He needed a dog. Stepping into a hole in waders is a nightmare scenario.
He should have had a Chesapeake Bay Retriever with him. They’re strong powerful dogs with a waterproof oily coat. I’ve hunted with them for years. They’re great to duck and goose hunt with. One year many years ago a guy fell out of his boat trying to tie it up at the dock. He had hip waders on and slipped off the pier going straight to the bottom. He was found the next day.
I helped drag an 80 yo trapper out of a creek where he died struggling when his waders filled up