Duck hunter rescued from swamp
A young hunter found himself in a precarious and soggy position Friday afternoon, but was expertly rescued by the county’s highly trained water rescue team after being in the swamp for more than two hours.
The 18-year-old had entered a swamp off Beaver Dam Road near Muddy Creek in Clay Township to duck hunt, according to Russ Weitzel, a captain with Unionville Volunteer Fire Company and lieutenant with Butler County Water Rescue Team 300.
The young man had ventured too far into the swamp, which was when he found himself in trouble.
“He hit a soft spot and sunk and was unable to get out,” Weitzel said.
The hunter called his family, who live nearby, and they were able to ascertain where in the swamp he was stuck.
“They didn’t go in,” Weitzel said.
Firefighters and Team 300 staged at the intersection of Queen’s Junction and Thompson Town roads, and heavy-duty pickup trucks transported the water rescue technicians and their small inflatable boat down a path to the edge of the swamp near a set of railroad tracks.
Using the small inflatable, Team 300 technicians found the young man in knee-high muck.
The technicians pulled him out of the mud, leaving his knee-high waders behind.
The hunter was placed onto a backboard and taken to a waiting ambulance by Prospect Volunteer Fire Company’s all-terrain vehicle.
Train traffic on nearby tracks was halted during the rescue.
Weitzel said the young man was uninjured, but could not walk because his feet were numb from being stuck in the cold mud and water.
He did not know if the man was taken to a hospital for evaluation after being checked out by emergency medical personnel.
“He didn’t even get a duck,” Weitzel said.
He praised the expertise and quick response of Team 300.
“Having a water rescue team and individuals trained on water rescue is a huge asset to the county,” Weitzel said. “They are absolutely amazing.”
He said the rescue would have been much tougher if not for Team 300.
“It’s hard for firefighters to get out into the water to rescue people like that,” Weitzel said.
