Nov. 4 -- LEECH LAKE -- Six young duck hunters were successfully rescued after their boat capsized on Leech Lake on Sunday morning.

According to a release from Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk, at approximately 5:20 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, dispatch received a distress call reporting that several juveniles were stranded on Leech Lake in northeast Boy Bay near the Boy River.

Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer Pat McGowan, who was nearby at the time, responded immediately by launching his watercraft to the scene.

"Officer McGowan was able to rescue the first four juvenile males, two of which were in the water and two on the boat, and transported them to shore," the release said. "On a second trip, the last two juvenile males were rescued and transported to shore at approximately 7:05 a.m."

All six hunters, who had been exposed to approximately 40-degree water, were treated on-site for mild hypothermia, with no additional medical attention required.

According to Welk, the initial investigation indicates that the group had departed from the Battle Point boat landing, traveling roughly three miles across Boy Bay before their small duck boat capsized. Welk noted that "life jackets were present in the boat but not worn at the time of the incident," adding that "conditions were dark and windy at the time of the rescue."

The incident remains under investigation with support from the Minnesota DNR, and the Federal Dam Fire Department and North Memorial Ambulance also provided assistance at the scene.

Sheriff Welk credits the positive outcome of the rescue to Officer McGowan's "quick response and rescue efforts."

The Cass County Sheriff's Office and Minnesota DNR urge waterfowl hunters and fall fishermen to prioritize safety while on the water, especially in colder temperatures and offer the following recommendations:

* Always wear your PFD. A PFD (personal flotation device) greatly reduces the chance of sudden drowning due to cold shock and swimming failure. Cold water drowning can occur instantly if cold shock causes a person to gasp while their mouth is submerged. That particular phenomenon used to be called sudden disappearance syndrome (SDS) -- worth emphasizing that you don't suddenly disappear and sink to the bottom if you are wearing a properly secured PFD. Drowning can also occur during the first several minutes of cold shock due to swimming failure or inhaling water as a result of wave splash. If you aren't wearing a PFD, you will drown as soon as you can no longer swim or tread water.

* Always dress for the water temperature. Because cold water can kill you. Not wearing thermal protection when you paddle on cold water is gambling with your life. The air temperature is irrelevant. The only thing that really matters when you fall into cold water is whether you are dressed for immersion. Dressing for the water temperature means a lot more than simply donning a wetsuit or dry suit before you head out. It means knowing with certainty that the garments you're wearing provide enough thermal protection to keep you warm and allow you to function -- physically and mentally -- should you wind up in the water. Cold water immersion is always a race against the clock, and depending on how well prepared you are, it can be a desperate race or one you can walk rather than run.

* Dressing for the water temperature means:

1. Wearing thermal protection like a wetsuit or dry suit so that you don't experience cold shock.

2. Wearing enough thermal protection so that you remain warm, calm, and able to function -- physically and mentally -- while you're in the water, whatever the water temperature happens to be.

3. Wearing a wetsuit that's thick enough to protect you from the cold and snug enough to work properly.

4. Wearing a dry suit that doesn't leak, is not excessively burped, and has enough warm clothing underneath it to protect you from the cold.

5. Wearing enough protection to keep you functioning if you have to swim or get towed to shore, and if you can't get to shore, enough protection to keep you alive long enough to be rescued.