fabsroman
02-07-2005, 12:48 AM
How many of you send your dog(s) out on the ice to retrieve?
I did this past weekend for the first time and will never do so again. I sent Nitro to retrieve a dead goose that was left in the ice by hunters that hunted the pond a couple days earlier. It was left belly up and all the geese were flaring as they came into my spread. They came in locked and left flapping like crazy. Didn't know if it was my spread, my blind, or that goose, so I decided to eliminate one of the variables.
I made sure I sent Nitro in on the thickest part of the ice. Well, he made it out to the goose without a problem and then decided to jump on it. The ice was weakened from where the goose had hit and in Nitro went. I spent about a minute trying to see if he could get out, but he couldn't get his hind legs up. I spent another minute trying to crawl out there on my stomach. Heard the ice cracking and decided to head back. So, after spending another minute looking at him being frantic and waiting for my dad to come back from the barn with a rope, all the while envisioning that he went under the ice making it impossible for me to locate him, I decided to trudge in on the side with the thin ice. Mind you, I didn't have waders on this day because I didn't think I was going to need them. It was probably 20 yards out and the water only came up to my chest, which I was praying to God about because I had never been that far out in the pond. Breaking the ice at first was easy, but the last 5 yards was a little tough. I finally reached him and dragged him back to shore as my dad was bringing the rope. The whole time coming back I was screaming to my dad to bring the truck because I knew I had to get my clothes off, get into some dry clothes, and get the heat going.
Walking was a little tough once I got on dry land and my legs were killing me. My feet hurt like hell and my heart was racing. Nitro had at least pushed the goose under the ice, so as I was waiting for the truck I got to watch a group of geese come in. They didn't flare until the dog started running around as the truck was approaching. I stripped off all my clothes, put on some rags and dusty socks, and stuck my feet by the heater to warm them up. Can't say I have ever been that cold before. I took a little nap with the sun beating in through the windshield.
All in all, it turned out pretty good. I got two pretty good bruises on my thighs and a good one on my elbow from breaking the ice, cut up my right hand a little while dragging the dog through the ice, destroyed my cell phone, my chewing gum, and business cards that were in my pocket, but got reminded of a very important thing. Nobody, including the dog, is to die or get injured while hunting except for what is being hunted.
This was the first, and will be the last time, that I have sent my dog on an ice retrieve. Lesson learned. Thank you God.
I did this past weekend for the first time and will never do so again. I sent Nitro to retrieve a dead goose that was left in the ice by hunters that hunted the pond a couple days earlier. It was left belly up and all the geese were flaring as they came into my spread. They came in locked and left flapping like crazy. Didn't know if it was my spread, my blind, or that goose, so I decided to eliminate one of the variables.
I made sure I sent Nitro in on the thickest part of the ice. Well, he made it out to the goose without a problem and then decided to jump on it. The ice was weakened from where the goose had hit and in Nitro went. I spent about a minute trying to see if he could get out, but he couldn't get his hind legs up. I spent another minute trying to crawl out there on my stomach. Heard the ice cracking and decided to head back. So, after spending another minute looking at him being frantic and waiting for my dad to come back from the barn with a rope, all the while envisioning that he went under the ice making it impossible for me to locate him, I decided to trudge in on the side with the thin ice. Mind you, I didn't have waders on this day because I didn't think I was going to need them. It was probably 20 yards out and the water only came up to my chest, which I was praying to God about because I had never been that far out in the pond. Breaking the ice at first was easy, but the last 5 yards was a little tough. I finally reached him and dragged him back to shore as my dad was bringing the rope. The whole time coming back I was screaming to my dad to bring the truck because I knew I had to get my clothes off, get into some dry clothes, and get the heat going.
Walking was a little tough once I got on dry land and my legs were killing me. My feet hurt like hell and my heart was racing. Nitro had at least pushed the goose under the ice, so as I was waiting for the truck I got to watch a group of geese come in. They didn't flare until the dog started running around as the truck was approaching. I stripped off all my clothes, put on some rags and dusty socks, and stuck my feet by the heater to warm them up. Can't say I have ever been that cold before. I took a little nap with the sun beating in through the windshield.
All in all, it turned out pretty good. I got two pretty good bruises on my thighs and a good one on my elbow from breaking the ice, cut up my right hand a little while dragging the dog through the ice, destroyed my cell phone, my chewing gum, and business cards that were in my pocket, but got reminded of a very important thing. Nobody, including the dog, is to die or get injured while hunting except for what is being hunted.
This was the first, and will be the last time, that I have sent my dog on an ice retrieve. Lesson learned. Thank you God.