Around 3 a.m., game wardens responded to a call from a hog hunter who said he and two friends were stranded in the Davy Crockett National Forest.
HOUSTON COUNTY, Texas — Game wardens in East Texas saved three hog hunters who were stranded in the Davy Crockett National Forest early Monday morning.
According to the Texas Parks And Wildlife Department (TPWD), around 3 a.m., game wardens responded to a call from a hog hunter who said he and two friends were stranded in the Big Slough Wilderness area of the Davy Crockett National Forest.
“Game wardens coordinated with Houston County Search and Rescue (SAR) and navigated to the scene,” the TWPD said. “Upon arrival, they found one hunter had self-rescued and returned to his vehicle, showing signs of hypothermia. Game wardens provided blankets and advised him to stay inside his heated truck while they searched for the remaining two hunters.”
The TPWD says game wardens and SAR officials hiked more than a mile and found another hunter who was safely on land while the other was stranded about 100 yards across a flooded creek. The stranded hunter was suffering from hypothermia due to being wet and the below-freezing temperatures, according to the TPWD.
“Recognizing the urgency, they quickly devised a rescue plan using life jackets and throw ropes,” the TPWS said. “A warden, fitted with a life jacket, swam across the creek to the stranded hunter. The remaining warden and SAR personnel were able to tow both the men back to safety. Meanwhile, the self-rescued hunter had built a fire, and the remaining stranded hunters and rescue personnel were quickly warmed by it and a self-heating emergency blanket. EMS was staged nearby and the hunters were transferred to them for treatment.”
