RedactedNarrative: AAt approximately 1145 hours, I Game Warden, received a telephone call advising me that there was a report of two male individuals who were in the water and needed assistance at Cold Springs Reservoir within Kirtch Wildlife Management Area.  I advised NDOW Dispatch that I would be responding from Panaca Nevada with an ETA of approximately 1255 hours.  Soon after I was advised that one of the male subjects had lost consciousness and I was asked to activate lights and sirens and run code to the location.
  
  I arrived at approximately 1245 hours and contacted White Pine County EMS who were already on scene.  They advised me that they were unable to locate the individuals. With White Pine County EMS were two people.   I used binoculars to look across the lake but was also unable to see anyone on the lake or near the shore.  I then unlocked a gate to the dam and drove my patrol vehicle across the dam to where the road was washed out.  I could see that the lake had white-cap waves on it as the winds had picked up to 20-30 mph. I was informed by dispatch that the GPS location given to them by Nye County Dispatch was 38.34785800 -115.151406. They told me that this location was approximately .4 miles north of the dam.  
  
  Subject1 and I walked north along the west shore of Cold Springs Reservoir.  Using ONX maps I was able to measure out approximately .4 miles.  We began yelling loudly to see if the men who were in the water could hear us.  After several attempts and no response, I decided to try to get to the edge of
  the cat tails and the lake and see if I could hear or see anything. I left Subject1 at that location so someone would know where I went in. At approximately 1255 hours I began wading from the shore out toward open water.  This was very slow going as the weeds were very dense and difficult to navigate.
   I went about 100 yards into the cat tails and the water got to approximately 4 feet deep. There was zero visibility as the cattails and brush were over 8 feet tall.  I began yelling again and heard a faint response somewhere south of my location.  
  
  I then began to work my way toward the sound of a man's voice.  I arrived at the location of the two men at approximate 1305 hours. These two men were later identified as Subject2 and Subject3.  I was able to see a male individual (Subject3) who was holding the head of another male individual.  I asked Subject3 if the man he was holding was breathing and he told me he did not know.  I performed an initial assessment of Subject2 and was unable to see any signs of life.   He did not have a pulse and he was not breathing.  He was also cold to the touch and his face had turned purple.  I asked Subject3 if he could help me lift him on to the kayak.  While attempting to do so I could see that Subject3 was not doing very well.  His movements were slow and labored, he also could not speak very well.  I then began yelling for Subject1 to come to my location.  The water temperature on this day was approximately 54 degrees. The ambient air temperature was approximately 60 degrees and falling. At this point it had begun raining. 
  
  Subject1 with White Pine County EMS arrived at the location of the subjects at approximately 1317 hours.  Nye County Dispatch was on Subject3's phone on speaker mode.  I informed them of what I had going on and that we needed to get Subject3 out of the situation as soon as possible because he was showing possible signs of hypothermia.  Subject1 assisted me in getting Subject2's body lifted and laid on to one of the Kayaks.  Once he was balanced on the kayak, I attempted to get him out of the weeds to open water.  This was an attempt to possibly float him over to the Dam.  Once I got to open water and out of the weeds, the water was up to my neck and the wind was whipping across the lake.  I decided it was too dangerous to try and float Subject2's body that way.  I decided the only way to get either of them out was to beat down a path through the cattails and weeds to the shore.  I estimated there to be approximately 100 yards of weeds and cat tails between that location and the shore.  
  
  I informed Subject3 that he would need to find the energy to start walking through the weeds to shore.  Over the next 15 min we made it probably 25 yards in the direction of the shore.  Subject3 kept stopping and sitting down in the water.  We kept trying to motivate him to keep moving.  At approximately 1335
  hours four people arrived to assist us.  Subject3 was unable to keep walking at this point so we had him lay down on the other Kayak and 4 individuals began carrying him through the water and the weeds.  Subject1 and I were still pushing and pulling the other Kayak with Subject2's body on it.  10 minutes later two others with NHP arrived and began helping us with the rescue.   Once we got the Kayak with Subject2 body to shore EMS looked him over and determined there was no need to do life saving CPR or other measures.  Subject4 took me aside as I was shivering and got me a change of dry clothes.  I
  changed into dry clothes and sat in the truck with the heat on to warm myself up.  Once I felt I was warm, I assisted NHP and Subject4 with getting the Subject2's body transported back the boat launch.  It was raining and we needed to get the body and vehicles out the mud before it got worse. 
  
  At approximately 1415 hours we arrived at the boat launch and laid the kayak with the Subject2's body on the ground and put a yellow tarp over the top of him. I then asked White Pine EMS how Subject3 was doing.   Subject5 advised me that they had got him into dry clothes and his temperature was stable.  Subject3 had refused transport to the White Pine Hospital.  Subject3 had moved to his own vehicle.  I went to interview Subject3 at this point.  I sat in his vehicle, and he relayed to me what had happened.  
  
  He told me that both He and Subject2 had come up from Vegas that morning.  He told me that they had looked at the weather report and it had said that the weather was going to get bad in the afternoon but that they thought they would be long gone before that weather hit.  Subject3 informed me that they had
  launched both Kayaks on Cold Springs Reservoir that morning at about 0800 hours.  He explained to me that Subject2 had paddled over near the dam while he had fished his way over near the western shore.  
  
  After approximately 45 min Subject2 had caught a "personal best" trout and had held it up high so Subject3 could see it.  In doing so he lost balance and fell off his Kayak into the water.  Subject3 explained to me that he had an inflatable life jacket on him but that he did not pull the line because it would have made it harder to get back on his kayak.  Subject3 told me that Subject2 struggled to get back on his Kayak but was able to after about 5 min.  Subject3 told me he attempted to find Subject2's missing oar but was unable to locate it.  He told me that once he got over to Subject2 to tell him that he could not find his Paddle the wind was strong and had begun pushing them toward the opposite shore from the boat launch. 
  
  The wind pushed them across the lake while Subject3 attempted to drag Subject2 and his Kayak.  Subject3 explained that it was impossible to fight against the wind and waves with only one paddle.  They came to  rest against the reeds and cat tails at approximately 1030 hours.  At this point Subject2 again fell off the Kayak but was again able to get back on his Kayak.  They decided to get back in the cat tails away from the wind that was pushing them.  At this point Subject3 was able to call and speak with Game Warden Subject4.  Subject3 explained their situation to Subject4 and Subject4 informed them that they would need to try to work their way through the weeds to the shore.  Subject4 explained to them that help was approximately 2 hours from them and they would need to reach the shore.
   
  
  Subject3 and Subject2 then began to push and paddle the two Kayaks through the weeds in a western direction.  He said it was rough and slow going.  He explained that he could see that Subject2 was cold so he gave him some hand warmers and an extra hat.  While they were struggling through the weeds, he
  heard what sounded like Subject2 had thrown up.  He looked back at him and saw that he was slumped over in his Kayak and was unresponsive.  Subject3 explained to me that he then got off of his Kayak and waded over to Subject2.  At this point he called 911 and was able to speak with NYE county dispatch.  Contact with NYE county Dispatch was made through 911 services at 1131 hours.  He told me that NYE county dispatch informed him that he needed to get Subject2 onto a recovery position.  
  
  Subject3 attempted to lay him flat on the Kayak but was unable to as Subject2's body fell into the water again.  Subject3 said he could not tell if Subject2 was breathing.  At this point he pulled Subject2's inflatable life jacket handle which fully inflated the PFD. Over the next 1 and a half hours Subject3 stayed on the line with NYE county dispatch.  Subject3 struggled to keep Subject2's head above water.  Subject3 explained that at one point he removed the lifejacket Subject2 had on and placed it under his back to help keep him out of the water. 
  
  He stayed in the water holding his friend the whole time and became very cold.  It was at approximately 1300 hours that he heard my voice.
  
  At approximately 1500 hours NYE county Deputy arrived on scene. At approximately 1630 hours NYE county Detective arrived on Scene.  I assisted NYE county with loading Subject2's body into the Transport van to be transported to the Clark County Coroners Office.  
  
  The Blue 10-foot Lifetime Teton Kayak Subject2 was operating was seized using seizure tag number 45944. It was then transported to the management area office and secured.  Subject4 transported the seized Life jacket Subject2 was wearing to the Ely NDOW office.  The capacity plate on the Kayak states a maximum capacity of 275 lbs.  Based on Subject2's listed weight and gear I do not feel this Kayak was overloaded.   Subject2 had on an Onyx M25 inflatable PFD which had been inflated to full size.  This PFD was seized utilizing seizure tag #45943.