Man drowns in Hungry Horse Reservoir
Hungry Horse Reservoir on July 2, 2022. (JP Edge photo)
A Bigfork man drowned in the Hungry Horse Reservoir on Sunday near Wounded Buck Creek.
A boat crew responded to the scene to search for Randel Gilpin, 63, but he could not be initially found. Gilpin’s body was recovered on Monday. He was not wearing a life jacket.
The initial responders, who were 5 miles away, were searching for the body of Emily Rea, another Flathead Valley woman who is believed missing in the reservoir, Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino said in a release.
Additionally, on Sunday, Flathead County deputies, Evergreen Fire, Creston Fire and Flathead Search and Rescue responded to a call where a kayak had flipped and victims were trapped on a log on the Flathead River. Responding crews successfully rescued a 42-year-old male and a 12-year-old female during the incident. The rescued individuals were also not wearing life jackets.
The Sheriff’s office implores boaters and water recreationists to wear life jackets while recreating on the thousands of square miles of waterways in Flathead County.