I hesitate to write this, but if you can learn from my mistake, I can endure the ridicule.

Preface:

I hunt a medium large(15-25 acres) conservation lake that has an ever changing water level. It never has been full in over 6yrs that we have hunted it. The property owner had several small holes dug in the bottom when it was nearly dry to help water his cattle during droughts. This property has been low almost the entire time we have had it leased and I KNOW each and every one of these holes. They are marked by little to large islands. This lake has a ton of Widgeon grass, making it almost impossible to paddle completely to the shore/solid bottom in the Marsh Rat.

Weather:
Temp: 43 dgrees at 6am
Wind: 7mph SSW

Saturday was like any day, I was in the layout boat setting decoys. Once I was done adjusting them I paddled out and looked at different set-ups and to check the wind one more. I made my decision and paddled to the north side of a little hump, checked the depth with my paddle to make sure I was safe before stepping out. I broke the paddle down and stored it and then hopped out of the boat, only problem, I was about 6-9' from my original checked departure point. I went under and lunged for the boat, luckily I was able to snag the camo netting. I paddled to shallow water, walked up on the hump to gather my thoughts, say a prayer and then replay the whole thing over in my mind.

I made several small decisions that separately, were no problem, combined, they could have been disastrous.

#1) I never set the decoys from the boat on this lake.
#2) I have never broke the paddle down, I usually just put it beside the boat, just under the edge. I will need it to paddle back to shore.
#3) I didn’t have my headlamp on, just the boat light.
#4) I wasn’t wearing my PFD, I didn’t even have it in the boat.(The average depth of the lake is just over waist deep, except for several holes that get as deep as 15ft).
#5) I was comfortable(been there done this a hundred times kind of comfort)
#6) I was by myself(no cell service and no one would have missed me for another 5-6hrs)

Several things contributed to me surviving:

#1) I was wearing a wader belt.
#2) I had redone my camo on the boat, copying LTMFH(Rob’s) version. (If I had the original solid cordura camo cover on the boat, I probably would not have been able to grab the boat)
#3) I stayed calm(as I could)
#4) I was not wearing any cotton clothing, fleece and wool only(Core 4 underwear ).



If you don’t have a wader belt, buy one, especially if you wear breathables! Pay attention and never become complacent, regardless of how many times you have done something. Have a contingency plan, (dry clothes, first aid kit, food, matches, blanket, emergency beacon/GPS location device) try to avoid hunting alone(especially if you are new at this), make sure someone knows where you are going and when to expect you to check in, don’t deviate from your normal routine. Wear your PFD. Buy quality clothing, something that will retain heat even when it is wet.

Ducks are fun, but they are not worth dying over. While this was not a worst case scenario, it was an eye opener.

Glad your O.K. I have my doubt if anyone will ridicule you for this post.

Good thing it was just a learning experience. And that the water wasn't too cold yet.

Many of us have had similar experiences with going under/over our waders. Unfortunately it takes that experience for us to change our ways, and become safer.

Good post, and glad you're okay.

I would add an additional comment...even if you are walking into the water from the bank, it is helpful to have some sort of walking stick. Some of the lakes and ponds have steep drop offs.

Glad your ok! Pfd is the law for this reason...we should all wear them in our mornings out, some lake have had drastic water depth changes.
2 yrd ago we hit a stump in what we thought was main boat lane.
Pfd's may be only reason I'm here today!

Glad You made it. I did almost the very same things years ago. I still remember my oops experience. Along the same lines. Be careful out there.

I hunted a large flat just off the main Red River channel. Water was less than knee deep with a good bottom. Shot a lot of ducks there. One morning about 5am I boated up to the flat just like I had done ten times before. Climbed out of the boat and started pushing the boat up to where I wanted to set decoys. Next thing I know, Im in water way over my head. About 28 degrees that morning. Just by chance on the way down I got two fingers on the back of the transom next to the motor. I pull myself up as water was running into my waders. Now how do you get back into the boat? The wind was blowing me out into the main channel. Kicking my legs would not move the boat. I worked around hand over hand to the side of the boat. With everything I had I got a leg up on the boat side. Then I was able to climb back aboard. Crazy River cut a bankout through that flat in two days. I have spent my whole life on the Red. I have seen what she can do.
That morning I defeated the river by Two fingers.

I woke up Saturday morning feeling like crap. I didn't want to take the chance on my husband duck hunting alone, so I crawled out of bed and went.

Glad you are ok.

Wader belts are worth their weight in gold in the right situation. They give you those extra 2-3 seconds when they really count.

I was after my son's first big widgeon drake. Lost track of where I was chasing that cripple. I stepped off into the channel and went past my head. Would hate to of drowned right in front of the boy, thank you wander belt.

Good on you for posting this. Every one of us needs a reminder......

Glad you're alright and thanks for the reminder. My father-in-law grabbed a wader belt for me earlier this year and I plan on using it even if I'm in water that seems shallow.

Lol, reminds me of great times. I was about 18 and me and my buddy would go hunt duck everyday after school, rain, snow, blizzard. ...it didn't matter. The creek we normally hunted was iced over and the deepest spot was about knee high. This was in Illinois. We walked up the creek where it was deeper, as we were walking we were shooting the shat way too much that we didnt here the ice cracking. For some reason we stopped and then poof. We went through the ice so fast it was unbelievable. It was about neck deep at that point. I'm very glad I knew how to swim and the biggest thing that we had learned from field and streams duck hunting tips on ice and in snow, CARRY ALL YOUR GEAR IN A SLED AND WALK WITH A ICE PIC AXE. Soo glad we did and we were even wearing anti slip gear on our boots. Lessons learned, the easy way might be the fastest but it might be the dangerousest. This isn't even the worst that has happened.

Friend of a friend drowned in Toledo Bend when he stepped off into a Creekchannel. Crazy to think something as simple as a wader belt could've saved his life.

It is a little easy to get complacent on the safety side of things. We do a lot of hunting in Alaska and the rule there is three strikes and you're dead. Make any combination of those three mistakes and you're out in the Bering Sea with very little hope of survival.

Dont overload your boat, especially starting out slow in a current pinch point hit it with speed. Always wear a pfd and wader belt. Waders will kill you in the river pull you down in the current. If you happen to find water coming over the bow and the boat's going down and you're not wearing all of the above safety stuff do a dive head first and if you're lucky like me some air will get trapped in the boots of your waders and you will be able to paddle to the bank. Just don't have a panic attack when the ice cold water shoots needles into your skin and you lose your breath.

Being a newb to duck hunting, I appreciate all of this information. It is valuable.

I have to admit that I had to look up what PFD's and wader belts were. For any other rookie duck hunter those are auto-inflatable personal flotation devices that seem as though they will save your rear end in case of stepping off in a deep water hold or ledge or falling out of a boat.

Try searching your favorite sporting goods store website for PFD and wader belts, as I did, and you'll be more educated, as I now am.

That's all for today. No more learning. I'm done.

Thanks guys.

maybe carry a knife too that would be readily available. Not sure if you would have time to completely cut the boots off if you could tread water for a little while. You might could at least puncture holes in them. Just a thought

I stepped off in a slough in LA and filled my canvas waders(1989). If there hadn't been a limb there to grab-who knows. You'd have to be awfully composed to cut waders off.

That is why I never duck hunt alone. It is better to share the experience with someone and to have someone to help if you get in trouble.

I still remember when I was in third grade, and did not even care to duck hunt, my teacher's husband passing away because he drowned while duck hunting due to his waders becoming weighers.

I think about stepping into a hole or something every time I put my waders on. I went a little too deep last year and got some water over the top and it scared me pretty bad (not to mention it was freezing cold)so I am pretty careful now especially when I am solo. I have thought about the knife thing too but I dont think I could cut them off in time.

First Glad you are OK. Thanks for sharing. Great reminder to never take thing for granted.

Definitely rule #1......

Growing up, Dad had to work alot and wasnt always able to come along, his idea of safety was to cut a small hole in the crotch of our waders. Didnt make sense to me then, it does now....

Good points and great reminder. Having personally experienced a crazy near death experience while hunting alone, it's very important to take safety precautions.

With that being said I have never understood the paranoia with sinking in waders. It's a myth. Unfortunately, I know this first hand. You can swim just fine in waders.

FYI, this was posted 11/11/13.