Ellijay teenager drowns on Lake Chatuge while duck hunting

CLAY COUNTY, NC. - An Ellijay teenager appears to have drowned while duck hunting in a remote section of Lake Chatuge on Nov. 18.

Carson Bentley recounted to Clay County Sheriff’s deputies that he and 18-year-old Trenton Daniel Johnson were engaged in duck hunting from their boat. After downing a duck, Bentley initiated the boat's motor to retrieve the felled waterfowl. In a heartbreaking turn of events, Bentley witnessed Johnson topple headfirst from the boat into the water. Despite Bentley's immediate efforts to secure a life jacket on Johnson, the young man succumbed to the cold waters.

The incident occurred around 10:30 a.m. in an inaccessible area, off the shore of government land just north of the Georgia State line.

Clay County deputies, a volunteer firefighter from Young Harris, and several hunters in the area responded to the scene to try to assist. They found Bentley sitting on the shoreline.

Johnson’s body was recovered about 50 feet away from the shoreline in about 10 to 12 feet of water.