One teen duck hunter died over the weekend when his boat reportedly capsized in the Chincoteague Bay.
Cory Alles was with three others when they took a 16-foot jon boat into the bay on Saturday. Outdoor Life reported the boat capsized when a large wave knocked it over.
Alles died in the cold water brought on by winter storm conditions. Two duck hunters stayed with the boat, and another boater rescued them. Virginia Marine Police say that one teenager is still missing.
Teens Were On An Early Morning Duck Hunt
The teens were hunting near Curtis Merritt Harbor in the south Chincoteague Bay area when the boat accident happened.
Winter storm warnings called for wind gusts up to 15 miles per hour with air temperatures in the low 20s. That made for water temperatures hovering in the low 40s.
A nearby boater rescued the two duck hunting teens, ages 17 and 19. Emergency personnel took them to the hospital to get warm and monitor them for frostbite.
The Coast Guard reported the 18-year-old Bentonville, Va. resident was Alles soon after.
Authorities are still searching for the other teen. A Facebook post announced the other teen as Nathan Jenkins. On Tuesday, the Browntown Baptist Church will hold a candlelight vigil for the teen.
Rescue teams were conducting operations on Monday morning with boats and aircraft. They are searching the 72-mile body of water for the missing duck hunter
“Authorities remain committed to bringing closure to the victim’s family,” Virginia Marine Police Chief Matthew Rogers told a reporter with Chesapeake Bay Magazine. “The Virginia Marine Police and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission offers its deepest condolences to the families during this time.
Duck Hunters Rescues On The Upswing
Last week, the Coast Guard rescued some Massachusetts duck hunters near Cape Cod. The men’s boat got stuck during low tide. Because of dropping temperatures, they called for help.
When they realized the next tide wouldn’t come in until the next day, they called for help. Another boater rescued four men while the Coast Guard helicopter airlifted the other two. The federal agency took a video of the rescue.
According to the local weather authorities on Jan. 15, the high temperature was 20 degrees, and the low was 11 degrees in the Barnstable area.
Earlier this month, two Pennsylvania hunters in Codorus Creek needed rescue after they were stuck trying to get a dead duck.
The duck hunters, both in their 70s, went into the creek and got stuck when their hip waders filled with water. Their cries for help caught the attention of a bicyclist who called 911.
When emergency services arrived, they used a ladder to pull the men to safety. An ambulance took them to the hospital for an evaluation.