# Don't hunt geese in the dark!



## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

Published March 26 2010 
Commuter sees light, rescues hunter
****** Bommersbach was driving to work about 6 a.m. Thursday when he noticed a flash of light off to the side of Highway 11 in rural Sargent County, N.D. I just happened to look out in the countryside, and I saw a light out in the water and the cattails," said Bommersbach, a county highway worker. He stopped his pickup and shouted toward a flooded marsh area to see if someone needed help. 
By: Dave Olson , The Forum

****** Bommersbach was driving to work about 6 a.m. Thursday when he noticed a flash of light off to the side of Highway 11 in rural Sargent County, N.D.

"I just happened to look out in the countryside, and I saw a light out in the water and the cattails," said Bommersbach, a county highway worker.

He stopped his pickup and shouted toward a flooded marsh area to see if someone needed help.

"I hollered and hollered. Pretty soon, I heard something," Bommersbach said.

"A hunter had gotten disoriented, or something. He wouldn't have lasted too much longer," said Bommersbach, who hustled the cold and wet man into his pickup truck.

"His eyes were froze shut. His mouth was froze shut. He couldn't hardly say nothing," said Bommersbach, who phoned the county shop and had fellow workers call an ambulance.

As they waited for help, Bommersbach said the man, identified by the Sargent County Sheriff's Department as John Utecht, Victoria, Minn., near the Twin Cities, eventually warmed up enough to hand Bommersbach the keys to a nearby truck, where Bommersbach found Utecht some dry clothes.

"I sort of had to smack him a couple of times to keep him from slipping off into a coma or whatever," Bommersbach said.

"He kept saying, 'he was stuck, he was stuck.' He wasn't making any sense," Bommersbach added.

An ambulance took Utecht to Oakes (N.D.) Community Hospital.

A hospital spokeswoman said she could release little information about the incident, but said a man was treated for exposure Thursday morning and that he was no longer at the hospital.

Contacted by phone Thursday afternoon, Utecht's son, Zach, said his father was en route for home and feeling much better than he was earlier in the day, when the hip waders he was wearing filled with water *while he was stalking snow geese in the pre-dawn darkness*.

"It was pitch-black and he got into the cattails and he went through some water. He got himself into a little bit of a bind," Zach Utecht said.

According to the National Weather Service, early morning temperatures in Sargent County were around 19 degrees. Winds of 5 to 10 mph created a wind chill of about 5 degrees.

Bommersbach said the light that caught his attention while he was driving came from a flashlight Utecht had strapped to his head.

He added that Utecht's clothing was so frozen, his knees wouldn't bend when Bommersbach tried to get him into his pickup.

To keep Utecht alert and awake, Bommersbach said he tried to keep him talking.

"I said, 'This will be a story you'll tell your grandchildren.'

"He (Utecht) said, 'Oh my God, if you didn't come along. If you didn't come along.' "


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## headshot (Oct 26, 2006)

What a moron. He is lucky to be alive.


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## dogdonthunt (Nov 10, 2005)

sooooo.. he's a moron for doin what alot of goose hunters do? trying to get in the marsh before dawn? and it just so happened that his waders filled up.... not quite following you on this one headshot... unfortunate accident with a happy ending is what Id say.. fyi.. one of the effects of hypothermia btw is disorientation...


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## Hunter_58346 (May 22, 2003)

I think the "moron" part was the fact he was trying to jump a flock of snow geese at dawn. shoot 100 at dawn and spend 4 hours picking them up. Now that is FUN!!!!


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## NDTerminator (Aug 20, 2003)

Obviously he didn't have a clue about the depth, size, or shape of the slough he was entering. If not that, then he was stupid for pressing on after filling his waders. Hypothermia purely loves stupid.

Wouldn't have happened if he wasn't trying to bust the roost. For what it's worth, why anyone would risk their life to flock shoot at SOBs on a roost is beyond me. He is one very, very, lucky guy.


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## dakotashooter2 (Oct 31, 2003)

Sometimes I get really tired of all the trash talk about busting roosts. Frankly I'm not sure the guys that berate anybody that does it know jack. After 35+ years I've learned that every roost is an individual to itself. Some will be ruined, some will temporarily be disturbed others will not be effected at all. In areas with heavy pressure it can definately push the birds out. In areas of light pressure it often wont have an impact. My experience has also been that spring birds are less impacted by roost hunting than fall birds. Why I don't know. I suspect it may be due to the fact that they actually are less likely to remain on that roost for more than a day anyway unless weather keeps them there. Prior to the allowance of spring seasons I used to watch geese quite a bit in the spring. I found it to be rare to find them in the same field 2 days ina row (this without hunting pressure) During the first few spring seasons I only jumped geese. I found in as many instances as not that one or two hunters could go into a large widly spread flock (5000 and more) and shooting birds only causing them to move back and forth across the field. When someone mentions jumping geese on roost it always seems to be assumed that they are jumping 1000s of birds and running them off. Often that is not the case. I learned early on that it is easier to jump 50-100 birds than 1000s. If you are just jumping small numbers off a roost you really are not hurting anyones hunting because it is unlikely that those birds would account for more than a single run, if any ,on anyones decoys. Note that I mentioned 1 or 2 hunters. Not all of us feel the need to "TEAM HUNT". If you want to get down to brass tacks team hunting probably has as much a dentrimental impact on hunting as a lone roost buster. If you think a 30 round volley of shots evey time a small flock tries to land doesn't deter some birds and make them think twice before decoying for the next guy, think again.

I guess my point is don't make assumptions and slam someone when you really don't know exactly how they are hunting. FWIW I mostly decoy but will jump a small flock if the opportunity arises.


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## dogdonthunt (Nov 10, 2005)

if your 1 guy why would you feel the need to shoot 100 birds? I know they are overpopulated but why shoot em all on the first day.... remember.. its called hunting.. not killing  .......... well put dakota... jumping geese is always fun... and I do agree the guy literaly got in over his head in this case.... unfortunate but yes once the waders got any amount of water in them it was time to abondon ship.... hypothermia is not anything to mess with.... especially when water is involved...


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## coyote sniper (Apr 15, 2009)

DON'T HUNT GEESE IN THE DARK!? YOU MEAN THAT YOU NEVER GET IN THE FIELD BEFORE SUN UP?? ALWAYS GOTTA BE SOMEBODY CRYING/LOOKING DOWN AT SOME BODY ELSE BECAUSE THEY DON'T DO IT EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THEY DO!!!


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## GSPMIKE (May 28, 2010)

Maybe wise to hunt with a buddy too.


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