Wildfowlers’ helicopter rescue drama

Fowlers should be aware of the dangers before going out on to mudflats

By Selena Masson

Saturday, 27 February 2010

The dramatic rescue of two novice wildfowlers has lead to calls for shooters to revisit their club’s safety protocols

Two novice wildfowlers had to be rescued by helicopter after becoming trapped on mudflats at Munlochy Bay in the Highlands on 15 February.

The Black Isle & Mid Ross Wildfowlers Club members managed to dial 999 at around 9.20am. Aberdeen Coastguard said the rising tide was above their waists by the time they arrived at around 10am. The Dornoch Coastguard specialist mud team along with Inverness and Portmahomack rescue teams were also sent to the area with a Sea King helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth and Kessock Lifeboat team. An unnamed man, who is 58 years old, and a boy, who is 15 years old, were then winched on to the shore.

Fiona Hastie, watch manager at Aberdeen Coastguard, said: “The tide came in rapidly. Though pulling people out of the mud is not the best way to extract them, in this case, if the helicopter had not arrived when it did, the outcome could have been very different.”

The rest of this article appears in 24th February issue of Shooting Times.