Three northeast Missouri waterfowl hunters escaped serious injuries early Saturday morning when their small boat hit a stump and the vessel filled with water.
According to the Scotland County Sheriff’s Office, Blaine Otte, 20, of Kahoka, Bryton Plenge, 19, of rural Clark County, and William Montgomery, 19, of rural Scotland County were on their way to a hunting blind on Lake Showme, a 225 acre lake west of Memphis, when the incident occurred.
Two men swam to shore, while the third was stranded in the boat about 100 yards offshore. One man ran to the nearest house to get help, while other stayed on land in communication with the man stranded in the boat.
The Scotland County Fire and Rescue Department, Scotland C.o Ambulance Service, and Scotland Co Sheriff’s Office arrived on scene and quickly developed a plan to safely bring the stranded boater and vessel to shore. Missouri State Water Patrol and Missouri Department of Conservation were also contacted for resources to have enroute if needed.
According to a statement from the Scotland County Sheriff’s office, “This was a very fortunate outcome. No men were wearing life jackets at the time of the incident and the vessel was close to or at max weight limit. We encourage outdoor hunting, fishing, and sporting at our wonderful Lake Showme Conservation area as well as others but please put safety first and follow all laws and recommendations to prevent tragic
