BRIDGEWATER, Mass. (AP) – A deer hunting trip on Monday resulted in a rescue effort that ended when a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter plucked a hunter, three firefighters, a police officer and a rescue dog from a marshy area in Bridgewater.

Hunter Mike Hill and his friend were tracking a deer shot. The two split up, and Hill waded into waist-deep water in a marshy area east of the lake.

But when he grew cold and realized he was lost, the man called for help on a cell phone. A massive rescue operation ensued, with more than two dozen rescue workers from Bridgewater and surrounding towns.

Three firefighters set out on an airboat, but the boat got stuck. The firefighters themselves got mired in the marsh as they tried slogging on foot toward Hill, said Bridgewater Fire Chief Roderick Walsh.

Another firefighter and the police officer with the dog set out on an all terrain vehicle from another direction. They, too, got stuck in the swamp. Even a hovercraft brought in by a neighboring town got bogged down, Walsh said.

Eventually, the U.S. Coast Guard was brought in.

for an unusual land rescue. The helicopter arrived about 3 p.m., and plucked all of them from the marsh by about 3:30 p.m., hauling them up, dripping, through the trees to safety in a wire basket.

Walsh said that everyone – including Gorby – was fine.

AP-ES-12-15-03 1953EST

Meanwhile, a hovering television helicopter filmed Hill wearing an orange vest and waving his hat.

“We had a lot of trouble locating him because he couldn’t orient with anything. It was difficult for us to get in there,” Walsh said.