On 10-18-09 at approximately 1830 hrs I, an Indiana Conservation Officer, received a telephone call from the Whitley County Sheriff's Department Dispatch advising me of a hunting accident which had just occurred on Goose Lake. Upon receiving all available information I immediately proceeded to that location. Upon my arrival the three subjects involved in the accident had just arrived back at the Public Access Site in their Canoe. One subject was unconscious and being administered CPR by emergency personnel on scene and the other two subjects were rushed inside one of the ambulances on scene in order to warm them up because they were completely wet from head to toe.
After looking over the canoe and gathering some information I interviewed both subjects inside ambulance on scene. On the following day 10-19-09 I interviewed both Operator 1 and Passenger 1 at their residences to obtain further details of the incident. While speaking with both Operator 1 and Passenger 1, they stated they had been duck and goose hunting near the southeast end of the lake in their canoe with their friend Victim 1. 
They had all met at Operator 1's house at approximately 4:00 pm on 10-18-09 and headed over to Goose Lake. After finally making it out on the water and getting their decoys set up they sat for approximately a half hour or so when Operator 1 noticed a goose swimming near shore just across the lake from them. They believed the goose was injured so decided to paddle over across the embayment and attempt to shoot the goose.
As they approached the goose it began to swim away from shore out into the lake. With the goose swimming across the water Victim 1, sitting in the front of the canoe, took a shot at the goose. Immediately after this Passenger 1, sitting in the middle seat of the canoe, also began to shoot at the goose. During the process of both men shooting at the goose multiple times, something happened causing the canoe to flip backwards resulting in all three men ending up in the water. Operator 1 stated that as both men were firing their guns he caught movement out of the corner of his eye just as the boat flipped over. He was not sure if Victim 1 had attempted to stand up or was just moving around to reposition himself to take another shot.
Once in the water all three men eventually began swimming towards shore some 30-40 yards to the south of them. Passenger 1 dropped his shotgun in the lake when he entered the water.  Because of this he was able to make it too shore first. Once on shore began talking to Victim 1 attempting to get him to calm down and swim towards shore. As Operator 1 was swimming to shore, with his shotgun still in his arms, he stopped with Victim 1 and gave him a blue boat cushion he was holding onto because Victim 1 was struggling so badly. After leaving Victim 1 he continued swimming towards shore and began struggling himself. He was able to grab a hold of his dog swimming in the water next to him and make it too within a few feet from shore. In a last ditch effort to make it into shore he was able to hold out his firearm still in his possession and allow Passenger 1 to grab onto the other end and pull him the last couple of feet into shore.
Once on shore Passenger 1 and Operator 1 began removing some of their heavy hunting clothes while at the same time talking to Victim 1 trying to calm him down and get him to shore. Once out of some of their clothes Passenger 1 swam back out into the lake and to retrieve the canoe. Operator 1 walked out onto the end of a downed tree along the shoreline of the lake and began trying to help Victim 1 make it the rest of the way into shore. Victim 1 was still holding onto the boat cushion as well as his firearm as he was attempting to make it too shore. At some point he did drop his firearm into the lake but remained holding onto the boat cushion. 
As Victim 1 made it closer to shore he continued struggling. Once almost into shore Operator 1 was finally able to make his way far enough out onto the downed tree in the water that he was able to reach out and grab Victim 1.
Columbia City                 