This is topic got scared twice today in forum Predator forum at The New Huntmastersbbs!.
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Posted by the bearhunter (Member # 3552) on December 28, 2013, 04:44 PM:
yesterday while out hunting, i found a standing cornfield that was loaded with fox/coyote tracks.decided to be there at daybreak and try calling. got there and it was still a bit dark. i had to cross a big drainage ditch to get there. found out i had a delema. the ditch was full of snow other then the very bottom and the banks were real steep. i walked up the bank till i found a spot that looked safe to cross. that went ok. went out, called in a coyote and headed back. took the same trail as going in but this time, just when i crossed the ice, i fell through. the water was only about a foot deep so no big deal as the temps were about 30 and i only had a 200 yards walk to the truck. the snowbank going up was dang near vertical. i threw the coyote up on top and had to kick a toe hold in the bank. the bank collapsed on me kinda like an avalance. so now i'm standing in water with a snowbank caving in on me. i paniced and tried to step back but me legs were already buried so i basically fell back into the water.
had to really dig/claw my way out but did.
then about 11:00, i seen a fox out at a 1/2 mile. wind was dead calm, viz was 10 miles. i started sneaking on him. i got to about 200 yards layed down with the bipod deployed. all i could see was his ears and 1" of the back of his head. he never twitched. i left the rifle and went to get him. on the way ther (maybe 1 minute) i felt the wind picking up. by the time i got to him, maybe 1 more minute, the wind was HOWLING and the snow started.i grabbed him and started back. i could not even see where my rifle was ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
this was a wide open field with not so much as a weed showing. i had to follow my in tracks back to the truck. total whiteout that came in within a few minutes. i was not dressed for cold weather and had to walk with my free arm across my chest to cover my nipples as the wind was maybe 40+ now and was cutting right through my clothes. if it would have been a cold day, i think i'd have been in serious trouble.
was 29 this a.m. and dead calm. now its about 0 degrees and winds to 50. supposed to get to -20 tonight.
gotta love this north country ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
edited to add: my nipples still burn!!
[ December 28, 2013, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: the bearhunter ]
Posted by KaBloomR (Member # 4252) on December 28, 2013, 05:54 PM:
Glad everything worked out, bear. Holy cow! Sounded like quite a treacherous day. Thanks for sharing the story. I like the punk rock hairdo on the fox!
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on December 28, 2013, 07:24 PM:
Arm across your chest to protect....nipples? I'm not getting it? Bare chested?
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on December 29, 2013, 12:04 AM:
Wow that would'a scared the shit outa me. nice shot on the fox, but I don't think that'll sew up.
my wife and I were trail running in the San Juan's in Colorado we came upon an old gold mine I couldn't help myself and went down in as my wife waited 45 mins. later I emerged and to my surprise it had snowed and all the roads and trails had disappeared. I did not let on that I was disturbed and we did find our way out.
Posted by 4949shooter (Member # 3530) on December 29, 2013, 02:47 AM:
Sounds hairy (pun intended).
Glad you are okay!
I didn't get the whole nipple thing either. Maybe jumped out of his truck with no coat on?
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on December 29, 2013, 04:21 AM:
I don't know about you guys but I've had my nipples tore up by the wind more than once.
Posted by the bearhunter (Member # 3552) on December 29, 2013, 06:05 AM:
all i had on was a light weight base layer and a light white jacket. having to walk out 1/2 mile through fairly deep snow straight into the now HOWLING wind.
i had the rifle slung, carrying fox in one had and free arm was up across my chest. i was purdy sure i freeze burned them but they feel better today.
stings don't it Paul
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on December 29, 2013, 09:03 AM:
That's a new one on me? Okay, whatever? It's my face that suffers in a brutal wind. I'm not kidding, I had some kind of cold in my eyes for days afterwards, once.
My partner ventured down a mineshaft, one night. Never found out exactly WHY, but he did and down at the bottom, with a flashlight, he happened upon a gray fox which he promptly killed with his Ruger 22.
That's something that concerns me greatly. If I can't follow my tracks to find my way out, now what? That's why the backtrack feature on the GPS is such a good thing.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Fur_n_Dirt (Member # 4467) on December 29, 2013, 04:24 PM:
Big nipples on dudes just don't work well.. Lol
Posted by TRnCO (Member # 690) on December 29, 2013, 07:18 PM:
cold, wet, and wind just don't mix. Had my "close call" when I was a teenager. Shot a rooster pheasant and had to go down a steep creek bank to retrieve it. Was holding on to tree roots to keep from going all the way down to the iced over water, BUT of course a root broke and I was knee high in water in a heart beat. Really didn't panic at the time, but the 1 mile walk back home taught me that cold, wet, and wind aren't to be fooled with.
Glad ya made it back without frost bite, or worse. It really can get bad quick when the three ingredients meet in the middle.
Posted by Randy Roede (Member # 1273) on December 30, 2013, 06:50 PM:
Glad it all worked out Dave, it always amazes me how quick weather can and does change.
Got about 6-7 hours on a four wheeler tomorrow in sub zero temps checking traps and snares. You get a tan at least on your face at that temp!
Still better than 100 degree heat!!
Posted by TundraWookie (Member # 1044) on December 30, 2013, 11:23 PM:
Wow Bearhunter, that's a spooky sounding story. I'm glad that you're safely back home posting about that miserable sounding (not the hunting part though) trip.
I punched through a lake once at around -42ºF, right up to the middle of my chest. You'd think that with those cold of temps the ice would be 48" or more thick? Not so where beavers are present, which is where I broke through (found that out later in the spring). I threw my gear towards shore as fast as possible and quickly managed to roll onto the ice and get out. Raced the 300 or so yards back to the truck and my suit was a pure sheet of ice and my bunny boots were plumb full of water. Fortunately I had my trusty tarp in the truck. I just put it on the seat and drove soaking wet the half hour or so home. That was a miserable way to start my day out calling, but fortunately it was on a lake. It's these rivers up here that are extremely nasty. Imagine breaking through the ice with a fast current under it. Then imagine that the water is 2 feet below that ice. There is zero way to even try to grab the ice to pull yourself out. Overflow like that scares me something fierce. I only go on established trails with my snowmachine on the rivers up here. Guys go through big rivers and are never seen again in the villages.
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on December 31, 2013, 03:53 AM:
When I was about eleven, me and Darrell were walking around Lake Hiawatha in Minneapolis. We saw a whole bunch of christmas trees that someone had dragged out on the lake and set on fire. Well, being that age, Darrell had to go out and check it out and broke through the ice.
I went out there and pulled him out since the ice was still thick where the fire had not melted it.
So we walked back to my house and hid in the basement, drying our clothes on the furnace when my mom came down the stairs and caught us.
So, she went across the street and told Darrell's mother about what happened and she promptly had a stroke. Being that age, I wasn't real clear what the dynamics were, but while I didn't feel exactly like a hero, neither did I think I was to blame for anything.
Anyway, we were always getting in trouble so who cares? But, having thought about what happened for many years, I don't know how I managed to get him out of there; blind ass luck was part of it though. If I WASN'T there, he would never have gotten out, I'm sure of that.
Kids do some scary shit.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Kokopelli (Member # 633) on December 31, 2013, 05:02 AM:
"Kids do some scary shit"
It is a source of wonder that some of us ever made it thru puberty.
Posted by knockemdown (Member # 3588) on December 31, 2013, 05:16 AM:
Glad you got outta there OK, Dave!
I went thru the ice wearing snowshoes a couple years ago. It was not fun, and was sure glad to get back to the truck and a change of clothes!
Posted by DiYi (Member # 3785) on December 31, 2013, 05:26 AM:
I've fallen through a number of times while coyote hunting.Scary stuff.
Here's the best I've ever found on it and I annually post this on a couple fishing sites.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysnKtuUTt8k
Try avoiding the stage were you are trying to get your arms to freeze to the ice.
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on December 31, 2013, 06:13 AM:
With all my fantasy of how neat it would be to live in Alaska I'm glad to live in the desert.
(revised edition) how neat it would be to visit and hunt Alaska be fore winter arrives.
I have never had to deal with ice more than a couple of inches thick and that you just stay off of.
Posted by the bearhunter (Member # 3552) on December 31, 2013, 06:27 AM:
Wook. i can't imagine the fear that must have overcame you at those temps .
i used to be fairly careless about being on early ice but have grown a bit more carefull.
have taken to many plunges in my time and don't ever want another.
on a side note, it'll sure make the beans go up and hide behind the frank for sure.
if that does'nt register too some: it'll make Fred turn into a Fredrica, Randy into a Randi,ect...
Posted by DiYi (Member # 3785) on December 31, 2013, 07:43 AM:
Paul,
Good idea when it's that thin.Contra to what many envision about SoDak,I live in an area that has twice the water Mn has(land of 10,000 lakes)and coyotes travel ice more than anywhere when they can.Some areas here and in parts of NoDak I hunt have underwater 'springs' that are particularly dangerous.Sometimes the area is frozen solid,others it may be open-or worse- have deceptively thin ice.
Just last week a friend and I were in NoDak and glassing the far side of a lake.I told him don't cross where he proposed to go and he said 'BS,I dragged a dead one across there for you last year'.Well long story short,there was a slit of open water about 200 yds out from shore.He wants nothing to do with that lake anymore.
Most water is always in motion-even your bathtub and therefore points,neck downs,areas with adjacent steep banks,etc can be dangerous but springs are the worst-even after weeks of sub zero weather.
Posted by DiYi (Member # 3785) on December 31, 2013, 08:18 AM:
This is the safe way to check ice.She often is with and the 'panties' Bearhunter claims I wear come from her.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHpPnIhWRAI
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on December 31, 2013, 09:25 AM:
Hey now looky there
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on December 31, 2013, 09:36 AM:
That guy making the video is plain NUTTS!
When I have been in freezing water, I can't move, can't breathe, I'm paralyzed. I'm with Paul, and that's why I have never set foot in Minneesota since I was twelve.
You know, I have a twelve thousand foot mountain in my back yard if I get the urge for snow and cold, which is almost never. It's Mt. San Antonio, better known as Mount Baldy.
Give me the Dez, and even then, it gets cold and snows. Even Hawaii, they have mountains where it's cold.
And, everybody bitches about Kalifornia, The People's Republik. But, you can't knock the weather. It's politicians and Mexicans that have fucked it up. And, Liberals and queers from where you guys live that move here. Which is why those states are losing population and guess where they are going? Warm places.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by TundraWookie (Member # 1044) on December 31, 2013, 10:52 AM:
That's a fact that currents are always moving around in "still" bodies of water. Here's another side story about ice. I was out ice fishing with a buddy and we had to put the extensions on the augers to get through the 50" of ice. There's no way I'm hand augering through that much ice, that'd be a one hole day. So anyways the fishing was slow for lake trout and I decided to take the snowmachine and cruise around the lake to do some calling. I got a couple nice red fox and was racing along close to shore when I very quickly spotted an off colored section of ice extending straight out towards the middle of the lake. I locked up the brakes and stopped about 6 feet from that section. There was no way to try and avoid going around it going 45mph. It was a spot where a small mountain creek was dumping into the lake and it was still flowing. To this day I'm still amazed that my machine slid to a stop in time to not dump me into that abyss. Whenever I'm out on the ice, I have two of those protected ice picks that are on my chest. An uncle of mine up here broke through a river 4 years ago with his full snowmachine outfit, helmet, and bunny boots on. The only reason he's alive today is because of those ice picks. A couple old screwdrivers work alright too, but the one's made for rescue/recovery are handier to carry.
Posted by jimanaz (Member # 3689) on December 31, 2013, 10:58 AM:
Then their house burns, or gets covered in mud, or falls over in an earthquake, and they go where? I'm gonna keep bitching about Commiefornia.
Posted by the bearhunter (Member # 3552) on December 31, 2013, 11:17 AM:
that gal must have been digging for clams?. i think i seen one ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Denise and i were ice fishing for perch a few years ago. new lake to us. i walked out to check thickness, about 14" thick. plenty for the s10.
we drove out and could not find fish so we just kept searching. finally decided to go to the north side. i drilled the holes and started fishing. she was warming up in the truck. thats when i notices all the water pooling around the truck. took me a minute to figger out we were parked on 5" of ice in 30' water .
i yelled at her to "get the hell out". she did and the window was down. this was a pre-before-having-to step on the brake to engage the gears.
i reached in and put it in reverse and walked outside the truck till we were back on safe ice.
and yes, there was a small creek coming into the north side of the lake.
got to watch that ice drilling vid again
[ December 31, 2013, 11:19 AM: Message edited by: the bearhunter ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on December 31, 2013, 11:40 AM:
quote:
I'm gonna keep bitching about Commiefornia.
No complaints from me, I have the same attitude. But, at one time, it wasn't that way. Reagan was Governor of Kommiefornia, once, you know.
Good hunting. El Bee
Posted by Paul Melching (Member # 885) on December 31, 2013, 03:17 PM:
I am so glad to be out of California when its time I'm forced to go visit I cringe half of my gun safe is not legal there. and its not the Mexicans that fucked up California its the illegals. Big difference but I know what you mean.
Posted by Cdog911 (Member # 7) on December 31, 2013, 05:20 PM:
Shows you the value of liberals, and no, LB, they don't get a capital letter.
Had one such scare as this. High school. Blizzard the day before. Coyote broke chain on trap. Too cheap to just let him go. Trailed him in snow for three hours. Ended up mile and a half from truck. Two dead people found in car not far away. Scary.
Posted by the bearhunter (Member # 3552) on December 31, 2013, 05:35 PM:
Cdog,you're post reminds me when i was 16-17. there was a big gravel pit outside of town. can't remember the temps but do remember the sheriff's department issued a no travel warning (blizzard). i do remember i just had a gutt-feeling i should go to that pit for fox.
my dad about came unglued when i told him i was heading for the pit.
it was only about 5 miles from town so i went. conditions were beyond horrible. i walked that pit with a shotgun and shot 4 fox , it was actully easy. they were all laying on the downwind side of hills curled up sleeping. i also shot some Huns out of a covey that were huddled up. was a real bitch carrying 4 fox and a shotgun with no sling back to the truck .
when i pulled out on the road, there was a van flipped on its top in the ditch. i stopped and slid open the side slider door.i think there was 3 people in there all disoriented including a 80-90 year old lady. i scooped her up and got her and the others in my truck and got them too town. this was pre cell phone days.
odds are about 100% they would have died that day if i would not have happened along.
Posted by TundraWookie (Member # 1044) on December 31, 2013, 05:47 PM:
Wow Bear, the adrenaline must have hit high speed when you saw that water pooling up. Glad you got out of there and didn't poke through.
Posted by Wily E (Member # 3649) on February 02, 2014, 11:02 AM:
I watched the Youtube video on surviving in ice water.
This reminded me of a class I took through our local fire department following the recovery of a man who had drowned in a local lake after falling through thin ice.
Something to keep in mind if you ever face a situation of someone who has fallen through the ice and clutching onto the sides begging for someone to come save them.
First, multiple fatalities can be common in situations like this because the rescuer can end up in the same situation.
Second, if you throw a rope or chord into someone who has fallen through the ice you have to remember that the dexterity in a persons hands in ice water will not allow them to hold onto a rope or a chord that is thrown to them. By throwing a rope to someone who has been in ice water for over a minute, you could very easily cause them to drown as they lose their grip on the ice in order to grasp a rope or chord that they cannot hold on to. As the video shows, if you put a loop in the rope or chord that they can slip around their body, you have a better chance of getting them out but you still risk their inability to even place the rope around themselves while losing their current grip on the ice causing them to go under.
Third, if you are the rescuer and you are not alone, the best way to rescue someone is to wrap a rope or chord around yourself and keep your arm, holding the chord, above your head as you log roll past the person in the hole. You have to keep the rope above your head so it doesn't roll up on your body. If the victim fell through while walking, chances are the ice will hold as you log roll around them dispersing your weight. Then you can have those on shore or on stronger ice pull you past the person in the water so you can grab them and have the pullers pull you to shore. Communication is essential with those on shore to listen to your every command instead of complicating the situation by pulling too hard or at the wrong time. Once you have grabbed the person under the arms, with your back to the pullers you can command them to slowly start pulling you in without jamming your back against the ice.
If the rescuer has the time and equipment, a gumby (sp?) suit can be worn giving you buoyancy and time to secure the individual being rescued.
This is what I learned in ice rescue training as a member of our local fire department.
~SH~
[ February 02, 2014, 11:10 AM: Message edited by: Wily E ]
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on February 02, 2014, 11:40 AM:
There is a lake up in the Sierra's, called Convict Lake. Has a very interesting story about the name and the escaped convicts that were in a shootout with a posse and eventually taken into Bishop and had their necks stretched. Late 1800's.
Anyway, middle of winter one year, it's a deep lake completely surrounded by mountains, but somebody fell through the ice and I believe it was fire rescue people that went to their aid? They all fell through and couldn't be located until spring when the ice melted. Very tragic deal, I think about 5 people died?
I love fishing that lake, always do well there. Can't get the history of it out of my mind, though. You cannot ask for a more picturesque setting, a beautiful place.
Good hunting. El Bee
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