The U.S. Coast Guard used a helicopter and a rescue basket to hoist and safely extract three duck hunters whose boat ran aground in rough weather, leaving them stranded on Sunday (Jan. 25, 2026).
NEW ORLEANS – First responders jumped into action in New Orleans after a group of duck hunters needed emergency assistance when they were stranded in dangerous severe weather.
The US Coast Guard worked in collaboration with its New Orleans Air Station to rescue the duck hunters when their boat ran aground in shallow water on Sunday, leaving the trio stranded in deteriorating weather conditions.
The New Orleans area received over half an inch of rain on Sunday, along with wind gusts as strong as 38 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
U.S. Coast Guard members rescue three duck hunters.
Coast Guard crews quickly utilized a helicopter to locate and successfully rescue the three hunters.
“Despite low clouds and rain, the crew of CG6041 located the hunters, hoisted them from the marsh, and safely transported them back to the marina,” per a statement from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and Hearland division.
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One Coast Guard member waves his arms in the air to the helicopter once it arrives at the scene to signal he has successfully reached the hunters.
Footage shows members of the Coast Guard successfully transporting each of the hunters into the helicopter using a rescue basket, a vital tool for recovering victims stranded on rooftops, shipwrecks, ship decks, and most large bodies of water.
These rescue tools can hoist someone weighing up to 300 lbs, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Thankfully, all three hunters were safely extracted from the area, and there were no reports of any serious injury.
