Neoprene waders float...even full of water.

Didn't know that.

Neoprene waders were not to be found back in the 70's. I wore what was available which were too large. Was not smart enough to wear a life jacket, though!

Chris

My boys started duck hunting with me at an extremely young age. To prepare them in case of a boating accident or stepping out over their heads, I would push them in the deep end of the pool and make them swim to me in the shallow end. I would then fill their waders up with water and throw them in. They would sink at first, but as the pressure pushed the water out they’d shoot back to the top. We practiced this at night with them blindfolded as well.
*Yes, I had proved all this by trying it first before teaching my boys*

I was having a lot of back trouble. Sciatic nerve in my left leg was pinched pretty good. Once in a while with no warning it would give out and I would fall. Had some surgery that fixed it finally. While it was still going on I had a double on coons down on a river bank. Shot the one on my right and switched my pistol to my left hand. C o c k e d the hammer back and took aim at the one on the left. About the time I started to squeeze my leg give out and I managed to fall on that gun. Bullet went in through my belt and lodged in my but cheek. I didnt know where it was though. I thought it was in my guts. I decided to drive to a town about 5 miles away and call an ambulance at the pay phone. Figured if I passed out they could find me there. I got to town and wasn't dizzy or anything so drove another 15 miles to a town with a hospital. They xrayed me and found that bullet. I was fine but didnt know it till I saw that xray. It could have been bad instead of just embarrassing. Have had other scary stuff and dangerous stuff happen but that was the most dangerous and most scary.

Good to know Wanna Be.I never dared to wear waders while in a boat.

the key is not falling out lol

Yep but it can happen quick I found out duck hunting in a small boat.

That had to be embarrassing and a pain in the butt!

Chris

Dang glad you made it.

You hit the nail on the head hodagtrapper Funny today but when it happened it wasn't

:

They do float. Not afraid of sinking, don't want to be a weighted bobber.

One incident that haunts me to this day was the time I was trapping a fast moving river in the UP walking on the ice the next time down the river a 4 foot by 4 foot Chunk of the trail was open water so I headed to the bank and went through right at the edge to my crotch. Pulled myself out with the willows on the bank. If I went through no way I’d come up in the same spot.

Yeah, they do...but sometimes too well. 3 years ago I tipped over backwards in chest-deep water while picking up my duck decoys in the near-dark. I was wearing the super-insulated Cabelas neoprenes with the huge boot. To make a long story short, the boots were so buoyant I could not get my feet to the bottom. Waders filled up completely while I was floundering in the water trying to right myself for 10-15 minutes, flailing in the muck water. Finally realized I had to roll over with my face in the loon dung to get my feet under me. Finally got myself back into the skiff but by the time I got back to the landing I had to have help getting out of the skiff to my truck,

I have heard of two other incidents with folks wearing those same neoprene waders, one fatal.

Moosetrot

Its even better when you step in a deep hole and end up neck deep with an angry beaver a foot or less from your face doing that tooth chatter thing at you, (This word is unacceptable on Trapperman) I almost walked on water getting out of there

The scariest one though was where I jumped across a small runoff stream and landed on the other side only to sink into soft mud up to my chest and started sinking from there, luckily I had my hook pole and managed to get a hold of a sapling and pull myself out

Left a almost new set of hip boots in that mud hole

There was the time in 1978 that I ran out of food for nearly two weeks until some caribou showed up. And the time in 1986 that I broke my leg in a dog sled wreck. Took 5 days to get pulled out. And the time in 1994 0r 95 when I had an abscessed tooth....Gulo flew in at 47 below and picked me out of there.

Never any close calls though.

Lol White, I like reading these little stories about your experiences. But how do you remember the exact year all these happened? Did you keep detailed notes everyday, like a journal?

Actually...............I do use those yellow Write-in-the-Rain booklets to keep notes

Lol I can’t tell if you’re serious or not. I have a hard time remembering exactly what I trapped or how much I caught a few years ago, never mind what happened 30 years ago lol. But good for you if your memory is that sharp! Lol