Authorities in Geary County rescued a hunter who became stranded in the icy waters of Milford Lake Thursday morning as he attempted to gather his geese decoys.
The Geary County Sheriff’s Office says just after 9:40 a.m. officers were called out to the area of Auld Road for reports of a man stranded on the water in a disabled jon boat. Officials say Justin Howe, of Fort Riley, called dispatch when the motor on his boat suddenly died. The boat drifted further from where Howe had been hunting and he became stranded against the ice before the boat became frozen in place. He told authoritieis he was on the water for approximately 40 minutes.
Rescuers were able to locate Howe and his boat from the shore at around 10:20 a.m. and deployed the Marine Unit to the City of Milford boat ramp after the ice at the ramp was broken. Nearly an hour later crews were able to launch in an attempt to reach Howe.
Once on the water, officials encountered dense fog and the crew’s boat too began experiencing mechanical issues, but fortunately were able to locate Howe and his jon boat nearly 100 yards away.
Shortly before noon, crews on the Marine Unit made it back to the Milford boat ramp where Howe and the deputies were screened by Junction City Fire Department EMT’s and released.
