Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Remembering November 11th 1940

November 11, 2019 marks the 79th anniversary of the Armistice Day Blizzard in North America. Hunters from the Upper Mississippi River in the Great Plains and Upper Midwest, including Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois headed out in droves taking advantage of perfect fowling conditions but things just got worse and worse. Temperatures went from +55F to -55F and a white out ensued. Many hunters did not make it home that night. The bodies of more than 50 duck hunters, stranded on rivers, lakes and wetlands, dying from drowning and exposure were found the following day. Artist Michael Sieve's captured the storm in his painting "Armistice Day Blizzard ". Rest easy brothers and enjoy the big duck pond in the sky.

My father and uncle were out hunting on Heron Lake about six miles from their farm that day. Two of their good friends decided to try hunting on the north side of the lake and walked to a spot to hunt leaving their car parked next to my uncles Model A pick up. About the time the storm really started to hit my father and uncle got in their truck to leave. They waited longer than they should have hoping their friends would show up. They finely decided that they had to get out of there. It was a straight shot down the farm road home. They made it 1/2 mile from the farm and couldn't get up the hill. It was almost complete white out by then so they followed the barbed wire fence. Luckily they had their "chores" coats in the truck and some cotton work gloves. At the end of the fence they knew they were close to the house and barn but couldn't see it. They heard my grandfather fire up a tractor and made their way to the sound and walked up to the house not seeing it until they could almost touch it. They survived but their two friends didn't.

I have never heard of this.

Google "the day the duck hunters died". A lot of good men died.

ahhhh, terrible storm but I don't think the -55 degrees is right..... temp might have dropped 55 degrees, but it placed it near 0 F in most places that were affected

I read about that storm many years ago.

55 degrees was the wind chill. A elderly neighbor told us he and another hunter survived the storm by getting to an island, turned the row boat over, crawled underneath, hugged each other thru the night taking turns slapping each other. They both suffered frost bite to toes and fingers.

When daylight came and storm subsided, they pushed the boat across the ice, falling thru occasionally and made it to their truck. Fortunately the truck started, but it was drifted in. After they warmed up they walked to the main road and flagged down a county highway patrolman who took them to the local hospital.

I just read this to my son, over the phone. He had called to tell me about the great duck hunting they had in Missouri today. He said the temps dropped enough today that after a while he didn't feel comfortable putting the dog (my dog) in the water.

Thank you for sharing this amazing story. God almighty sure showed His mercy to your Father and uncle that day.

I’ve been hearing about this all my life...horrible situation

It gets discussed a lot in Minnesota. Used to live there.

Thanks for posting and sharing your family's personal experience. I had heard of this at one time, but it was one of those things I'd completely forgotten about until this jogged my memory.