Hunter Rescued From Woods In DeKalb County Hours After Falling In River

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A hunter had to be rescued after he fell into a DeKalb County river on Thursday afternoon.

The 31-year-old Kingston man was out hunting with a friend in the Kishwaukee River State Fish and Wildlife Area, according to a statement from the DeKalb County sheriff's office.

At some point, the friend left, sheriff's police said. He returned "hours later" and heard the man — who didn't have a cellphone — yelling for help.

Police and fire crews from Kingston began searching for him along with Illinois Department of Conservation police about 7:30 p.m. They found the hunter "deep in the woods," police said.

He had partially fallen in the river in the single-digit temperatures and had managed to pull himself out, but could not move, police said.

Crews carried him out of the woods at 10:30 p.m. and he was taken by helicopter from the Kirkland Fire Station to St. Anthony Hospital in Rockford, the sheriff's office said. He was expected to survive.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2017. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)