Behind the Badge
Boat and Water Safety
It’s not just for the warm weather months
Enforcement Operations Supervisor Jackie Lundstrom
As part of our mission, we promote and encourage boat and water safety.
While many times you hear and read about the dos and don’ts during the summer, it’s just as important for waterfowl or deer hunters.
History tells us that the fall is the deadliest time of year for boating fatalities as many, if not all, are hunting-related incidents.
Those of us who travel to our favorite hunting spots by boat typically pack the decoys, several guns, ammo, dog, dog kennel, snacks and of course a couple life jackets, including a throwable.
However, those life jackets typically get put in a bin where they are hard to access.
Why is the choice made to stash the life jackets instead of wearing them? Manufacturers today make a plethora of different life jacket styles and patterns both colored and camouflage.
North Dakota is a cold-water state, even in the summer months.
Most waterfowl hunters I know wear waders while hunting.
Should you end up out of the boat or lose your footing while walking the slough bottom those waders fill with water, COLD water.
If the water temperature is around freezing, hypothermia can set in under 15 minutes, causing loss of dexterity and unconsciousness.
Should a person submerge fully, the cold water shocks your system and can cause a person to involuntarily gasp or hyperventilate.
If you are not wearing a life jacket to help keep you afloat, this gasp could occur while you are underwater, thus contributing to the likelihood of water inhalation and drowning.
Picture this.
You and your hunting buddies are sitting around the table the night before a duck hunt.
You somehow are in a discussion of “when the day will come” and how you “will want to go” and one of your buddies says, “while I’m hunting.” The next day you all go out on a body of water, the wind picks up while you and your dog are on your way back to shore in the boat.
The boat capsizes, you end up in the water, your waders fill…you are not wearing a life jacket.
This scenario is a true story.
One I don’t like to remember.
But I think it is important to tell.
I was part of the search team that helped locate this hunter.
He did not survive.
Bottom line is be prepared for cold weather boating and open water use.
Tell someone where you will be hunting, bring extra clothing and always wear a life jacket.
As Tigirlily Gold sings, “You’re somebody’s reason.”
Be safe…and enjoy our North Dakota outdoors.