Duck hunter drowns in Becker County lake

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The body of a 62-year-old Minneapolis man was recovered near Rat Lake Tuesday afternoon by members of the Becker County Sheriff’s Department Dive Team.

The man apparently drowned after his boat overturned while he was duck hunting. His name has not been released.

Rat Lake is in Eagle View Township in north central Becker County.

Authorities mounted a search shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday, after White Earth tribal police officers investigated a vehicle parked near Rat Lake that appeared to be abandoned.

The tribal conservation office was called in to do a shoreline search, which revealed a small aluminum duck boat that had overturned.

Divers found the man’s body about 3 p.m. in water less than 10 feet deep. “It appears the duck boat overturned, submerging the victim,” Becker County Sheriff Tim Gordon said in a news release.

Family members of the victim told investigators he had been in Becker County since Nov. 6 and was in the Rat Lake area specifically to hunt ducks.

“The rapid resolution to this case came about from the cooperation of the White Earth Police Department, White Earth Conservation and the Becker County Sheriff’s Department working jointly on the investigation,” Gordon said.

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