It amazes me that people in this day and age still believe they are invincible. The chances people take are either incredible or incredibly stupid. For example, man drives his snowmobile on a lake he is unfamiliar with and wonders why he crashes through the ice. Was there a reason that he didn’t notice he was alone on the lake?
A local gentleman dies after crashing his snowmobile while driving while intoxicated. “Hello, is anybody home?”
Sixteen hunters were lost and found by Maine Warden Service in a recent hunting season. Not an unusually high number, but alarming because these hunters entered the woods not prepared.
Two snowmobilers from Maine crashed at night on a remote lake they knew nothing about while driving under the influence.
The Maine Warden Service used the right phrase when they said that the “Hunters were not prepared.” Those snowmobilers weren’t prepared either. Hikers, backpackers, skiers, hunters or snowmobilers should never enter an area without being prepared. Always assume the worst and prepare for it.
Ice-fishermen move their shanties out onto the ice, dig an ice hole, start their stoves, bait their hooks and settle in to enjoy a day of fishing. I guarantee you that they have made more than a few inquiries of the thickness of the ice before they began to cut a hole. I also know that many of them wait for the shanty village to begin taking shape before they venture out on the ice. Scared? No, they are just not taking chances.
The ice-fishermen that I know also carry extra clothes with them just in case they or a friend needs them.
Another thing you will never find an ice-fisherman without is food. If anything, we take more food than we could possibly eat. Some is for us and some is for the guests that will start showing up if the fishing is slow.
During the open water fishing season, I always carry a spare set of clothes just in case someone falls overboard. In the summer it doesn’t matter as much when the water temperature is seventy degrees as it does in the fall or spring when the water temperature is in the forties and fifties.
During an early spring bass tournament my son Shawn fell overboard early in the morning. I ran into him a few hours later and he was freezing. I opened my storage compartment and pulled out a warm hunting jacket and gave it to him. It was helpful but still not enough. From that day forward I have carried a small duffle bag full of gloves, wool hats, face masks, scarves, socks and sweat pants. At the morning meetings of our club’s bass tournaments I tell everyone where the bag is located-just in case someone needs it.
Whenever I enter the woods to hunt, I always carry matches, a candle, some small pieces of wood, such as broken popsicle sticks or some Stump Chunks (stumpchunks.com) a fire starter, some paper and in a sealed container, a small amount of lighter fluid. Sounds stupid, doesn’t it? Well, if you’re ever lost or wet you’d better hope you run into me, as I can start a fire to keep warm, dry my clothes, signal my position and to boil water for coffee, bouillon or soup. Now, it doesn’t sound so stupid, does it?
The amount of equipment I just mentioned can be carried in a fanny pack but I prefer a backpack as I can then set up a hunting position on a ridge and spend the day in relative comfort. In my backpack, I also carry extra food, candy, sugar, coffee, a sterno stove, soup or bouillon cubes, water, powdered cream for coffee, and extra clothes. All of these items together weigh less five pounds—a light load to insure comfort if you get lost or wet while deep in the woods.
Whether you are hunting, fishing, on an ATV or snowmobiling, be prepared for the worst and you just might save a life.
Of course, no old-timer or member of my Grumpy Group has ever been lost. Turned around, maybe, but never lost.