Stuck in the quick sand mud of south jersey with a frighting experience

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Paul Dobrosky

Active member
I AND my partner started out on one of are usual Saturday, jaunts to south jersey with weather conditions in high 20s strong N.W. wind blowing favorable for some good puddle ducks shooting with are two sneak boxes in tow.launch in the Tuckerton area & headed out to a location where we new we would not get hung up at low tide,set out about 15 various type puddle duck decoys, as the tide fell birds started to trade well. shoot a few but the majority gave us a good look but preceded to go into a some what half frozen pot hole about 40 yrds.. behind us, well watching this for a half hr. or so ,.well we decided to pick up a half dozen decoys from our rig & go back their, Set up walking in the pot hole & see what we could do , WE cut what taller salt hay was available with are sickles for cover we had to lay out on are backs with a boat coushen behind are heads.it turns out we did quite well WE shot are limit in an HR.Now the fun began,one of the last birds we shot was laying outside the decoys well i just thought i would walk out a little further & pick it up ,much to my surprise it did not turn out that way,the nest few steps i hit a soft pocket of south jersey QUICK SAND MUD & went down to my waist in a ft of water, i kept sinking as i tried to move ,my partner was on the edge of the pot hole wondering what he could do to help me ,with both put are thinking caps on . Well my partner of 20 yrs. experience let him go back to the sneak boxes & get a 20 ft rope i had in my boat.+ the two dog box hatch covers & see how that would work,well by the time he got back to me I had sunk in another 6 in,& was really getting worried am i going to be another duck hunter lost in south jersey mud . it would be a hell of a story to write about.well my partner walked the two hatch covers out to me & slid them across the water
to me to reach.this was the game plan,i would lean over with my two arms inside the up side down curved hatch covers .Wrap the rope under my arm pits & see if he could pull me out .aside from the water coming over the top of my waders it was SLOWING WORKING PROCESS,THANK GOD . Well after a half hr. of tug a war ,i was back on safe ground.I kissed the MEDOW, SAID A FEW THANK YOU PRAYERS & SAID THANK YOU LORD,FOR giving me the Opportunity for another day to go DUCK Hunting.Again.WHEN THIS SPORT IS IN YOUR BLOOD THATS THE WAY YOU THING .
Several things this story should teach those of less hunting experience, never GUN ALONE Especially Under These HARD hunting Weather Conditions I am Still to this DAY HAppy that i ha Such A Hunting Partner with me.
 
Paul,
When water comes over the top of your waders --- real cause for concern --- you were very fortunate.

Joe
 
Boy, can I relate to this adventure, During our annual week long visit to the area around Sea Isle my Pop and brother in law were hunting one of the back bays and things were slow. My bil had his phone that kept ringing and I asked him to shut the dmn ringer off. This would prove scary. I decide to leave the comfort of the Bankes boat and do some jump shooting. Off I wander and manage to knock down a black after a fair walk. I decide to head straight back to the boat and follow the shore. Well, dont you know I come to a creek mouth about 20 yards wide. I ponder walking around but say I can run this creek. well i made it half way and quickly realized I should not have done this. I struggled and the Jersey mud refused to give in and with each struggle I am sinking. No problem, I'll call my BIL and have them motor over and get me. Recall I had him shut his ringer off. The tide is rising and I begin to get scared. Sweating in 20 degree weather and I'm above my waist in mud with the tide coming in. The water came to within 1/2" of the top of my waders when my BIL called and said he'd missed my 10 calls because I had him shut off the ringer! Man, I'll never do that again. Nor will I ever cross a creek I cant jump. That mud is scary! I showered with all my gear and gun outside to get most of the mud off. Oh, we ended up retrieving the bird I had released to hold my gun, bought a sling the next day.
Thank god I had a partner or I'd have been crab food. Be safe and enjoy folks!
 
That's some scary shit right there. Glad it all worked out.
 

Nasty stuff where ever you encounter it.


Have had it happen when waterfowling alone, and while gunning with my cousin.

Unloaded shotgun used in both hands, and a cool head to pull ya forward/out, will get ya out, but very slowly.

Gotta get yourself from vertical, to horizontal ASAP.

If ya gotta leave yer waders/boots, so be it.

A paddle can work, but when I walk I keep the shotgun unloaded for that reason. Ya never know.


Waterfowling is a young persons sport.

The older we get the more knowledgeable we are, and the more caution we need to take.

But being "on that edge" is in our blood, no matter how old we are.


Glad to read ya made it out OK.

Put another hunt "In The Books."


VP
 
I hunt these ponds all the time i carry a 18 foot retriever pole and a small grapple hook and am very careful to set decoys where i can get them glad you are alright. Getting a dog was the best thing we did to stay dry.
 
Paul,

Glad your here to tell the story. I'm told we have quick sand/mud in the Mississippi River. I haven't really encountered the sinking kind but I have been in up to my waist in about 6" water The only way out was to wiggle out of my waders and slide across the mud. I was very thankful I could do that.
 
Paul, can you try to get photos next time, Please :). Just kidding...

Glad you made it out OK!
 
Scary stuff for sure!!! We are extra careful to check everything with a push pole before stepping out of the boat. If you're going to try and cross unknown water its always a good idea to have a life jacket on.
 
Paul Dobrosky said:
I AND my partner started out on one of are usual Saturday, jaunts to south jersey with weather conditions in high 20s strong N.W. wind blowing favorable for some good puddle ducks shooting with are two sneak boxes in tow.launch in the Tuckerton area & headed out to a location where we new we would not get hung up at low tide,set out about 15 various type puddle duck decoys, as the tide fell birds started to trade well. shoot a few but the majority gave us a good look but preceded to go into a some what half frozen pot hole about 40 yrds.. behind us, well watching this for a half hr. or so ,.well we decided to pick up a half dozen decoys from our rig & go back their, Set up walking in the pot hole & see what we could do , WE cut what taller salt hay was available with are sickles for cover we had to lay out on are backs with a boat coushen behind are heads.it turns out we did quite well WE shot are limit in an HR.Now the fun began,one of the last birds we shot was laying outside the decoys well i just thought i would walk out a little further & pick it up ,much to my surprise it did not turn out that way,the nest few steps i hit a soft pocket of south jersey QUICK SAND MUD & went down to my waist in a ft of water, i kept sinking as i tried to move ,my partner was on the edge of the pot hole wondering what he could do to help me ,with both put are thinking caps on . Well my partner of 20 yrs. experience let him go back to the sneak boxes & get a 20 ft rope i had in my boat.+ the two dog box hatch covers & see how that would work,well by the time he got back to me I had sunk in another 6 in,& was really getting worried am i going to be another duck hunter lost in south jersey mud . it would be a hell of a story to write about.well my partner walked the two hatch covers out to me & slid them across the water
to me to reach.this was the game plan,i would lean over with my two arms inside the up side down curved hatch covers .Wrap the rope under my arm pits & see if he could pull me out .aside from the water coming over the top of my waders it was SLOWING WORKING PROCESS,THANK GOD . Well after a half hr. of tug a war ,i was back on safe ground.I kissed the MEDOW, SAID A FEW THANK YOU PRAYERS & SAID THANK YOU LORD,FOR giving me the Opportunity for another day to go DUCK Hunting.Again.WHEN THIS SPORT IS IN YOUR BLOOD THATS THE WAY YOU THING .
Several things this story should teach those of less hunting experience, never GUN ALONE Especially Under These HARD hunting Weather Conditions I am Still to this DAY HAppy that i ha Such A Hunting Partner with me.
Click to expand...
Not making light of it... [cool]BUT wait till you do it a second time.. Then you will stay in the boat in unknown mud....
 
Paul

I'm glad cool heads prevailed and you were able to get out of that sticky situation (bad pun intended). I have hunted alone countless times in the past but your story makes me question that decision. In all honesty I do still hunt alone from time to time but usually in familiar places under nominal conditions. Luckily we don't have quick mud, at least nothing like what you guys have.

Eric
 
Glad your safe Paul! We've all probably been there and sinking in a tidal marsh can leave you feeling absolutely hopeless!

A picture is worth 1000 words. Duck / hog hunting S. Louisiana the week after Thanksgiving and this was WITH snow shoes on. It was bad.
Needless to say my son, who was high and dry in the big boat got some great video and pictures of this adventure will I attempted to maintain my youth and
drag a hog out of the marsh.
View attachment IMG_3157 (2).jpg
 
Been there my friend. We hunt a beaver slough in northern NJ. 2-3' of water and another 2-3' of mud under. In those situations, sometimes it's best to just do what you gotta do to get out safely and call it a hunt. Anytime I get out of the boat here, I always bring a "stick" of some sort. Whether its one of my anchor sticks or a pushpole. If you get stuck, pick your free leg, put the stick on your knee, push down with your arms while pulling the opposite leg out.

Those potholes, like the slough we hunt, are filled with literally hundreds (maybe thousands) of years of dead decaying matter. The mud in them is no joke.
 
Little fresh water marsh I hunt is notorious for going crotch deep in quite often. I,ve hunted it for at least 25 years and know pretty much where I can traverse and only get stuck up to knee height regularly. Years ago I had a big ol male Chessie named Jake. Many times while walking that marsh I,d go up to waist in creek mud and have to call ol jake to me to get out by using him to push down on and get unstuck. Ol fella at end of his days had a bit of a sway back. Always wondered if my using him for leverage caused it! Now I always carry a push pole with me but in younger days I thought I could walk on water ? till I couldn,t!
 
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