3 Missing Hunter in Westport, 2 found Dead, 1 transported to RI Hospital

Delkancott

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No too many details yet, but what is available isn't good.

http://www.turnto10.com/story/24383578/police-searching-for-missing-hunters

NBC10 said:
Two duck hunters reported missing found dead
Posted: Jan 07, 2014 10:18 AM EST
Updated: Jan 07, 2014 11:31 AM EST
By Artie Tefft - email


WESTPORT, Mass. -
Two men who were believed to be duck hunting in Westport and reported missing were found dead Tuesday, police said.

A third man was found and taken to Rhode Island Hospital. His condition was not immediately known.

The identities of the men were not immediately known.

An overturned boat was spotted Tuesday morning by a passerby, who called police.

The boat was found at the mouth of Westport Harbor and the identification matched a boat owned by one of the hunters.
 
Damn. R.I.P. fellow hunters.

You really gotta be careful out on the water in general, nevermind this time of year. I was duck hunting yesterday morning and had to walk about 5 feet from shore (on a tidal river) onto ice to retrieve a mallard. I knew the water underneath me was not over my head, and I had waders on but still, shit's dangerous. When I started researching buying a waterfowl hunting boat, the most important feature was stability. The little 1-man boat I bought won't even tip if you stand on the edge of either side of it. Very important to me since I sometimes hunt alone in frigid waters.
 
My phone is going nuts with all my friends checking its not me as I live in Westport and hunt 3 days a week.. Was supposed to go out this am but we called it off to cold and to windy... However the season ends the 11th so folks try to get in that one last trip... Sad as in one pic I saw I think I recognize the boat as a few guys I have met on the ramp...
 
Sometimes I want to choke people!! posted on the page. Sitting On Space Heaters <3
Imagine, if they hadn't been out needlessly killing ducks, this wouldn't have happened.
Can you belive the nerve of some people?
 
Sometimes I want to choke people!! posted on the page. Sitting On Space Heaters <3
Imagine, if they hadn't been out needlessly killing ducks, this wouldn't have happened.
Can you belive the nerve of some people?

Truly, a crude (and cruel) thing to say. Perhaps the person who posted that would have preferred that they died while taking nature photographs. That would have been much better, right? [sad]

People are idiots.

ETA: I'm a Westporter. My son has several friends who hunt. As bad as this is for the folks involved, and their families, I'm hoping it's not one of his friends. My sympathy to all those involved.
 
Last edited:
Sometimes I want to choke people!! posted on the page. Sitting On Space Heaters <3
Imagine, if they hadn't been out needlessly killing ducks, this wouldn't have happened.
Can you belive the nerve of some people?

Some people truly have no soul! I bet that guy (using the term loosely) eats meat, then proceeds to bury his head firmly in the sand.
 
Update:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...ons-unknown/Nxc2wvHTWg3qWgvD7Ho3tK/story.html

boston.com said:
WESTPORT — Two duck hunters are dead and a third is hospitalized after they were tossed into the frigid Westport River when their boat apparently capsized this morning, Bristol County District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter Jr.’s office said.

The identities of all three men have not been confirmed, officials said. There was nothing suspicious about the incident, but an investigation is underway. The hunter who survived was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, authorities said.

Authorities said they first learned about the incident around 8 a.m. when someone reported seeing an upside-down skiff floating in the river, officials said. That triggered a search by sea and air by Westport officials, State Police and the US Coast Guard.

During the search, Westport Harbormaster Richard Earle said, a hunter’s glove was found a half mile from the mouth of the river, leading Earle to believe that the hunters ran into trouble around that location. He said the river had choppy 3-foot seas today, combined with strong winds. He estimated they were blowing about 20 miles per hour.

“You had wind against the tide in the middle of the river. You had 3-feet chop,’’ said Earle, who said the conditions would have been challenging for a small skiff outfitted for duck hunting. He said the aluminum boat was no more than 16 feet long. “I got a feeling they were in the middle of the river.”

Earle said the body of one man washed up on the shore on the west end of Horseneck Beach around 10 a.m.; the body of the second man soon afterwards washed up nearby. The third man made it to a small island in the middle of the river, where he was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter around 9:30 a.m., the Coast Guard said.

The survivor, described as a man in his 40s and 50s, was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital in Providence for treatment, officials said. His condition was not immediately available.

According to the National Weather Service, the water temperature this morning at Woods Hole, across Buzzards Bay, was 35.4 degrees.

The men had launched their boat at the state boat ramp on John Reed Road at Horseneck Beach State Reservation, Earle said. A dark-colored pickup truck with attached trailer remained in the parking lot there today, officials said.

The Westport River estuary is a popular hunting spot for sea ducks, said Ray Ilgs, of Ducks Unlimited, the non-profit group that supports both duck hunting and wetlands conservation. Ilgs said the area is known for three species of sea ducks — the eider, the scoter, and the old squaw. Among sea duck hunters, the top target is the eider.

“It’s kind of a hunter’s bucket list to be able to come out to hunt these birds,’’ Ilgs said of eiders. “You don’t see them all over the US. They are very tough, durable birds. Their skin is like Kevlar.’’ He also said sea duck hunters head out when the weather is bad because that’s when ducks, like the eider, are most active, increasing the chances a hunter can spot and shoot a duck.

He said sea ducks, and especially eiders, do not migrate during the winter to warmer southern climes as many other duck species do. In fact, he said, for eiders, New England, Maryland and Long Island are the warm, sunny climate they migrate to from their summer homes in Canada’s maritime provinces.

He said eiders thrive in tough New England wintertime conditions, and are more likely to move around during snowstorms, gusting winds, and bitterly cold temperatures like those this morning on the Westport River.

“In nicer weather, they hunker down on the grass on the shore, not moving,’’ said Ilgs. “The nastier the weather, the more they like it.’’ This means that duck hunters must venture out in the nastiest weather to increase their chances of shooting an eider.

Duck hunters are “passionate about it. They go out in the nastiest weather,’’ Ilgs said. “It’s not a sport for people that don’t enjoy rough weather, crazy elements, that sort of thing. You’ve got to be willing to bear it all.’’

The apparent duck hunting mishap follows the disappearance Dec. 30 of a Brown University student, also on the state’s southern coast. Dana Dourdeville, 21, of Marion failed to return from a duck hunting trip in Fairhaven. His mother found his car parked at West Island State Beach in Fairhaven and the Coast Guard found his kayak about 2½ miles east of West Island.

John R. Ellement of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Jacqueline Tempera can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on twitter @jacktemp

Peter Schworm can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @globepete.

© Copyright 2014 Globe Newspaper Company.
 
Damn. R.I.P. fellow hunters.

You really gotta be careful out on the water in general, nevermind this time of year. I was duck hunting yesterday morning and had to walk about 5 feet from shore (on a tidal river) onto ice to retrieve a mallard. I knew the water underneath me was not over my head, and I had waders on but still, shit's dangerous. When I started researching buying a waterfowl hunting boat, the most important feature was stability. The little 1-man boat I bought won't even tip if you stand on the edge of either side of it. Very important to me since I sometimes hunt alone in frigid waters.

I took a nice plunge (twice) into a freezing cold creek on Saturday. Fortunately it's a little warmer here in Virginia, but it was still not fun and I had to abort the rest of the day's hunting.
 
They identified the men:

boston.com said:
The two deceased men were identified this afternoon by Sutter’s office as Steven James, 53, of Marshfield and Robert Becher, 55, of Cromwell, Conn. The survivor was identified as Gregg Angell, 51 of Westport, who is at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, and expected to survive his hypothermia-type symptoms, Sutter’s office said.
 
This is very tragic. I've often wondered why duck hunters in small boats on very choppy, frigid water don't wear at least a half wet suit or similar under their outer layers. If a wet suit can protect a surfer in the winter, then why not a hunter, even if its for a short amount of time until help arrives?
 
This is very tragic. I've often wondered why duck hunters in small boats on very choppy, frigid water don't wear at least a half wet suit or similar under their outer layers. If a wet suit can protect a surfer in the winter, then why not a hunter, even if its for a short amount of time until help arrives?


Mostly because we already where waders and a lot of coats and layers a wet suit I don't think I could actually shoot! But really very cold weather duck hunting is quite dangerous.. But I love to duck hunt!
 
This is very tragic. I've often wondered why duck hunters in small boats on very choppy, frigid water don't wear at least a half wet suit or similar under their outer layers. If a wet suit can protect a surfer in the winter, then why not a hunter, even if its for a short amount of time until help arrives?

You get complacent, its easy to do. When I go out by myself I wear a life jacket and tie off to the boat's kill switch mainly because I promised my wife I would, not because I am that smart. A few years ago the same thing happened in Newport harbor around this time. Some guys from Upton got dumped into the ocean duck hunting and got very lucky that the CG station was right across the bay.
 
This cold weather is very dangerous and on the water multiply many times over. Sad ending that should have been a fun day. RIP men.
 
Mother nature is unforgiving. It does not take long in these temperatures to succumb. I cant imagine even being out on the water when it is this cold out. May they rest in peace.
 
Very sad event. My thoughts go out to the families. Doing what you love to do is a strong magnet even in marginal conditions. Got to be ready though, with PLB's down in the $250 range each hunter having one MAY have helped along with a handheld VHF. Not second guessing just say'n.
 
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