Oh yeah, I mean, unless we are actually THERE, and can look around take full appreciation of the situation, we can't make the call for the guy. He might have decided that chances of them being spotted were slim, he's the only one who can make that call..
BTW...if you like SurvivorMan...you should email Les Stroud he is really a nice guy. I have written to him about a few survival topics and he is quite responsive.
His new series starts early next year...he is off pretty soon to start filming and he will be in far more remote situations but they are equipping him with SAT technology so he can blog, etc...while doing it.
All in all I think these survival shows are very important everyone should know survival basics...you never know when you will need them.