Anderson: When situations got dire, these DNR officers swooped in to the rescue

Pat McGowan was already on the road at 5 one morning last November when he received a call that a boat had overturned on Leech Lake and hunters were in the water.

A Department of Natural Resources conservation officer since 2008, and a longtime duck hunter himself, McGowan knew the lake was frigid and that no one could last long in its water.

“I was headed to Leech Lake anyway that morning to check duck hunters,” McGowan said.

Racing to a public landing on Boy Bay, McGowan launched his boat quickly and headed onto the dark lake.

“One of the hunters had a cell phone and had called 911,” McGowan said. “I wasn’t sure exactly where they were. They said Boy Bay. But it’s a big area.”

Seeing a blinking light about 3 miles from the landing, McGowan in the still-dark of early morning found six juveniles clinging to an overturned 14-foot boat. The hunters at the bow were somewhat out of the water, but those at the stern were deeply immersed.

“I could only get four of the hunters at a time in my boat, so I loaded the four toward the stern and headed back to the landing,” McGowan said. “I dropped those hunters off to a waiting ambulance and went back for the others.”

The hunters’ boat was equipped with a blind, and apparently the boat had taken on water and rolled over. Some of the hunters wore waders, which quickly filled with water.

As he approached the second batch of hunters, McGowan saw decoys and other hunting gear floating in the water. None of the young men wore life jackets.

“Where the boat overturned was probably 400 to 500 yards from a cattail shoreline, and maybe a mile from a hard shoreline, so it would have been difficult for them to get to shore,” McGowan said.

Loading the last three hunters, McGowan returned to the launch site. All of the hunters survived.

For his efforts, McGowan was among about a dozen DNR conservation officers — and one specially trained dog — recognized recently for saving the lives of Minnesotans who spend time outdoors.

The awards are reminders, said DNR Enforcement Division Director Rodmen Smith, that conservation officers do more than check licenses.

“Our officers have always been on hand to help,” Smith said. “With cell phones and other technology, we’re oftentimes notified of trouble more quickly than in the past, and our specialized equipment can help reach people in trouble. These individuals responded at a moment’s notice to situations that otherwise could have ended in tragedy.”

Others receiving DNR life-saving awards include:

• Conservation officer Mike Fairbanks of Deer River, who with a Deer River police officer on the night of Jan. 11 , 2025, saved the life of a woman who broke through the ice while riding her ATV on Little Winnibigoshish Lake. She had pulled herself from the water but was face down on the ice and unconscious when Fairbanks and the officer found her and transported her to shore to an ambulance.

• Conservation officer Jimmy Van Asch of Pengilly, who on Sept. 30, 2024, rescued an elderly boater who was stuck in heavy vegetation and showed signs of hypothermia. During a second rescue, on Dec. 14, 2024, Van Asch rode his snowmobile to find a hunter experiencing severe chest pains and transported the man to a waiting ambulance.

• Conservation officers Matt Boyle of Pelican Rapids and Shane Zavodnik of Virginia, who on Nov. 15, 2024, slogged through a spruce bog and other heavy terrain to reach a man pinned beneath his crashed airplane and soaked in gas. They lifted the aircraft off him, warmed him to prevent hypothermia and treated him until more rescuers arrived.

• Conservation officer Jake Swedberg of Detroit Lakes and Kevin Quittschreiber, the father of late conservation officer Kyle Quittschreiber, who on Oct. 17, 2024, rescued a canoeist who couldn’t reach shore on Rice Lake in Otter Tail County because of strong winds and inclement weather. Swedberg knew Quittschreiber lived on the lake and had a boat with a mud motor. Using the boat, the two reached the stranded canoeist, who was becoming hypothermic, and returned him to shore.

• Regional training conservation officer Dave Schottenbauer, who on Sept. 29, 2024, was among 35 DNR officers at Camp Ripley when one officer had a life-threatening reaction to a bee sting. Schottenbauer, who is also a registered nurse, rolled the officer into a recovery position, cleared his airways, called in a Life Link helicopter and directed another officer to use an EpiPen. The afflicted officer, who hadn’t known he was allergic to bee stings, was airlifted to a hospital, where he recovered.

• Conservation officer Ashley Whiteoak of Aitkin, who on Sept. 20, 2024, was flagged down by hunters who told her about a missing hunter. Along with conservation officers Andrew Dirks of Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area, Mike Krauel and K9 Bolt of Mora and DNR K9 Unit Leader Capt. Phil Mohs and K9 Mack, they located the lost 71-year-old hunter after dark. K9 Bolt first found the hunter, who was in a remote area and couldn’t walk out of the woods.

• Conservation officer Levi Brown of Benson, who was checking anglers on July 21, 2024, when he heard a call about a man whose head was pinned between a forklift and a tractor tire. Arriving on the scene within minutes, Brown manipulated the tractor tire without starting the machine, freeing the victim’s head and releasing pressure that otherwise would have killed him.