Duck hunter drowns after kayak capsized on lake

JACKSON CO., Ala. (WAFF/Gray News) - Authorities recovered the body of a Georgia man who drowned in Lake Guntersville in Alabama early Monday morning.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency says 22-year-old Brooks Hardie of Bremen, Georgia, never resurfaced after his kayak capsized while duck hunting around 8 a.m. on Saturday.

Hardie was a 2021 graduate of Bremen High School in Georgia.

“The world is a better place because you were in it. We love you, Brooks,” Bremen High School head football coach Davis Russell wrote on X.

Brooks Hardie went missing Saturday while duck hunting. Authorities recovered his body early... — Brooks Hardie went missing Saturday while duck hunting. Authorities recovered his body early Monday morning.(Bremen City Schools)

Hardie also played baseball at Snead State Community College in Alabama.

“He cared more about the guy to his right and left than he did himself. He wanted nothing more than to make the guys next to him much better,” Snead State athletic director and head baseball coach Casey Underwood said.

Several departments and agencies assisted in the search and recovery of Hardie.

According to Eddie Tigue with the Scottsboro Jackson Rescue Squad, grass on the lake is the “most difficult part” of searching, rescuing and recovering on the lake.

The investigation remains ongoing.

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