November 22, 2006

Waubay, South Dakota - Rapid City hunter Shawn Langstaff is lucky to be alive. And his story should serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of trusting the reliability of early season ice.

On Tuesday, the opening day of the Waubay National Wildlife Refuge deer season, Langstaff was walking across a narrow strip of ice between the shore and an island when he fell through the inch-thick ice.

Four other hunters who were already on the island heard his cries for help and came running from where they were hunting about three-quarters of a mile away. One of the hunters called 911. The others quickly tied together their deer drag ropes and tied one end to a branch.

“The rescuers busted through the ice until they were close enough to throw the stick to Shawn,” said S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department Conservation Officer Robert Losco who serves in Day County. Working in chest-deep water, the rescuers were able to pull Langstaff safely to shore on the island.

Day County conservation officer Mike Klosowski, dispatched by the 911 call, used a small boat to break through the ice and reach the island shore. Landstaff was loaded in the boat and taken to a waiting ambulance.

“We estimate Shawn was in the water about an hour before being pulled to shore,” Losco said. Langstaff was to be kept overnight at Lake Area Hospital in Webster.

“Mr. Langstaff is lucky to be alive,” said GFP Hunter Safety Coordinator Curt Robertson. “All hunters and anglers need to be wary of the thickness of the ice they’re trying to cross, particularly early or late in the season.”

In addition to Game, Fish and Parks personnel, others helping in the rescue included the Day County Sheriff’s Office, Christensen Ambulance Service and the Waubay National Wildlife Refuge staff.