Located on Lake Thompson in Lake Preston , SD
rant , because although a decent choice of food was presented for his ( or her ) selection , along with either ice-cold slough water or fresh snow for a drink , no one was bringing the eagle ’ s meal to him ( or her ). The eagle was in no hurry to dunk itself in the small bit of open but extremely cold water to grab a bird , nor to slam itself and its prey into the ice . I wondered if older waterfowl explained to younger birds they could plan on water turning to ice on an annual basis , and that either hunters like myself or the eagle would watch their every move ?
In my younger days , we ’ d slip on a pair of waders and break ice until we had enough open water to put out a dozen decoys . Although we were limited to areas near shorelines with few cattails or reeds to wade through , we killed quite a few ducks this way . Remember , water was at a premium when ponds first iced over , and waterfowl were willing to take a look at swimming and resting areas in less-than-desirable neighborhoods .
The worst part was when a bird dropped on the ice after making it about 100 yards out after being shot . The idiot who pulled the trigger , oftentimes me , would have to break ice for an hour to get to the bird , all the time desperately
hoping the depth of the muck and water did not exceed the height of his waders .
Another problem was a dog who refused to go into the ice-cold water , but didn ’ t mind bouncing aimlessly around the ice . A dog weighs much less than a human and has four legs to spread the weight , so it ’ s relatively safe on thin ice . However , all four paws are rarely on the ice at the same time , and if there ’ s a weak spot in the ice , the dog will find it mid-bounce .
Rescuing a live dog is considerably harder than retrieving a dead duck . I ’ m not always a quick learner , and neither was my dog , a 70-pound Labrador at the time . Although he could swim like a fish , and his toenails were every bit as good as anti-slip ice cleats or emergency ice picks worn or carried by many ice fishermen , he would flail away until I got to him . At this point , he would claw his way to the top of my head and remain perched there until we reached dry ground .
The best I can say is if the dog ’ s toenails penetrate four inches of winter clothing , rubber waders and a fair amount of flesh , the toenails need to be trimmed . I ’ m also glad we didn ’ t have cell phones back then , especially now that they can take pictures .
Going back to the recent past , as I watched the Hunter ’ s Moon light up the snow and ice on the ground and my frozen wetland , I thought through the strategy for the next morning . The plan was for me and a friend to hunt waterfowl at first light , although the weather promised to be cold and miserable . For reasons unknown , 15-degree temperatures in pitch dark are much , much colder than 15-degree temperatures in daylight . They say it ’ s always darkest before dawn . Maybe it is and maybe it isn ’ t , but it is definitely the coldest .
As I stood shivering on my deck , my desire to fight the elements in the darkness before dawn was rapidly waning .
For some reason , a decade or two ago I lost the drive to break ice for any reason other than to refresh a drink . And just the thought of dressing in several layers of clothing plus waders was not at all appealing . Then loading decoys , finding my duck and goose calls and other gear , and getting my new dog ready seemed like insurmountable tasks .
As luck would have it , my phone rang just as I completed the hardest of these tasks , which was to get out of a warm bed to face what promised to be sheer misery . My friend had hit a deer , and rather than have his vehicle limp to my cabin with suspicious sounds coming from the engine , he wisely elected to return home . As I slipped outside in just my long johns to let the dog run and determine my options , I felt sorry for my friend , but deep down couldn ’ t help to be somewhat grateful to the deer . In honor of the dead , I fed my dog breakfast and
Located on Lake Thompson in Lake Preston , SD
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