fell through the ice

B

Bob Peters

Well-known member
I hit a marsh on thurday in MN and was coming up on an inlet, knew it, and ended up falling through with one leg all the way to my crotch. Water was way deeper than I thought. I backed off as soon as I got out, called for the dog, and she didn't come. Then I set my gun down and creeped closer to the thin ice, and saw puppy with her back end totally in the water and paws up on the ice! I belly crawled over and pulled her out. Everyone was fine and we continued hunting. I've fallen through the ice a bunch before, but this was scary because it was so close to shore and very deep. I did have safety picks in my vest. I have hunted this marsh before. Most members on here already are aware of the dangers, but be careful. I didn't get any shots here, but did flush a few roosters and hens.
 
I seem to break through the ice once or twice a year. Most of the time it's only knee or thigh deep so uncomfortable but not a big deal. After the first big scare though, when hunting cattails after freeze up I usually wear chest waders, just in case.

On a couple occasions I've had to rescue my dogs that have broken through and couldn't get out. The most terrifying was a spring snow goose hunt back about 16 years ago. Josie and I both went though chin deep about 100 yards or so out on a frozen open water slough, while we were retrieving several snow geese. I was holding my shotgun over my head with Jose on my other shoulder (she was about drowning me trying to get out until I grabbed her & hoisted her up on my shoulder) and my head tilted back to keep my mouth & nose above water. Threw the shotgun as far as I could on the ice, then got Jose on the ice & away from the hole. Took awhile to get myself out, but when I did we bee-lined for shore & straight home.

Last year my old Betty went through the thin ice near a beaver run and couldn't get out. Had it been a younger member of the Crew I was certain they could have gotten out, but not Betty. I knew I was going to get wet as soon as I eased out onto that ice. Yep, again about neck deep, even knowing it was coming, the shock of the air being forced out of my lungs is hard to describe, almost a panic. Got her up on my shoulder and out, then I let my legs float out behind and made like I was swimming, breaking/crawling to more solid ice where I was able to crawl on w/o breaking through. Needless to say, that hunt was done right then & there.

For what it's worth, as I said after the incident with Josie I started wearing chest waders (I had hip waders on that day, mainly because we were walking in sloppy fields and half melted knee deep soft snow) with a tight belt over them. If I go through water over the waders the belt keeps most of the water out & the air trapped inside turns the waders into a kind of flotation device. I then allow my legs to float out behind and swim/crawl my way out. The trick is to fight through the initial shock/panic and let yourself float. There are videos on Youtube that show how to do this. It's a really good survival skill to learn...
 
Last edited:
Bob Peters said:
I hit a marsh on thurday in MN and was coming up on an inlet, knew it, and ended up falling through with one leg all the way to my crotch. Water was way deeper than I thought. I backed off as soon as I got out, called for the dog, and she didn't come. Then I set my gun down and creeped closer to the thin ice, and saw puppy with her back end totally in the water and paws up on the ice! I belly crawled over and pulled her out. Everyone was fine and we continued hunting. I've fallen through the ice a bunch before, but this was scary because it was so close to shore and very deep. I did have safety picks in my vest. I have hunted this marsh before. Most members on here already are aware of the dangers, but be careful. I didn't get any shots here, but did flush a few roosters and hens.
Click to expand...
A few scary deal and one that many of us have had happen to. Glad you and your dog are ok!
 
Not too fond of ice water on the outside of me. I would avoid hunting those areas completely. Glad you folks are living to tell the tales. So I am guessing the temps thursday weren't bad, hasn't been many cold days yet. Labs, was it also mild weather you went through the ice? How far were your trucks away? If they were just a half mile, I would have thought hypothermia would have been a real possibliity. It sounds like you fellas are flirting with death. If it isn't and hasn't been COLD for an extended period of time (it hasn been cold here since a little cold snap in late Oct or early Nov) why are you on ice where the water is even over your boots deep? I am not sure I would risk my life for my dog or pheasants, not what I want in my obit. You read or hear about "those guys" and shake your head and say why. You sure don't want to orphan the remaining members of the crew.
 
I think we've all stepped through a soft or weak spot in cattails before and gone through. The question is, do you learn from the mistake and avoid it again? I do. I refuse to go in there until I know for a fact that its froze solid like concrete. I've stepped in up to my waist, up to my knee, over my boot, and it all sucks. It ruins the day quickly. I've also stepped in over my chest waders duck hunting and that is scary too when water starts filling in and pulls you down. You won't catch me out there ice fishing like some of these nut jobs are.
 
I’ve fell through into waist keep water. The temps were in the low teens with northwest at 15 mph so once I was out my pants became frozen and difficult to walk in. It was about 1/2 mile to the truck. Needless to say it was a bad experience. Now I tend to only walk edges of cattails or at least where I know it’s not over my knee boots.
 
gimruis said:
I think we've all stepped through a soft or weak spot in cattails before and gone through. The question is, do you learn from the mistake and avoid it again?
Click to expand...
For me, learning from it & preventing it again are 2 different things. Do I venture onto ice that I think might not hold me? No. Unless it's necessary to shoot pheasants & it's over water I know is at most crotch deep. Still pisses me off to get wet, & I like to blame the weather for the poor ice conditions, but I know it's my fault. Until there's a 12-step program to help me with my problem & I become willing to use it in an effort to deal w/ my powerlessness, I just count on getting wet once in awhile. Because pheasants.
 
A5 Sweet 16 said:
For me, learning from it & preventing it again are 2 different things. Do I venture onto ice that I think might not hold me? No. Unless it's necessary to shoot pheasants & it's over water I know is at most crotch deep. Still pisses me off to get wet, & I like to blame the weather for the poor ice conditions, but I know it's my fault. Until there's a 12-step program to help me with my problem & I become willing to use it in an effort to deal w/ my powerlessness, I just count on getting wet once in awhile. Because pheasants.
Click to expand...

This guy gets it. I walked on the ice across a lake the other day, about 30 feet from open water. Because it was a great idea? Nope. Because there MIGHT have been pheasants on the other side. There was one and he flushed about 50 yards in front of me. But it was enough of a reminder that such risks can translate into big rewards, i.e., shooting another pheasant.

No one likes to get wet, all of us know how not to get wet and yet, I still find myself walking with a soaking leg at least a time or two each season.
 
gimruis said:
I think we've all stepped through a soft or weak spot in cattails before and gone through. The question is, do you learn from the mistake and avoid it again? I do. I refuse to go in there until I know for a fact that its froze solid like concrete. I've stepped in up to my waist, up to my knee, over my boot, and it all sucks. It ruins the day quickly. I've also stepped in over my chest waders duck hunting and that is scary too when water starts filling in and pulls you down. You won't catch me out there ice fishing like some of these nut jobs are.
Click to expand...
I almost drowned out goose hunting. Fell through in a backwater area, it was over my head!! Lots of snow, and I couldn't tell there was water there. I still go on ice once in a while, but I'm very careful, and cautious.
 
Dang fellas, be careful and be smart. I love pheasant hunting as much as anyone, but ice scares me, especially in COLD temps and that seems to be when you find ice. It might be the cold (water) that scares me more than the actual ice...had a bad experience as a teenager, that was about the death of me, in a stalled vehicle, 50mph winds, snow and sub zero temps. That was almost 40 years ago and still I can't talk about that day without tearing-up, we did have God taking care of us that day (and everyday). A little frost bite on my toes was about it. It changed my outlook on extreme winter conditions. On top of everything else, never was a strong swimmer...mid 50's now, couldn't swim 50 yards in cold water and clothed to save my life. Need to pull on a sweatshirt just talking and reading about this subject.
 
Nugent said:
I almost drowned out goose hunting. Fell through in a backwater area, it was over my head!! Lots of snow, and I couldn't tell there was water there. I still go on ice once in a while, but I'm very careful,
Click to expand...
I think it all boils down to “risk and reward” in which the value of shooting a bird is different for everyone. Some will risk everything for a chance to put a bird in the vest. Others will walk away and say there will be another day to put one in the vest.
 
remy3424 said:
Dang fellas, be careful and be smart. I love pheasant hunting as much as anyone, but ice scares me, especially in COLD temps and that seems to be when you find ice. It might be the cold (water) that scares me more than the actual ice...had a bad experience as a teenager, that was about the death of me, in a stalled vehicle, 50mph winds, snow and sub zero temps. That was almost 40 years ago and still I can't talk about that day without tearing-up, we did have God taking care of us that day (and everyday). A little frost bite on my toes was about it. It changed my outlook on extreme winter conditions. On top of everything else, never was a strong swimmer...mid 50's now, couldn't swim 50 yards in cold water and clothed to save my life. Need to pull on a sweatshirt just talking and reading about this subject.
Click to expand...
Sometimes I will blow a hole in the ice with my 12 guage to see thickness. I've fallen through ice, 3 times in 50 years.That time in that river, scared the hell out of me.The other 2 were on a shallow lake.
 
There is plenty of exothermic decomposition going on in those cattail sloughs. The heat from those reactions will soften ice inside the cattails for much of the winter. Weak ice and boot soakers can be fairly common inside the cattail covered areas even in colder seasons.

Many times the ice just outside the cattails is much more secure (unless there is current) once the ice is give time to form and thicken.
 
Last edited:
Nugent said:
I almost drowned out goose hunting. Fell through in a backwater area, it was over my head!!
Click to expand...
I've never gone through that deep. But there isn't anything scarier than having cold water rushing into your waders. Those things become an instant anchor that pulls you down and if you don't get out quick, you're toast. I won't go any deeper than my waist now and if I had to I'd wear a PFD. I never understood people risking their lives early ice fishing for the sake of trying to catch a fish. I've already heard of multiple rescues occurring on multiple lakes here in MN.
 
Sometimes I wonder if you fall through, if somebody else fell through on the same spot?? Lakes, are very sketchy. One snowy, sub zero day, we both fell through, about 100 yards apart, at the same time, hunting thick cattails on a lake. My friend was wearing wool, went in up to his chest.Luckily, the truck was only 15 minutes away!!!!
 
I fell in pheasant hunting two years ago in brutal cold. Had to change outside. I threw my clothes in the back of the truck and they came out the same way frozen stiff the next day. It was really cold.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20181110_130339560~2.jpg
    3.9 MB · Views: 28
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top