While hunting on Beaumont Island on January 1st, two hunters became separated after killing two hogs. One of the hunters, 31-year-old Russell Kay, lost his way and was cut off by rising floodwaters. When Kay failed to return to their boat, his hunting partner, Joshua Reeves, contacted him by cell phone. He learned that Kay was unsure of his exact location, that he was on a small hummock with water rising all around him, and that he was out of minutes on his prepaid cell phone. At about 7:30 p.m., Reeves contacted Orange County officials, who in turn asked for help from the NPS, Texas Parks and Wildlife, and an air rescue unit from St. ElizabethHospital in Beaumont. Kay was eventually found by the crew of the helicopter, who directed NPS and TP&W boats to his location. State game wardens Kenny Lee and Ryan Hall, aided by ranger Johnny Stafford, reached Kay and rescued him from the rising water around 3 a.m. on January 2nd. The temperature by then was 35 degrees and it’s unlikely that the wet and hypothermic hunter would have survived the night without rescue. The incident received considerable local media attention.
