out the window and goes: 'Ron Dailey?'" he reported. "And I'm going: 'Oh my God, they know my name. How do these guys know me?' And it was just ... awesome."

The group soon brought Dailey to first responders, who took him to a hospital. Dailey was discharged after receiving treatment and returned home, the Fresno sheriff's office said.

Dailey had previously shared some details about his time stranded in the woods with various media outlets. But the sheriff's office said it would not discuss the particulars of his disappearance until interviewing him.

After posting its video of Dailey on social media, the sheriff's office expressed frustration with "negative comments" replying to the interview.

Dailey thanked the people who had searched for him while he was missing. The sheriff's office also asked Dailey whether he had any advice for the public after his survivor's tale.

He answered: "Always, always take more than you need because you never know what's going to happen."