Coast Guard rescues 2 hunters, 4 dogs near Englehard, N.C.

ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — The Coast Guard rescued two hunters and their four dogs that were lost in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge Sunday.

Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received a call from Dare Central Communications Center at 8:30 p.m., Sunday requesting assistance with the Dare County Sheriff Department’s search for the missing hunters.

The reporting source stated that the hunters were last seen at 1 p.m., and that they did not have cold weather gear, food or water.

Using the hunter’s radios and Rescue 21, personnel in Sector North Carolina’s command center were able to pinpoint the hunters’ location.

An MH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City was launched and using the forward-looking infrared camera and the position passed by the command center, the crew was able to locate the missing persons.

The helicopter crew was able to hoist the hunters, their dogs and a deputy that assisted with the search. The crew landed nearby transporting the hunters to awaiting Dare County Sheriff Department Deputies.

Both hunters were reported as being in good health and did not need medical treatment.