Hunters Found by Good Samaritan and Louisiana DWF Agents in Pearl River Canal

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries 01.13.13

Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) Enforcement Division agents rescued a hunter and a good Samaritan rescued another from the Pearl River Canal in Washington Parish this morning, Jan. 11.

Stephen Leicher, 27, of Bush, and James Rogan, 26, of Bogulusa left out this morning for a duck hunt on the Pearl River Canal in a 13 foot vessel. Around 5:15 a.m. their vessel had capsized putting Leicher and Rogan in the canal.

At 9:15 a.m. a passing boater noticed Leicher clinging to some woody debris in the canal and was able to get him in his boat. Leicher was found near entrance of Ox Lot Canal. They then notified LDWF agents about Rogan who was still missing.

At 10:10 a.m. agents found Rogan on the bank near Past Creek a mile in a half downstream from where Leicher was found.

Both men were checked on scene by Northshore Emergency Medical Services for any injuries and released. Neither man was wearing a personal flotation device when the vessel capsized.

Agents participating in the search and rescue were Sgt. Darryl Galloway and Senior Agent Joel Cromp.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.