When a local man checked on his hunting camper located near Short Cut Road in Sterling on Saturday, he found an ax wielding intruder on his property, the Cayuga County Sheriff's Office said.

Deputies said Monday that the intruder threatened the owner with an ax found on the property and then used it to cause extensive damage to his pickup truck before running away in a southwesterly direction on the county nature trail.

A search by deputies and a state police helicopter was unable to find the suspect, deputies said.

The sheriff's office is still investigating the incident, but they do not believe the suspect is armed because he had returned the ax to the camper by Sunday, deputies said.

Deputies said they believed the suspect may have been staying in the camper because they found Heineken beer, razors, soap and freshly cut fire wood inside.

The victim described the suspect as a white, 6-foot tall male, who walked with a limp and had slurred speech, deputies said.

Anyone who has any information regarding the identity of the suspect is urged to call detectives at 253-1610.