ICE!!!!!!

[duckmaster]

What is the most ice you have ever put a boat through? Just wondering how thick the ice may be in the morning! I would like to hear some stories about this.

[SoftCall]

take a maul. The guy in the front of the boat has the job of "ice breaker". slow going. Run your boat through the trail again about mid way through the hunt.

[QUACKADDICT]

Two years ago, we hunted Malmaison during the freeze. The ice was 6 inches thick in most places. We would gun the motor, causing the front of the boat to rise and then let it fall onto the ice. This broke the ice into large chunks and allowed the boat to move forward. The only problem is that the chunks would travel under the boat and directly into the path of the prop. We ended up with a large crack in the foot of the motor. Be careful!!
I have some pictures of the ice and hunt, but I'll have to figure out how to post them.[/img]

[duckmaster]

Thanks for the tips! We are going to give it a try and see what we can do. Good Luck to everyone on the last weekend.

[Ducks&Hogs]

The sunshine today will help to thaw some of the ice that formed last night. I am planning to hunt near the ice line in a wind protected area if I can. I am planning to break some ice near the ice line to keep the hole looking as natural as possible. The ducks seem to be flying along the iceline. I am also planning to fill the hole with as many decoys as possible to make it appear that a large group of ducks kept the hole open during the night. I will have two jerk strings rigged up to help keep the decoys moving and to keep the hole from refreezing. I am not planning to run in very thick ice.

I would suggest that you place your motor in shallow drive to raise the nose and allow the boat to slap the ice.

Hope you have a good hunt.