Bodies of 3 hunters, dog recovered

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The. U.S. Coast Guard and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens have recovered the bodies of three duck hunters and a dog who were reported missing near Carancahua Bay.

The hunters did not return to the bay, between Port Lavaca and Palacios, on Friday morning as scheduled.

USCG identified the missing men as Wallisville resident Starett Burke, Mont Belvieu resident Spencer Hall and Dayton resident Chris Ruckman.

The men launched a 17-foot green flat-bottomed boat at around 4 a.m. Friday from a place off County Road 312 on the east side of Carancahua Bay. Ruckman's girlfriend contacted Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi Command Center to report that they were overdue Friday evening after they had not returned as expected at 10 or 11 a.m. Friday.

 

The command center watchstanders launched an Air Station Corpus Christi MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Calhoun County Sheriff's Office to assist in the search effort. The Coast Guard had also launched an HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane and crew on Saturday morning.