Anyone ever fell through ice when its been blistering cold out? Lets hear the story! My dumb self went to save my dog on a little canal and fell through chest deep.luckily it happened near the bank and was able to drag myself out.. Bout a half mile walk back to the truck, 0 degrees with negative wind chill. Scared me quiet a bit. Lets hear your close call.

How much time you got?

I was beaver trapping with a pair of cheap plastic chest waders. On the walk to the beaver dam from the truck I was walking through brush and briars. I was unaware that the waders were shredded by the time I got to the dam. Ice was quite thin, and I fell through up to my belly. I didn’t panic or anything at first cause I thought I was fine with my waders on. Once I felt the cold water soak through I pull myself out of the ice so quickly. I had about a mile walk back to the truck and by the time I got back my clothes had frozen stiff and my bottom half was numb. I wear good waders now and don’t take TOO many risks.

Fell through a beaver pond once with chest waders on, water was over my head. Used the hatchet I had in my hand to pull myself back up on the ice, then took off to the truck about 1/4 mile away. It was single digit temperature at the time. My sleeves and shoulders were a bit stiff when I got back to the truck. Never really got cold, mostly being steaming mad is what I remember.

I've busted through a few times. Coldest was about -20. I was soaked up to my chest. By the time I made it to the ATV my clothes were pretty stiff, had a hard time getting on the machine. Made it the few miles home and couldn't get the clothes off. Had to jump in the shower fully clothed. Could have been a bad deal, but I got lucky.

Yes fell through checking some beaver runs in the bog. Filled up my hip boots and had to walk about a mile to get home. Was froze up pretty good.

I deffinatly got lucky, had insulated bibs on, a hoody, and a good windproof parka. When its all soaked i dont think it helps to much though. Had to sit in the truck a minute before my coat would unzip. Luckily i had a hoodie and a pair of sweats in the cab, heater had been blasting while all this happened. Feel pretty good except a little rattling in the chest.

here ar emy best and worst

Iowa had an open beaver season unlike the restrictive season in PA, which allowed me to trap as many beaver as I wanted within the trapping season. Now I knew beaver fur is best and primest in Late December and January. Well here in Iowa that means ICE and thick ICE. I did get a few that way but decide to wait for spring break up to try and get some more. Well the breakup was late and I went and chopped a few holes in the ice and tried that. Then it warmed up, and the ice got rotten (never go out on rotten ice), I knew the ice was going rotten and went to retrieve my traps and poles. As I walked the 30 feet out on the ice to my pole my right leg disappeared! Odd I thought it was here just a second ago, and then my body tipped sideways due to my right leg going through a particularly rotten spot in the ice. The impact of my body (I weighed about 250 pounds then) on the ice caused it to break and drop me straight through into the inky depth below, I came up spluttering and spitting our water and various curses. Luckily the hole I made in the ice was easy enough to move around in, and I was only in chest deep water. Unluckily I did not have ice spikes (spikes/nails on a string around your neck to help you claw out of the ice). I put my hands on the edge of the ice and pushed up with my feet off the bottom. I was just about to lie on the ice and slither out when the ice broke dropping me back into the water. I stood up and grabbed the edge again and tried to push myself up and it broke again. I did this the entire way to shore. I was exhausted after being soaked lugging a heavy soaked jacket and pant and breaking my way through 30 feet of rotten 8 inch ice. And to add insult to injury, I still had to go pick up my daughter at day care, how no one noticed I was soaking wet in mid-March was beyond me. Lesson learned – don’t go out on rotten ice unless you have to and if you do make sure you have some ice spikes!

A few years later I was doing some beaver control work in a very upscale neighborhood. The job was at the base of a big bluff and it was so steep the trail ran sideways down the bluff for about a good eighty yards. From the bottom of the bluff to the river was about 40 yards so, then down a six to eight foot mostly sheer bank to the river itself. The ground still had between six and ten inches of icy snow, and the river in many places was still frozen across, but this area was open. The beaver were somehow climbing the bank to feed on the trees and the landowner wanted them gone. It was tricky because even right near the bank the water was almost over the top of my hip boots. I made some bottom edge sets for beaver and put in a castor mound as well and had removed some of them when we got a huge spring warm rain storm. I rained all day and night and melted most of the snow and ice and broke the river into a raging torrent of coffee colored water and icebergs. My traps were staked and wired but I still wanted to get them out if at all possible.

My wife and our new baby drove me out to the site, she and they baby parked at the road on top of the bluff, while I headed won to try and retrieve my traps. The river looked nasty with the water about 2-3 feet higher than normal and full of slabs and chunks of ice. I had made a grappling hook out of an old drag and 20 feet of 3/32” cable to try and snag the traps and drag them to where I could reach them. After fishing for a bit with my hook I did manage to snag out two of my 330’s. The last 330 I had wired high on the bank just in case of high water, it also had 10 foot of 3/32” cable hooked to the spring, and it was all tie doff to a 24” rerod stake I had driven into the top of the bank.

After untying the wire and pulling the coni up I noticed a place where the beaver were still coming up the bank despite the high water. I thought if I was real careful I could lower the 330 into the river where the beaver seemed to be coming up the bank. I was trying to maneuver myself down the bank to a small edge to lower the 330 on a pole. I took on step and my feet shot out from under me (it w-as a 1/2” of mud on a still frozen bank). And I slide down the bank and off the ledge like a ride at the water park. When I resurfaced I was chest deep in the river with slabs of 8 inch ice floating by me. I was also at the bottom of a 8-10 foot tall sheer mud and ice slickened bank. I could not go down stream as the water was deeper there, and I could not go upstream against the current when up to my chest. Panic started to set in as no one would hear my cries for help, I could not hope to climb the bank and trying to swim down to a lower bank may lead to drowning and or hypothermia as well before I even got out of the river. I had to think, so I took stock of what I had on hand. I still had the 24 inch rerod stake in my right hand and the 330 conibear with the long cable in my left hand.

Finally I figured out what to do. I switched hands and set the 330 under water against my knee, nose nearly under water, then holding onto a loop at the end of the cable threw the 330 up on top of the bank and heard is SNAP onto the brush at the top of the bank. ( I was glad as i doubt i could have set it again) I said a very large prayer and pulled on the cable, it seemed to hold so I wrapped my right hands in the cable and pulled myself up at least to my waist out of the water and face first into the bank. Then I took my left hand and drove the stake in as hard and as high on the bank as I could. Then I I pulled myself up using the stake, and when I got to the stake I wrapped my hand in the cable again to hold me in place against the bank and withdrew the stake and slammed it into the bank again . I did this over and over slowly inching my way up the bank until I reached the top. I was soaked, covered in mud and starting to shake from the beginnings of hypothermia. The long slow hike up the bluff back to van warmed me up at least. My wife was shocked by my condition and got me home to a warm shower and dry clothes but alas no hot cocoa. Lesson – when stuck in a dangerous situation, do not lose you head, think out your problem, as panic can lead to death. Use what you have to your advantage.

Yes , there were a few times. One during the aftermath of the blizzard of 1978.
One day God willing, I'll post that adventure!

New Year eve 2016. Went through on my snowmachine on my way out ice fishing.

The Lord wasn't ready for me, I guess.

I took a polar plunge ice fishing. My backpack helped keep me from completing going under. Could not feel the bottom of the lake.
Nobody else around, Don’t ice fish alone, Had my 9mm pistol in my coat thought I would resort to firing SOS shots if needed, First try w right elbow just broke ice, left elbow leveraged me out. Lost some gear but made it to my truck. I remained calm but had to think fast and Iucked out. Humbling experience……

It does indeed humble you real fast. Was really contemplating my poor desicions when the nose started pouring blood hiking back to the truck.

Another cheap wadder - beavers pond story. Went duck hunting one afternoon and all the ducks flying up the creek were on the other side. I found a blown over willow tree, partially eaten by beavers, and climbed up on the trunk. This put me a little closer to the flying pattern and got my feet out of the freezing water. After standing on the downed willow a few minutes, I noticed a huge tear near the knee of one leg. No a problem yet, only becomes on when I exit my perch. I decided to leave ASAP.

Icy water poured into the wader leg through the torn knee. Then when I got yo the creek channel and the water was deeper, the water level inside the “wet leg” dose to my crouch and spilled over into the dry leg, filling it also.

Was a cold afternoon. I didn’t fall through any ice but I did wade though a skim of ice.

I was ice fishing one day and I came across an open water ice heave. I figured I could jump across. Well, I didn't make it. But there was a part of the ice that was under water and I hit that and sprung up and out of the water. By time I made it back to the parking lot my clothes were frozen solid, and I couldn't get my keys out of my coverall's. Another car had pulled into the parking lot, and he got me into the car and got me thawed out and I made it home safe.

Nearly met my end on a Southern Mn lake at -15 22 feet of water

Got pulled into the Minnesota river pulling beaver traps,,, froze my feet boat launch was -15

Bank collapsed on Vancover lake , my head was down 7 feet ,, 12 degrees


waders on ,, honeycomb ice checking beaver traps during school lunch

Upper body went through chest face gauntlet filled -22 I freaked out the High Patrolmen

Two of the stories were published in the American Trapper

I had called my mom after i had gotten changed and finally on the road, i knew i was gonna be ok, but they live next door and knew i was gonna need some dry shoes! She freaked out a little at first and my dad decided to come follow me home just to be safe. Made them feel better.

In very cold weather (-20F and below), if you fall through the ice, it's a good idea to roll in snow thoroughly for a few minutes right after you get out of the water, it will soak up most of the water from your clothes.

This way you will have some air back in your clothing which will provide insulation (this is why damp wool is still warm, it doesn't collapse and retains plenty of air inbetween the fibrils), and your clothes won't freeze solid and restrict your movement. In warmer weather, if you are far from home/your vehicle, it makes sense to take your time to undress and wring out your clothing at least partially (socks, polar fleece layering). Socks especially, because you lose A LOT of heat through wet cold feet.

I always keep a change of oversized clothes in the vehicle in the winter (thick socks, sweatpants, sweater) as well as a big winter jacket and a wool blanket. As necessary as a having a tow rope and a shovel.

Two men died here last week . snowmobile went through thin ice. young boy survived only because his father tossed him out of the water.