This is not a double gun topic except in how it relates to us doublegunners who hunt ducks using boats. I was hunting in AR last week and my best friend's first cousin was hunting some private land on the Cache River, in Black Swamp. They were in an old blind that was built 60-70 years ago that is situated on the outside of a bend on the Cache. They shot down a duck, which was being carried away down the river. One guy got in the boat and cranked the motor, followed by a buddy who went to climb in the front end of the boat, from the blind, to retrieve the duck. His toe caught the light bar mounted on the bow, tripping him. The driver goosed the throttle to keep the boat against the blind, hoping to help his buddy stay in the boat. But, he fell out into the Cache River, high and swift at that point. He went under and was not seen for at least 10 seconds. An arm came up, which was grabbed, followed by another arm, and he was drug into the blind. He sat and coughed up muddy river water for a few minutes, recovering.

A few more seconds and his duck hunting career would have been a distant memory for his friends, and his family would have been planning a funeral. Wear the life jacket guys, for the short ride to the blind, and please put it on before climbing in the boat to return. Getting in and out of a boat at a blind, in deep water, can be deadly before you know what happened.

Safe hunting, SRH

Good words of wisdom.

Read a report today that some country singer was found dead of hypothermia around 12/27 after capsizing a duck boat. He apparently made it to shore and died from the cold. I think it was in Oklahoma.

You didn't mention it Stan, but I wouldn't be surprised if he was wearing waders also. Not always, but those can feel like anchors when someone's in panic mode.

They just found that country singer and they found his friend's body a few days before.

I didn't hear if he had on waders or not, but if he didn't he almost certainly was wearing rubber boots, like Muck Boots. Either is very bad when they fill with water. I heard about the country singer while I was out there, too.

I once knew of a duck hunter here at home who was loading his boat on the trailer by walking on the trailer. He was wearing hip boots, slipped off, and was found several miles downstream about two weeks later. Again, swift water and no life jacket.

SRH

Words of Wisdom-- Another reason why I sold my waders and stay on the riverbanks, with Khartoum to do the retrieving on the pass shooting I enjoy--I used to shoot divers from my layout boat- that was when I was 35, not 75. Duck hunting is a potentially very dangerous sport, when you are on big open water, or even marsh or rivers afloat--RWTF

AMEN!
I used to float the Fox River in a two man FoldBoat decades ago but we always hunted geese in the fields. Now I only occasionally jump shoot ducks by walking the banks of the large drainage ditches but I still managed to fall in wearing waders while retreiving a duck. Luckily the ditch did not have much water.
The rest of my waterfowl hunting is in the corn fields on dry land.-Richard

I am glad I don't have to hunt the river anymore after a couple o near misses . ..
And don't want my son out there!

Definitely words of wisdom Stan!

I don't hunt waterfowl much anymore, but was once fanatical about it. Numerous close calls falling through ice, swamping boats, etc. on Coeur d'Alene Lake and the surrounding rivers and smaller lakes...young and dumb seem to go together!

From 75 years of small boats, hunting and fishing on light and heavy waters in all seasons, I'd say complacency kills more of us than accidents. We cut things pretty fine, done it hundreds of times, and it won't happen this time. Oh yeah!

I played titanic once and Sponge bob once. One boat sunk, one trip overboard and down I went but I did come back up. Both times my chest waders helped me. I did have a belt around them to keep most of the air in and most of the water out. It is hard to swim with extra buoyancy but easier than with extra water in them.

Hypothermia and panic kill you in the water. Never hunt alone, in extreme weather. Never take a boat out and break thin ice which becomes thick ice which caused my boat to be damaged and sink. Being lucky, young and dumb only goes so far. But we all did stupid things when younger. Many seemed like good things at the time or we would not have done them.

Like a motorcycle driver always be thinking about what you will do if it goes to hell duck hunters need to be constantly thinking about what you could do in case of a problem.

I've turned over a canoe in -10 weather miles from my truck, fallen through the ice a few times on trap lines, road out tide changes on a floating log a couple of times, and been lost in the fog and ground blizzards a few times. I'd rather die doing what I love than sit home to in fear of what "MIGHT HAPPEN". I'd rather skid up to the Pearly Gates all broken and bruised yelling " What a ride" than arrive all prim and proper wondering "What did I miss".

I do have a lot of respect for nature and with all the mistakes in i've made I've had the tools and knowledge to survive them, panic is what kills you most of the time.

I'm 57. Grew up on a river. Grew up duck hunting in Manitoba and still duck hunt. Have always spent time at waterfront summer cottages in powerboats of all sizes. Spent decades of my life sailing keelboats, 30' to 50' on big water....The Great Lakes, Caribbean and the Mediterranean/Adriatic. Have paddled across most of Western Canada from the Rockie Mountains to Lake Superior.

I've learn a few things about being on the water I hope will continue to keep me alive. Use appropriate equipment for the conditions. Understand when the conditions are beyond your equipment. NEVER, EVER operate to a schedule that isn't of Mother Nature's making.

Most people are tempted to bring ego into the game. Very bad idea.

I feel bad for his family.

I shudder at the risks I and my freinds took when we were teenagers. I came home more than once with my pants frozen on, cracked at the knees looking like stovepipes after falling through ice duck hunting.

Some of the best open holes in the swamps I hunted were so far away from where we had access that we laced up our ice skates with our boots tied together over our shoulders and our guns slinged over the other and skated a half mile or so to the spot. There was always one place that we had to jump a chasm of open water at least 4 feet wide. The social pressure was extreme to say the least to not be called a wimp if you balked. The water was only waste deep but the mud was deep too.

In the early fall there were places where you had to walk on the matted roots of the lilly pads that floated in a thick mesh. We all fell through at one time or another but hey, if you knocked a duck down you had to go get it. We did not have any dogs and very rarely had access to a boat, though we did use a rectangular steel concrete mixing tub one season LOL.

The good old days!

While in college I borrowed the next door neighbors "sail boat". It was hardly more than a surfboard with a sail and a two foot fin sticking down, along with a rudder. It was in the winter in South Texas. It drifted out from shore while my wife and I were eating lunch on the beach. I had failed to tie it off properly. I swam out after it, sans life jacket, and in the cold water my legs cramped. I made it back to shore after much thrashing about.

A decade or so ago, while fishing the Miracle Mile in Wyoming, I stepped off into a hole. I was wearing chest waders, along with the correct belt. My prayer was "Please Lord, don't let me panic." I managed to swim/float to shallow water without losing anything but my poise.

Cback, you reminded me of a paddling trip back when I was young-n-dumb. A buddy and I went poking around Lake Superiors' Isle Royale in a canoe on a 'fishing' trip. We were waaay overloaded, may have have had a bit to do with the couple cases of beer on top of a bunch of unnecessary junk. The water was pool table smooth, so we were cutting across mile plus bay mouths to make time. Glad I was there, but some of the stuff we really shouldn't get away with.

Yeah,Cameron, but dumb is a chronic condition, I think....I fell thru the ice at the age of 63 in upstate NYS!

(Fortunately luck may also be chronic--the water was only 5 feet deep and I was--then--5"10").

Coeur d'Alene is COLD, even in what you Panhandle guys call "summer"!

It doesn't even have to be big water to be dangerous hunting in waders, stepping off into a beaver run or stump hole while wadeing in flooded timber can get you in a real bind. Especially if hunting alone. That's why I don't go by myself anymore.

Craig, having spent time paddling on Lake Superior and Lake Winnipeg and Lake Manitoba, nothing is scarier to me than being on those big lakes in a canoe. The conditions can change in an instant and canoes are made for rivers and small lakes. Those pool table top days can really lead you into danger without noticing it. And that damn Superior is always waayyyy too cold. Even at the start of August. Spent a good numbers of days windbound and happy not to be on the water.

I love boats and water but I have zero intention of it being where I die.

I came from a long line of fisherman, trappers and duck hunters. We always wear hip boots. My grandfather always said if it's too deep for hip boots, you should be in a boat. We also always carry a dry bag with a change of clothes in case we get wet. Watch the weather and tides and let your family know where you are. I do wear a inflatable life jacket now that I have a family. I mostly hunt alone but after over 40 years on the marshes, I don't worry.

And in my possibles bag that I carry in the freighter canoe,
I carry a propane bottle, torch and a striker. Easy to use with
cold hands and starts a fire quickly.

Also will thaw out locks, lower units, etc.

Mike

As the least you can do item, each set of waders I have used had a draw string around the waist. Pull it tight and it gives you a float that can help keep you up for a while.

bill

Anybody who duck hunts needs to read the short story, "The Ledge". I cannot recall the author now, but it was in an early edition of Sporting Classics.
JR

The neoprene waders, which dominate the market now, Bill, don't usually have that feature. Not sure if the new "banded" brand lightweights have one or not.

SRH

I remember the story "The Ledge". I only read it once a long time ago. Tough to read and made me think. I always make sure the skiff is tied well.

Stan, you might as well be wrapped in cellophane as wear light chest waders during cold-weather immersion while duck hunting. Neoprene is the only way to go, the heavier the better. Been there!