Think safety when

Published 12:00 am Sunday, December 7, 2003

venturing on ice

By Dick Herfindahl, Tribune outdoors writer

Winter seems to be slowly working its way into our every day routine. Unlike some years when it has been water skiing weather in December, it seems to be a much more gradual process.

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Not too long ago the beginning of December was celebrated with balmy weather and even Santa donned a life vest and let himself get dragged behind a boat on Fountain Lake.

With the onset of colder weather fishermen begin to evolve into their winter habits of fish houses, hole drilling and are stocking up on ice fishing jigs and wax worms.

The one thing we must remind ourselves of is that the ice is not that thick and we should be very cautious before venturing out.

The recommended minimum ice thickness for new clear ice is 4 inches for ice fishing, 5 inches for snowmobiles or ATVs, 8-12 inches for cars or small pickups, and 12 to 15 inches for medium-size trucks. Melting and refreezing of ice makes it less stable, especially in areas with springs or where water flows under the ice such as near lake inlets and outlets.

The DNR is warning people to not risk their lives trying to save an animal that has fallen through thin ice.

“It’s very upsetting to see a beloved pet or other animal in a bad situation, but we strenuously advise against risking human life in an attempt to rescue any animal,” said DNR water safety specialist Tim Smalley.

DNR records indicate that over the years there have been a number of people who have drowned in an attempt to rescue a dog.

“Sadder still is that often after the person goes under, the animal gets out of the water without help,” said Tim Smalley, MN DNR water safety specialist.

This comes after a 19-year-old man drowned after breaking through the ice of Wettles Lake in Becker County, the day before his birthday. He was thought to have been trying to rescue his dog that had broken through while following some deer on the ice. He fell into the water and was submerged for about a half-hour.

He was recovered and resuscitated and then flown to a Fargo hospital, where he died. The dog got out of the icy water on its own.

The DNR recommends if you are walking your dog anywhere there might be thin ice, keep it on a leash so it can’t bolt out onto the lake. If you see an animal that has fallen through the ice, contact the local authorities or DNR conservation officer who will determine if the animal can be rescued safely.

For more information about ice safety, Minnesotans may call the DNR toll free at 1-800-MINNDNR. Computer users can download ice safety information from the DNR web site, www.dnr.state.mn.us and click on “Danger Thin Ice: Ice Safety Information.”

I have mentioned in the past about when I was a kid walking the slough going from Goose Lake to Bancroft Bay. There weren’t too many days that I would come home with warm, dry feet.

We didn’t have the warm boots we have available to us now. The old four-buckle over shoe with a couple pairs of socks and shoes were about as good as it got.

I actually think my mother would have thought that I had been up to something if I had come home with warm, dry feet.

I did my share of walking on thin ice but never on a lake or anywhere that I thought I would get more than a couple of wet feet at the worst. I guess it was part of the challenge of growing up on the outskirts of town and making your own entertainment.

The worst case scenario was to be almost to Goose Lake and fall through the ice and have to walk all the way home with a wet foot. The first reaction was to downplay the ordeal. The guys were already laughing at you for falling in so last thing you wanted them to think was that you wanted to go home just because of a little wet foot.

As the time passed you began to realize that the longer you stayed out with the wet foot the colder you were getting and the dumber you actually were.

The best plan was try and convince one of your buddies that we were missing out on something by not going back to one of our houses.

It didn’t always work, but if it did you knew that by the time you got back everyone would want to go to their own house to warm up. With that in mind the vision of that warm heat register kept dancing in my head. I knew it would hurt for a while but eventually the warmth of our cozy little house would make things right again.

Until next time &uot;Hunt Safe and Have Good Fishin’ and keep your feet dry.&uot;