I would agree that he had an excellent plan for getting rescued. He stayed put and visible and he had someone waiting for him that knew where he was and when he was due back. His wife knew exactly when and whom to call and what to say. I can't fault him for that excellent preparation.
I just think it sounded a bit too convenient based on the way the story was written (which may or may not be accurate). It was reported that his inability to locate his boat was all that necessitated the rescue and being able to return to your boat is a matter of personal responsibility. Sure anyone can get lost, but since he was going hunting alone in an isolated area, I would expect him to have and use a map and compass and probably also a GPS. It also wouldn't hurt to have other basic precautions such as being equipped and supplied to spend the night if necessary. If he had unforseeable mechanical problems or some act of God left him stranded there, that would be a whole different situation.
Given his predicament, he certainly did the right thing. I just don't understand how he got himself into that predicament. I would have had more of a plan for finding the boat than "I hope I wander back here later, but if not the CG is on the way."
As for the cost, it is not clear in the story what assets were mobilized or for how long. It certainly costs money to operate aircraft and water vessles just like it costs money to drive your car for an additional trip to the store. Only a whole lot more in the case of this expensive, complex and high-maintenance machinery. A typical search helicopter costs $1,200 per hour to operate. This says nothing of the risks to the search personnel which were compouned by having to operate after dark in this case.