Huron County Sheriff Kelly Hanson reports that three men from out of the area found themselves in dire straits on Friday night, when they found themselves stranded in the Saginaw Bay.
According to the sheriff’s press release, the men were in the area to hunt for duck, with one of the hunters calling dispatch around 9:20 p.m. on Friday, November 4, to report that he and his companions were stuck about a mile from the access site on Geiger Road in Fairhaven Township. The men reported that they had embarked with two kayaks and a 14-foot boat with an outboard motor, but when they tried to return, the boat’s motor had died and it was too windy to paddle the kayaks safely or successfully.
Deputies with both the Huron and Tuscola County Sheriff’s offices responded to the scene, accompanied by Caseville Fire Department and the Huron County Sheriff’s airboat.
The three hunters, a 26-year-old Battle Creek man, a 37-year-old Richland resident, and a 30-year-old from Lawton, were brought back to shore without incident, with Hanson noting in his release that they were fortunate, as they had been dressed for the weather and had functioning cell phones on them during the crisis, which isn’t always the case. As such, Hanson wants to remind county residents interested in enjoying time on the bay to have a plan for an emergency.
