Wear Life Jackets When Hunting from a Boat

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Eight people have drowned in North Dakota waters in the last decade while hunting from a boat. And not one of the victims, sadly, was wearing a life jacket.

Nancy Boldt, North Dakota Game and Fish Department boat and water safety coordinator, urges waterfowlers hunting from a boat this fall to don properly-fitted life jackets before going on the water.

Capsizing and falling overboard from small boats are the most common types of fatal boating accidents for hunters, so hunters must consider their cargo before leaving from shore.

“Unfortunately, it’s a recipe for disaster as too many hunters, dogs, decoys and other gear are piled into a boat,” Boldt said. “An overloaded boat can quickly become and unbalanced boat once you’re on the water fighting difficult, windy weather conditions that oftentimes makes the duck hunting so good.”

Wearing a life jacket will not only keep the overboard hunter afloat, but also help him or her to slow the loss of critical body heat caused by exposure to cold water.

Boldt said you can now buy comfortable hunting jackets with life jackets built in. “Those hunters who complain about wearing life jackets because they are too bulky or uncomfortable don’t have that excuse anymore,” she said.

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