FYI Hunting on ice

[Quigley]

Deer hunters hit the field falling on their hind ends in Iowa on Dec 1st 2007 due to a severe ice storm. We had a solid ice coating everthing, you could lay on your back and slide down the hills all the way to the bottom. Day 2 after all in the hunting party were banged up and sore from the days tumbles a fellow hunter saved the day. He rides motocross bikes on ice and came up with the idea to put sheet metal screws in the soles of our boots. A box of screws a cordless drill and a 1/4" driver cured the problem we successfully navigated the hills and timber with out loosing our footing again.
Many hunters gave up and stayed home in our county and we had one of the most successful hunts ever!

 

[Vern Humphrey]

A few years back we had a bad ice storm in the Ozarks -- everything was a solid sheet of ice, and it kept re-freezing each night. So every morning it was the same thing.

Somebody ordered some little crampons -- basically either chains or saw-toothed plates to strap to your boots. They work great, and in the winter I keep mine handy, just in case.

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

same thing happened here in Connecticut. I was getting ready to hed up the tree in my climbing stand. put my bow and pack on top of the ice to secure the stand to a tree. looked and my bow and pack slid down the hill

sounds like you found a good solution...anything to keep hunting

 

[Quigley]

Dont Forget

Oh yah don't forget to remove your boots before going in the house the screws would be tough on your vinyl floors!

 

[Twig]

Somebody ordered some little crampons -- basically either chains or saw-toothed plates to strap to your boots. They work great, and in the winter I keep mine handy, just in case.

I use those for Ice fishing they work great.

 

[EHCRain10]

do an internet search for yaktracks, they might be more expensive than the screws but they work well for me

 

[critter]

I once killed a deer with a muzzle loader in the dead of a cold spell. The deer ran (heart shot) about 25 yards onto a BIG frozen mud puddle about 20 yards across. Fell dead right in the middle of it. Ever tried to drag a very dead deer off the ice? It took a WHILE!