Fire crews retrieve capsized duck hunter

Fire crews picked up a stranded duck hunter Sunday after his small boat capsized in rough waters.

Camano Island Fire and Rescue deployed boats to pick up the stranded man after he called 911. When crews arrived, he was standing on a sandbar – wet and cold, but otherwise OK.

“The weather just came in on him,” said Levon Yengoyan, assistant chief of volunteer operations.

He added that fortunately crews recovered the man before darkness and the out-going tide restricted their movements.

They dropped the hunter off near Big Ditch, where North County Fire/ EMS was waiting.

“District 14 got him warmed up,” said Yengoyan, “and he was released on the spot.”

The man had two dogs with him, one of which was recovered. Crews searched for the other dog without success, Yengoyan said.