Hunter found freezing, stuck waist-deep in the mud in Jefferson Co.

JOHNSON CREEK, Wis. (WMTV) – A hunter was stuck waist-deep in the mud and freezing as his friend searched through the darkness to find him, the Johnson Creek Fire Dept. explained in a statement about the extraordinary team effort to find and rescue him.

The hunter told the fire department he had been stuck in a swampy area for more than an hour before being found. The elderly man indicated he was deer hunting when he became disoriented. He ended up stuck in the water about a mile off Co. Trunk Y, near Emerald Drive, according to the JCFD statement.

“This turned out to be a serious incident that could have become tragic if it weren’t the heroic work of the man’s friend in locating him in the dark, wooded, and swampy area,” Fire Chief Bruce Peterson said.

Firefighters and emergency responders got the call about the trapped hunter around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, the report continued. After they reached the hunter, it took members of the fire department and the Sheriff’s Office another half-hour to get him out of the water. After getting the man unstuck, he was carried back to dry land.

After he was treated for hypothermia, the man was taken the hospital for treatment.

Approximately a dozen rescuers participated in getting the hunter back to safety. Peterson also credited members of the Conservation Police, the Jefferson Co. Sheriff’s Office, and Jefferson Co. dispatchers for their assistance, saying it was “truly a team effort.”

Click here to download the NBC15 News app or our NBC15 First Alert weather app.

Copyright 2023 WMTV. All rights reserved.