Two duck hunters had to brave the elements in Louisiana after their boat sank. Stranded in the cold, they ended up setting a cooler on fire to stay warm and avoid hypothermia.
Things could have ended very differently for the duck hunters. Texas Game Wardens ended up finding the two at Bois D'Arc Lake after they went missing on January 19. Their wives had been concerned when they didn't come home and temperatures began to drop below freezing. It's not the time of year you want to be caught outside especially if you are soaking wet.
The duck hunters's boat sank after striking a tree, leaving them in 15 feet of water. They also lost most of their gear as well. With temperatures dropping, the hunters didn't panic and used their wits. Swimming to a nearby tree, they tried to lift themselves out of the water. They also created a makeshift fire out of their cooler, duck decoys, and also wood from the tree.
Burning A Cooler
It was a K2 cooler. The company said in a comment they would be replacing the cooler for the hunters. "We are thankful these guys were found safely and that our cooler was able to be part of a happy ending," they wrote.
Unfortunately despite their makeshift cooler fire, the hunter still ended up with severe hypothermia.
"We are thankful the men lived to hunt another day and thankful for the help of our partner agencies that made it possible," the Texas Game Wardens said in a Facebook post.
"I am forever grateful to this incredible group of people who saved my husband and our friend's life!" one of their wives commented. "Again thank y'all!"
"Thank y'all for saving my husband's uncle and our friends lives!" another family relative added. "We are grateful for y'all and how quick y'all acted. We are also thankful for their wonderful wives noticing something wasn't right and for the men's survival instincts kicking in! Without their wives, no one would have even known to look for them! Life 360 also helped locate them even when their phones were under water!"
