Two hunters rescued from drainage canal

Racine County authorities rescued two hunters from the Wind Lake drainage canal near Waterford Friday morning after their boat started to take on water and one of them became stuck in the mud.

Here is the text of a press release issued by the Racine County Sheriff’s Department regarding the incident:

“On Friday at approximately 6:15 a.m. the Racine County Communications Center received a call of boaters in distress in the area highways 20 and 36. Racine County Sheriff’s Office Deputies were dispatched to the area of the Wind Lake drainage canal for an overturned boat.

“They responded to find that hunting partners Martin R. Schutte and Bryan E. Klien were navigating towards the area east of Beck Drive when their small jon boat began taking on water.

“Both Martin and Bryan got out of the boat and were headed to shore when Martin became stuck in deep mud. Bryan and his dog, Cash, were able to free Martin and get him to shore but Martin thought he dislocated his knee during the rescue efforts.

“The hunters were located with the assistance of the Channel 12 News helicopter. The Rochester Fire Department assisted by removing the hunters to safety using a six-wheel ATV. Martin was transported to Aurora Memorial Hospital of Burlington for treatment.

“Racine County Water Rescue had a Zodiac inflatable boat on scene and recovered all the men’s hunting gear. The boat was recovered and turned over to Klien. Personnel from the Village of Waterford Fire Department and the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources assisted during this incident.

“It was determined that the hunters followed all boating and hunting regulations; no citations were issued.”