Important Ice-Fishing Safety Tips

by
posted on December 19, 2020
hypothermia-snow-rescue.jpg
If you're like many NRA Family readers, chances are you welcome winter and all the opportunities for cold-weather sports it brings. Several of these sports, particularly ice fishing and outdoor skating on frozen lakes or rivers, do carry some inherent risk...that of falling through the ice. This week brings a reminder of tragic news of two ice fishermen who passed away after having fallen through the ice of Sandy Pond, in Oswego County, New York.

Becoming immersed in near-freezing water is extremely dangerous, as we have discussed on this website before. Hypothermia can be life-threatening, as noted by Guy Sagi, NRA Family contributor with a background in search and rescue. The particular region in which this very sad news story occurred also happens to be about half an hour's drive from Ft. Drum, where the U.S. Army trains troops for cold-weather conditions. Despite the fact that that area of the country generally lies firmly in the grip of arctic conditions from October to April, this year unusual temperature swings resulted in the pond's ice becoming thinner and more variable than normal.

Please be safe and protect yourself and your family against tragic accidents of this type. We'd like to refer you to this timely and informative article courtesy of Jim Shepherd, editor of The Outdoor Wire. We recommend reading it, re-reading it, then printing it out and re-checking it before you head out to enjoy your winter activities. 

Latest

Hidden Fawn State Parks Staff Public Domain
Hidden Fawn State Parks Staff Public Domain

Reminder: No Matter How it Looks, That Fawn Isn't Orphaned

Spring brings lots of young wildlife, and you might see the "babies" alone ... it's best to leave them that way.

Mother's Day! NRA Family's Gift Guide for NRA Moms

From high-quality range accessories to stylish apparel designed for the range, these gifts are bound to make her Mother's Day memorable.

NRA & First Hunt Foundation: New Free "ABCs of Outdoor Mentorship" Course

Your commitment is instrumental in building a sustainable and ethical community of outdoor enthusiasts!

NRA Warns Against Scams Heading Into 153rd NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits

NRA emphasizes the importance of vigilance against predatory practices rampant in the Tradeshow Industry.

Members Only! Henry's SASSy Big-Boy Brass Rifle

Pardon our pun, cowboy, but here's the Single Action Shooting Society's members-only gun.

Rising Shooting Stars: Cole Shanholtz

The shooting sports sustain and unite this father-son duo ... what an NRA Family!

Interests



Get the best of NRA Family delivered to your inbox.