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this is something i never gave a though about,untill i saw what happened a few years ago.a guy with his wife,and daughter.were heading out on the ice.the ice was 3 feet thick,so no worry about breaking through.i was 200 feet off the boat ramp when they came out,the first 30 feet at the boat ramp was very smooth,with small snow bumps that had frozzen over.very,very slippery with out creepers.he had his new power auger on his shoulder,pulling a little sled with the rest of his gear,along with his daugter in it,the wife had the chairs.they made it out about 10 feet onto the ice,then it happend.his legs went out from underneth him,auger went up in the air,when he landed i never seem someones head bounce so high befor,the auger came down on him.when i rushed over to them,he was out cold,with a gash from the hair line on his forhead,down between this eyes,down to the corner of the mouth,i called 911,on the cell it took them 10 min to get there,the guy still out cold.i heard from them a couple of months after,he ended up with a sever concution,and 61 stiches.after that i never carried my auger on my shoulder
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I always have my auger on my sled and the only thing I have in my hand is the sled rope. I wear spikes also.
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yep!
I see a few things wrong with that scenario....
(Recipe for disaster)
People laugh when they see others walking out on the ice bundled up like what their momma's did to them as a kid, there is a lot to be said for all that extra padding....
Those three dollar cleats that strap over your boots might have been a good investment, or well worth the effort taking out of the Christmas stocking and worn.
Just thinking about some one carrying something over their heads on snow less ice really astonishes me. They wouldn’t do it on a wet waxed floor. I still haven’t decided for my self, which is more slippery!
And how about those sheaths (blade covers on the auger)?
I am not trying to be demeaning here; I am just plain astonished the man is still living.
I am sure this young man wore his seat belts, straps his youngin in, and wouldn’t drive his car out on the road with bold tires with out working breaks. But what happened from the time he stepped out from behind the wheel to the time he stepped out on the ice can be said for a good number of people every year.
It doesn’t seem to matter that they are going to walk down an icy slope to get to the lake, I still see them treading fool heartedly on the ice like they are Heman’s ready for the elements, I see those same people leaving the ice early, cold beaten, fishless dragging their gear behind them. They would have lasted much longer if they had not carried that auger over their shoulder working up a sweat. (Every one knows that once you start to get wet out side in the middle of winter you are going to soon be vary cold. doesn’t matter if it is from falling in or sweating, its all the same, WET!)
I can’t count the number of times I see this scenario in my life time, but I do see it every year.
This is well worth placing on the Ice Fishing Tip of the Day if it is not already there.
So still the question remains,
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What is the proper method of carrying a power auger or any auger for that matter out on to the lake and back off?[/indent]
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