Duck Hunter Drowns on Guntersville

Eric Patterson

Eric Patterson

Moderator
Staff member
This saddens me. A young man gone and friends and family devastated. Everyone, please be careful. I think we underestimate just how hard it is to swim in frigid water with waders. A friend of mine was at Goosepond today and spoke to the father. The son was hunting with a friend and the friend tried to rescue him but almost drowned too. Such a tragedy and I can't help but think of all the hours my son and friends spend on the water hunting ducks. I placed an order for an inflatable life vest for my son. Long overdue.

www.waaytv.com

UPDATE: Officials ID duck hunter missing in water near Goose Pond Colony on Lake Guntersville

The Scottsboro Jackson County Rescue Squad said they are searching for a 22-year-old man.
www.waaytv.com www.waaytv.com
 
Always very sad when someone is lost. Worse still is the young man's age. Every time I launch the thought crosses my mind about how dangerous duck hunting is. As you said, the heavy gear is overwhelming in the water. I recall a hunter drowning at the dock several years ago, within ten feet of shore.

I noticed he was in a kayak. I have never used a conventional "sit in" style, I'm just not comfortable in them. Always figured if you capsize it would be difficult to get out. I have a couple of the "sit on" style, one with peddles which is the bomb. Been using them to fish and duck hunt small ponds for maybe ten years. Always thought the sit on are much more stable than the sit in style, as I can stand up on mine. This summer around mid-July I got schooled. I was using one of the sit on's to moor a larger boat, the mooring is about 100 feet off the beach. I was sitting down, the boat painter in one hand and reached for the mooring pennant with the other, leaning over juuusssttt a little. The kayak capsized so fast it was shocking. It wasn't dangerous as much as embarrassing as my wife rubbed it in. Dumbass. The lesson is how quick it can happen, never, ever, lean over the side of any kayak. I admit I'm not one to wear a pfd in larger boats, but no way I'm going in a kayak in cold weather without one on. Great idea to buy one for your son.
 
Such a tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
As for the kayak, one of the first skills taught in a kayaking class is exiting an overturned kayak. Most folks just assume one will just fall out, and that is not the case.
Yes an inflatable PFD is a very good choice, IMHO. Even the manufacturer will say the inflatables are less effective in cold temperatures. If choosing between wearing an inflatable or none at all, i will choose the inflatable every day of the week.
 
Eric Patterson said:
This saddens me. A young man gone and friends and family devastated. Everyone, please be careful. I think we underestimate just how hard it is to swim in frigid water with waders. A friend of mine was at Goosepond today and spoke to the father. The son was hunting with a friend and the friend tried to rescue him but almost drowned too. Such a tragedy and I can't help but think of all the hours my son and friends spend on the water hunting ducks. I placed an order for an inflatable life vest for my son. Long overdue.

www.waaytv.com

UPDATE: Officials ID duck hunter missing in water near Goose Pond Colony on Lake Guntersville

The Scottsboro Jackson County Rescue Squad said they are searching for a 22-year-old man.
www.waaytv.com www.waaytv.com
Click to expand...
In a kayak I would use a pfd. In my duckboat I use a inflatable when underway. Also carry a pfd and a throwable cushion for my bottom. Be safe out there, the life you save may be your own.
 
That is incredibly tragic. I am very sorry for the family.

I agree about the inflatables vs none at all. I still prefer a real life jacket over an inflatable though. I am very religious about wearing my life jacket when I head out, especially in the dark. I may not always wear one when I have the boat set up to hunt, but usually I am in wading depth water then anyway. I have one similar to this life jacket...mine isn't the bass pro version as mine has the netting on the front upper part but solid foam all on the back. I can actually shoot fairly comfortably in it.

In doing some more looking around at life jacket, this one seems like it would allow for more movement for shooting.

I have never actually used the inflatable life jackets, where it needed to be deployed. I have worn them and they are comfortable enough but I have always wondered....will it work if it is needed? That little niggle of doubt is why I prefer a traditional life jacket.
 
Very sad. A young man drown in Oklahoma last week while retrieving a duck when he went over a ledge into deep water that filled his waders and did not resurface. He wasn't wearing a PFD. I tried hunting from a sit in Kayak once but rolled close to shore and had difficultly exiting. In Florida I used an open cockpit Wilderness Commander kayak. I always wear a traditional PFD when floating or wading in waders even in waters I'm familiar with because I've witnessed the shifting bottom of the Mississippi River where I hunt. I use a wading stick as well. CO2 cartridges will not fill my inflatable fully with temps under 35 degrees depending on weather conditions so I don't use it in the winter. My heart goes out to family who lost this young man.
 
Huntindave McCann said:
Such a tragedy. My thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
As for the kayak, one of the first skills taught in a kayaking class is exiting an overturned kayak. Most folks just assume one will just fall out, and that is not the case.
Yes an inflatable PFD is a very good choice, IMHO. Even the manufacturer will say the inflatables are less effective in cold temperatures. If choosing between wearing an inflatable or none at all, i will choose the inflatable every day of the week.
Click to expand...
Dave, I prefer a full pfd in a kayak or canoe as they aren't as stable as my duck boat. My inflatable I use in the southbay as it is very stable. It doesn't have as much flotation as a regular pfd. I always wear one underway.
 
I never get into a kayak without a pfd on. no matter how shallow i think the water is.
 
Capt Rich Geminski said:
Dave, I prefer a full pfd in a kayak or canoe as they aren't as stable as my duck boat. My inflatable I use in the southbay as it is very stable. It doesn't have as much flotation as a regular pfd. I always wear one underway.
Click to expand...
Capt Rich,
Interesting about the flotation provided by the two PFDs you own. I assume you are comparing a "type1 inflatable PFD" with a "type1 regular PFD", or a type2 with a type2? Comparing a type 1 against a type 2, or a type 3 against a type 2, would be apples to oranges.

According to the information I come up with, the required minimum, is 50% greater for a type1 inflatable PFD, compared to the required minimum for a type 1 foam PFD.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TYPE I​

Type I PFDs, are the most buoyant PFDs and suitable for all water conditions, including rough or isolated water where rescue may be delayed. Although bulky in comparison to Type II and III PFDs, Type I will turn most unconscious individuals to the face-up position. They range in sizes from adult to child.
US & CAD - Inflatable Type I PFD Minimum Buoyancy: at least 33.7 lb (150 Newtons)
US - Foam Type I PFD Minimum Buoyancy: 22.5 Ibs (100 Newtons)
CAD - Foam Type I PFD Minimum Buoyancy: 15.51 lb (69 Newtons)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type 2 and type3 PFD numbers are similar, with the inflatable version in each type having a greater minimum buoyancy required.
mustangsurvival.com

PFD Classifications

Once you’ve decided to purchase a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), and that should be an easy decision, the next step is to figure out which one is right for you. Visit us here for a complete list of PFD Classifications.
mustangsurvival.com mustangsurvival.com

I just checked the inflatable I own and it provides 35 lbs of buoyancy (which is over the min. requirement).

How does that compare with the "regular" PFD that you own and use? (just curious)
 
And if you're using a tiller outboard, USE YOUR EMERGENCY SHUT OFF SWITCH! If you let go of the tiller at speed for some reason, the motor will snap over and everyone in the boat will likely end up in the water.
 
SJ Fairbank said:
Always very sad when someone is lost. Worse still is the young man's age. Every time I launch the thought crosses my mind about how dangerous duck hunting is. As you said, the heavy gear is overwhelming in the water. I recall a hunter drowning at the dock several years ago, within ten feet of shore.

I noticed he was in a kayak. I have never used a conventional "sit in" style, I'm just not comfortable in them. Always figured if you capsize it would be difficult to get out. I have a couple of the "sit on" style, one with peddles which is the bomb. Been using them to fish and duck hunt small ponds for maybe ten years. Always thought the sit on are much more stable than the sit in style, as I can stand up on mine. This summer around mid-July I got schooled. I was using one of the sit on's to moor a larger boat, the mooring is about 100 feet off the beach. I was sitting down, the boat painter in one hand and reached for the mooring pennant with the other, leaning over juuusssttt a little. The kayak capsized so fast it was shocking. It wasn't dangerous as much as embarrassing as my wife rubbed it in. Dumbass. The lesson is how quick it can happen, never, ever, lean over the side of any kayak. I admit I'm not one to wear a pfd in larger boats, but no way I'm going in a kayak in cold weather without one on. Great idea to buy one for your son.
Click to expand...
I'll echo what SJ says about how fast a sit-on-top kayak can capsize. My Hobie Compass rolled on me this summer while I was fishing in the Pamlico Sound. It was so fast, I barely knew it was happening. I think I must have leaned too far to the right and bam, I was dunked.
 
As the captain of the boat, I can refuse anyone who wants to board without a PFD.
We lose people pretty much every year out on the Lower Columbia Estuary. Many times, not even the boat is found.

When I ran the river, I always had PFD, and A ditch bag with Light, food, radio, medicine. As others have said, Having a kill switch mechanism set up and used any time you have the engine on are life and death important.

Telling another soul where you are going and when you are planning on returning are a good idea as well. You never know, Somebody might just miss you if you never came back.
 
My son sold a Berretta A300 to a young fella here in SC. He went and got it cerakoted. A week later he capsized in his Gheenoe running a lake in Alabama (I'm assuming Guntersville). The gun is at the bottom of the lake but he survived. I told him guns can be replaced, he can't be. God protected him for sure.

Lifejackets don't work if not worn.
 
Huntindave McCann said:
Capt Rich,
Interesting about the flotation provided by the two PFDs you own. I assume you are comparing a "type1 inflatable PFD" with a "type1 regular PFD", or a type2 with a type2? Comparing a type 1 against a type 2, or a type 3 against a type 2, would be apples to oranges.

According to the information I come up with, the required minimum, is 50% greater for a type1 inflatable PFD, compared to the required minimum for a type 1 foam PFD.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TYPE I​

Type I PFDs, are the most buoyant PFDs and suitable for all water conditions, including rough or isolated water where rescue may be delayed. Although bulky in comparison to Type II and III PFDs, Type I will turn most unconscious individuals to the face-up position. They range in sizes from adult to child.
US & CAD - Inflatable Type I PFD Minimum Buoyancy: at least 33.7 lb (150 Newtons)
US - Foam Type I PFD Minimum Buoyancy: 22.5 Ibs (100 Newtons)
CAD - Foam Type I PFD Minimum Buoyancy: 15.51 lb (69 Newtons)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Type 2 and type3 PFD numbers are similar, with the inflatable version in each type having a greater minimum buoyancy required.
mustangsurvival.com

PFD Classifications

Once you’ve decided to purchase a Personal Flotation Device (PFD), and that should be an easy decision, the next step is to figure out which one is right for you. Visit us here for a complete list of PFD Classifications.
mustangsurvival.com mustangsurvival.com

I just checked the inflatable I own and it provides 35 lbs of buoyancy (which is over the min. requirement).

How does that compare with the "regular" PFD that you own and use? (just curious)
Click to expand...
Regardless of the differences in bouyancy, the inflatables require me to rely on a mechanical device working properly, or on my being able to find the manual tab and pull it. I'd rather have my floatation "deployed" before I hit the water. I'm also a big guy with a 20" neck, and the inflatables chafe.
 
Jeff Reardon said:
the inflatables require me to rely on a mechanical device working properly,
Click to expand...
Same could said of the brakes on the vehicle you drive daily. Just another "mechanical life saving device" that we all trust and depend on, every time we get in a vehicle. I'm not trying to sway folks on their choice of PFD. My intent was to point out that inflatables provide as much or even more floatation than a foam PFD.
 
Interesting situation on my return to the launch on Saturday. The game wardens were there, checking primarily for life jackets. The weather wasn't particularly cold, but there was thin ice in the saltwater marsh. It was flat calm so there was a kayak or two paddling about as is typical. While I was talking with the wardens, we spot a couple of stand up paddleboards come around the corner of a creek. While hunting I had seen them quite far from shore, possibly 1/2 mile out. I don't think either person had a pfd of any kind aboard, they were in the very thin wetsuits popular among kayakers and paddleboarders. A lot of eye rolling between those of us on shore. I believe they got written warnings.

It did remind though, of my early years when we scuba dived year round. Quite a few expeditions under the ice, it's very interesting, kind of surreal, and not too scary for a kid. No way for me now. What got me thinking about it, was whether I would prefer a brand new pfd or a 7mm wetsuit (not the lighweight variety), should I find myself in the ice cold water that day. Or just standing on a paddleboard. I'm taking the wetsuit hands down. Not excusing what the paddleboarders did, just sayin'.
 
Huntindave McCann said:
Same could said of the brakes on the vehicle you drive daily. Just another "mechanical life saving device" that we all trust and depend on, every time we get in a vehicle. I'm not trying to sway folks on their choice of PFD. My intent was to point out that inflatables provide as much or even more floatation than a foam PFD.
Click to expand...
If an inflatable life jacket fails there is nothing to fall back on to save your life. If you're unconscious the manual override on the inflatable is worthless too. In an automobile, if your brakes fail, you hopefully still have a seatbelt and airbags. I wear a commercial life vest, whistle attached and reflective taped shoulders for possible night search and radar reflection.
 
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