60-year-old hunter clings to boat for hours before drone rescue, Minnesota police say

A duck hunter stranded and clinging to his boat in a Minnesota lake was rescued Saturday after officials used a drone to find him, police say.

A resident near Hesitation Wildlife Management Area in Crow Wing County heard a man yelling for help around 5:15 p.m. and contacted the sheriff’s office, WCCO reported.

Deputies responded to the area and also heard the hunter yelling for help, but couldn’t see him due to the vegetation and terrain, according to the Brainer Dispatch. They sent up an aerial drone to find him, eventually locating him on Rice Lake.

Officials describe Rice Lake as being “very shallow and swampy,” WCCO reported.

The 60-year-old hunter had fallen out of his boat and was clinging to it, according to KWLM. He had been in the waters for hours by the time officials arrived.

Officials were able to pull the hunter out of the water and take him to land to await paramedics, according to the Dispatch.

When officials got to him, the hunter was cold but conscious, KWLM reported.

His condition has not been reported.

Crow Wing County is roughly 140 miles north of Minneapolis.