Home Forums Birds & Dogs Hunting Dogs "A day that will live in infamy."

This particular day will forever be etched in my memory 'till the day I depart this Earth.

This day was partly cloudy, and windy with the ambient temp right on 5F, with just a bit of snow. The lake we were hunting was partially frozen. That is to say, the ice was about 1" to 1 1/2" thick. Solid enough for my Lab, Bumper, to fetch the geese we had knocked down within 25yds of the blind. Bumper had no problem on the ice, even tho it was not really sound, but he was within wading distance if the ice should give way. (The water out to about 30-35yds was about waist deep.)

Right on 1000 am we shot three more geese. Two were DRT, and the third was walking around with a broken wing. I suggested not to shoot the bird, (mistake #1) as Bumper would gather him up first, then collect the two remaining which were not going anywhere. Good plan, eh? Sure enough, the goose took off running across the ice toward the middle of the lake, with Bumper hot on his tail. At about 150yds, Bumper gathered up the bird, and turned to return to the blind. Bumper weighs 75lbs, and with the bird in his maw, he now is just over 85+lbs, and makes about four strides, and the ice gives way! As incredible as it may seem, I figured Bumper would just claw his way back on the ice shelf, and come on back to the blind. WRONG! Each time he'd get about half way out of the water, the ice shelf would break off! Normally we use a boat when there is no ice on the lake. But the boat is in locked in a shed, and it FULL of decoys. However, within about 10 minutes, we have the shed open, the decoys removed, and the boat hauled down the shore. In order to get the boat into open water, we had to break enough ice around the shore, which required another 5 minutes. We're set to go, but the engine is having a PMS day, and is difficult to start. At this juncture, my dog has been in the water about 15 Minutes.
While my buddy is tending the boat/motor, I decide to take one of our sleds, and a long pole and scoot across the ice to recover Bumper (Mistakes #2 & #3 explaination on #3 later) Holding onto the gunnels, and pushing with my feet, I made about 20yds, and, Yep, the ice gave way, and me and the sled were now under water. (Those things won't float!) After the initial shock, I stood up with water to my chest,and recovered the sled and pulled it to the shore. By this time , thank the Lord, the wind had layed, and the sun was shinning. I got in the blind, removed my outer garments, and boots, and sat in front of the propane heaters to knock off the chill. Bumper has been in the water 25 minutes. At this juncture, all I can do is watch the proceedings with absolute apprehension. I am going to watch my five year old hunting buddy drown, and I can do nothing to prevent the inevitable!

By now, the boat/motor problems are more or less under control, and the "ice breaker" is slowly, ever so slowly, breaking ice and proceeding toward my doomed canine.

Bumper has been in the water a bit over 30 minutes, and all the while battling to get onto the ice shelf.

The boat has only to cover another 50yds to effect rescue, and the ice has slowed progress to a snail pace...back up, rev the motor, forge ahead...back up, etc.

From the time Bumper collected the goose, falling through the ice, and making every effort to extrict himself from the water, he never dropped the bird! However, he now has been in the water right on 40 minutes!! He dropped the goose (which was still alive, and it dove beneath the water/ice.) At this point, I was convinced the boat would NOT reach Bumper in time to save him from drowning. But, the boat/motor gave it all it had, and surged the last five yards in to the open water where Bumper was giving his all!

Yes, my boy was saved to hunt again. And I will forever be greatful for the effort of my friends to break the ice and get him aboard. I'm also greatful to the folks who invented the floatation vest for canines! Had Bumper NOT had the vest, he would've surely drowned. Forty plus minutes treading water was almost a lifetime.

And now mistake #3: Had I been able to manipulate the sled to the area where Bumper broke through the ice, I am certain the sled, and me would have gone through as well, and likely I would've drowned attempting to save my dog. My number was not yet "up" as I was fortunate to go through the ice where the water was shallow.

Be assured, Bumper will never have to be concerned about retrieving on thin ice, because if I can't walk on it, neither can he.

And, as far me...well I had some goretex garments in my jeep, and I put them on over my wet underwear, and didn't get hypothermic, so Bumper and I are alive to hunt another day.

Hunt hard, life's short!

JLS

As an aside: My attempt to rescue my dog was NOT thought out too well, I admit. But the bond between man, and dog will sometimes override common sense.

Man, thats a rough day on the water. I have had my dog in a situation where I was really concerned about the ice. Luckily the ice was thin enough for him to break instead of walking out and getting trapped. I would hate the feeling of sitting in the blind watching. Glad you are all still here with us.

Reminds me of the reverse, but not as severe. Grouse hunting one winter day on familiar ground and started to wonder what is this small frozen lake doing here. Temps in the low 30's.

While I was thinking about that, ice broke loose and I went up to my armpits. Turned out the Beavers had a recent construction project they started since the previous year I had visited.

Sam, the English Cocker, was on the ice close to shore and he didn't seem all that concerned. Unloaded the shotgun and pushed it towards shore. I kept breaking ice and made the 15yards or so to ground where I cameup out of the water.

Quick walk to the truck about a mile away and drove home in my shorts.

Great story and thanks for telling it.Fella drown last week going in after his, it happens . Why? way I see it is real simple, a man who won't go in after his dog ain't worth much.The subject came up the other day ,I was leaving work for the weekend and my boss said "are you after birds this weekend ? I said I had an in on the creek and would try for ducks" The secretary said if your dog goes thru the ice let him go and related the drowning story of last week. Well for maybe 10 seconds I stood there and looked at her and said I've went in 3 times for my dogs when they needed me and A man that won't ain't worth much. My boss looked at me and said your right. The sec don't know when to quit and said " I sure wouldn't". I looked at her and said it is because you are a woman. of course she got red in the face and was about to let me have it.(verbally)When I looked at her and said I suppose you gotta hear the rest of it too? She was PO and said sure what is the rest of it? I told her that she had every right to think the way she wanted but she was a woman and that men that think like women were totally worthless. That didn't make my boss happy either, so I just smiled and wished them a happy weekend. I try like every other dog guy never to put my dogs in harms way but they are dogs and sometimes they do themselves.I buried my 15.5 year old Gordon last week and yeah she was one of them I went after 7 years ago.Magnum Man

Guys:

If my story will convince ONE hunter to purchase a vest for his dog, it may save the owner a great deal of grief, and the dogs life.

A good friend of mine watched his big Lab go through the ice on a tributary that feeds the Missouri River. The water was flowing toward the Missouri, and my friend was running along the bank searching for some avenue to get to his dog. Unfortunately, he did not succeed! He told me, with tears in his eyes, how he watched helplessly as his "boy" drowned right in front of his eyes.

There are some who would just mark it up as "What a shame, we'll have to get another retriever." No emotion whatever. Not me! When our Labs get to the end of their time on Earth, my wife has to take them to the vet to put them down. I'm at home bawling my eyes out. Yeah, and I'm 73yrs old, and have had a LOT of dogs through my lifetime...I weep for them all.

JLS

I quit hunting iced up areas after a similar experience. I knocked a bird down in a partially iced up river and my dog couldn't get back up the ice. He was swept downstream about 100 yards before a bend in the river allowed an easy place for him to get out. I dropped my shotgun and tried coaxing him every step of those 100 yards.

Since that day if there's ice, I go hunt pheasants or something else. He had a vest on too. Not sure if it saved him or not.