Unseasonably mild weather through much of this winter has taken a deadly toll on sportsmen in waters in or near Pennsylvania.

Four anglers and boaters have died -- and another is missing and presumed dead -- since January, putting drowning statistics "ahead of the curve" for this time of year, said Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission spokesman Dan Tredinnick.

"We're already seeing a scenario we normally don't see until May -- by far the worst month for boating fatalities. Balmy days have people getting their boats out, but what they fail to consider is, the air may be warm but water is still cold. All kinds of bad things happen when you fall into cold water."

Feb. 11, Matthew Bradshaw, 30, of Bloomsburg drowned in the Susquehanna River near Espy, Columbia County, after falling from a boat while duck hunting. Justin Seidel, 19, of Danville is presumed to have died after his canoe capsized Feb. 16 on Lake Chillisquaque, Montour County, while he was fishing with friends, according to the Pennsylvania Fish Commission. As of Friday, his body hadn't been recovered and the lake remained closed. Neither Seidel nor Bradshaw had been wearing a life jacket, the commission said, and water temperature was in the mid- to upper-30 degree range.

The Fish Commission said chilly water and no life jackets also were factors in the Delaware River deaths of two anglers. The body of Anthony J. Suozzo IV of Stockton, N.J., was recovered this past Thursday though he is believed to have died Jan. 10 -- his 26th birthday -- when a canoe he shared with friends capsized. Martin McDonough, 19, of Matamoris, Pa., drowned Feb. 15 when the canoe he was fishing from overturned in rapids near Port Jervis, Pa., on the Delaware River boarding Pennsylvania and New York. His companion made it to safety.

On Feb. 28, Myron Dale Cobb, 69, of Portersville, fell through thin ice and drowned in Lake Arthur while attempting to fish 50 yards from shore. Though "last ice" is a big draw for some anglers, locals say conditions were clearly unsafe the day Cobb ventured onto the lake.

Death can occur within minutes when someone falls into frigid water, said Tredinnick. "The shock can lead to heart attack and hypothermia, but there's something that happens even more quickly called involuntary inhalation reflex, where you're sucking water into your lungs and you can't do much to prevent it."

On average, 11 or 12 people die in boating related accidents each year, and 87 percent involve canoes, kayaks, rowboats and other unpowered watercraft, which now number about 40,000 in Pennsylvania.

"The same features that make them easy to maneuver also make them unstable. They don't draught a lot of water. They just skim the surface. That makes them tippy and more dangerous," Tredinnick said.

Their popularity is growing, however. The Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources reports that kayak use has increased by 169 percent and canoeing by 24 percent in the past 10 years, and fishing kayaks have become popular. Yet, no safety training is required for operators of non-motorized watercraft in Pennsylvania, although the Fish Commission urges all boaters to take safety courses, which are available through the commission's Web site.

Boaters aren't required to wear life jackets, either, yet they are the single best hedge against tragedy.

"It's like buckling up your seat belt when you get into your car. Yet, what we consistently see in fatals is people who weren't wearing any kind of personal flotation device," Tredinnick said.

Sportsmen, he said, can be a particularly tough sell. "They tend to see themselves as waterfowlers or anglers, and think of a canoe or kayak as 'that thing that floats on the water that's part of their hunting gear,' " Tredinnick added. "Hunters worry that a vest won't let them shoulder their gun properly, but vests being made today are comfortable, and many are customized to hunting or angling."

"They even look cool," said Sean Brady, who has led many float and fish trips for Venture Outdoors, the nonprofit recreation group that also operates Kayak Pittsburgh on the Allegheny River. "They give you a nice, strong upper body appearance."

In keeping with his organization's safety first motto, Brady offers the following advice to kayakers and canoeists: "You really need to know the water you're going to paddle, how fast the current is, where the dams are. If you're planning to go down narrow water, scout from shore ahead of time to know where strainers are."

Strainers are submerged, fallen trees or brush that let water through but can trap boats.

"French Creek, which has killed people, makes a lot of sharp bends, so you're needing to steer dramatically every hundred feet," Brady said. "You can be caught by surprise if a tree is newly fallen.

"The other big thing for paddlers is, stay close to shore. It's their safest zone, and where most of the wildlife is anyway."

Brady also reminds boaters that 120 is a magic number. "If air and water temperatures don't add up to more than 120 degrees, combined," he said, "it isn't safe to be out there."

For more on boating safety, including courses and how to order a free boating safety manual, visit www.fish.state.pa.us.