CYA Question

[wirenut45]

in a earlier thread i mentioned sleep in the jeep if i had to in s.d. to fish waubay, etc. anyone ever been forced to do this? since i,ll have my strikers ,n, boots, gloves ,n, hat , what do you think i should have in the jeep? more or less an emer. kit. also, will i be hassled by ECO if he stumbles on me. planning on using lodges or outfitters, or guides at all times, but sometimes stuff happens ,n, i might get somewhere a day early. thanks, wire

[NorthWoods Harry]

I would carry a good down sleeping bag and a full tank of gas to run the heater all night. Carry a shovel to keep the tailpipe clear. This is normal stuff to carry in a "stuck kit"here in Wisconsin.

If you can, park with your front end facing away from the wind....

[Papa John]

Good advice from Harry. My winter kit is in a raft bag with wool blanket, extra clothes and sox, hard candy, dry soup packs, candle, matches, flare, and metal can to melt snow in. Always pack shovel, basic tools, and jumpers as well. Some might think this is overkill, but either you're prepared or your not.

[docbas]

First and foremost, pay attention to the weather forecast!  If they say it's going to be extremely cold, listen!  PA winters are SD early fall.  If you didn't grow up in that kind of cold, you'll never understand just how cold it can get there.  It's not unusual for the wind chills to get below -40.  Aside from that, the other posters are giving you great advice.

[wirenut45]

Papa John, what is a "raft bag" ,n, where do you get one. do you know the model no. of yours, so i don,t go wrong. thank you, wire

[52isntbigenough]

I do a lot of 4pm to 2am fishing and I have an EM kit as well, I always have 4 1lb propane bottles, a down -20 bag, water, batteries for the headlamp and GPS and a few MRE's. I'm done driving out now that I have an ATV, but I'd say the EM kit is even more important now in case that doesn't start.

I've been stranded once about a mile off the landing. I went to a spot I've been to a zillion times, decided that I didn't need my GPS and sure enough, in comes a blizzard. I couldn't see 50ft in front of me and just hunkered down for the night. Made sure my tailpipe wasn't blocked and almost ran the truck out of gas, but I stayed warm. Now I never leave the house without my GPS.

[OldSailor]

I do a lot of 4pm to 2am fishing and I have an EM kit as well, I always have 4 1lb propane bottles, a down -20 bag, water, batteries for the headlamp and GPS and a few MRE's. I'm done driving out now that I have an ATV, but I'd say the EM kit is even more important now in case that doesn't start.

I've been stranded once about a mile off the landing. I went to a spot I've been to a zillion times, decided that I didn't need my GPS and sure enough, in comes a blizzard. I couldn't see 50ft in front of me and just hunkered down for the night. Made sure my tailpipe wasn't blocked and almost ran the truck out of gas, but I stayed warm. Now I never leave the house without my GPS.

Or a full tank of gas!!!

[ice dawg]

in a earlier thread i mentioned sleep in the jeep if i had to in s.d. to fish waubay, etc. anyone ever been forced to do this? since i,ll have my strikers ,n, boots, gloves ,n, hat , what do you think i should have in the jeep? more or less an emer. kit. also, will i be hassled by ECO if he stumbles on me. planning on using lodges or outfitters, or guides at all times, but sometimes stuff happens ,n, i might get somewhere a day early. thanks, wire

A GPS will get you off the ice during a ground blizzard by backtracking your trail. It happens fast here. Keep an eye on the locals with portables and when the wind starts coming up they will pack up and leave if rough weather is coming. I was on Waubay last winter and I noticed when the wind started coming up and told my buddy to help me get things put away in my wheelhouse. I started putting things away in my truck as the portables were leaving. By the time I got the wheelhouse cranked up snd ready to go we couldn't see the trail 10 feet ahead of us. We ended up getting stuck and unhitched the wheelhouse to get off the ice. There were people with wheelhouses coming on at the time, but they were heading to a GPS location and driving fast enough to keep from getting stuck. They were on Christmas break and were going to spend the weekend on the ice and new the storm would by gone when they wanted to keave.. All of this happened wirhin an hour.

I have my buddy heater with me along with a sleeping bag, extra food, extra water, shovels and kitty litter to put under the tires to get me going again if I get stuck. When we have whiteout conditions like this you eirher use a GPS or stay where you are. No one will bother you if you are sleeping in your jeep unless they are checking to see if you need help. Enjoy your trip and good luck fishing.

[wirenut45]

once again, thank you for your advice. have started gathering up items for emer. kit. wire

[NorthWoods Harry]

Keep in mind, your vehicle has poor insulation. Don't get me wrong...it's a hell of alot better then being out in the wind!

I have seen folks cover their windows (on the inside) with one of those sun shade thingys or space blankets to help hold the heat in while stuck...

As bad as winters are here in Wisconsin.....those folks in SD have it MUCH worse!

Hats off to them!

[rags]

take note to all that was said and yes have a full tank of gas

[Papa John]

Wirenut 45...... raft bag is a water tite  bag of heavy neoprene coated material that is shaped like a Navy duffle. Comes in various sizes and can contain everything I need for winter. No water or perishables in it so I just toss it on the garage shelf till fall and put it back in my rig. Used to carry a sleeping bag but now have a couple space blankets and extra clothes in the bag. Used to winter camp with the scouts so I know what I need. Bought my bags from a REI years ago, but there are lots of good duffles out now. It's about12" dia x 30" tall.

[NorthWoods Harry]

Wirenut 45...... raft bag is a water tite  bag of heavy neoprene coated material that is shaped like a Navy duffle. Comes in various sizes and can contain everything I need for winter. No water or perishables in it so I just toss it on the garage shelf till fall and put it back in my rig. Used to carry a sleeping bag but now have a couple space blankets and extra clothes in the bag. Used to winter camp with the scouts so I know what I need. Bought my bags from a REI years ago, but there are lots of good duffles out now. It's about12" dia x 30" tall.

.....also called "dry bags". I use them to carry my camping gear to the shack in the sled.

[wirenut45]

Papa ,n, Harry, ah, i,ve heard of dry bags, know where to get them, thanks. one final q.:would it be wise to put my flare gun kit(Lake Erie) in the jeep, or am i overdoing this? wire

[ice dawg]

I would throw it in. I have a flashing yellow light like they use in a construction zone. My wheelhouse is white and at times I turn it on at night if there are people driving around. If you end up in trouble a call to one of the local baitshops will have help on the way. There is always someone around to help.

[NorthWoods Harry]

I would throw it in. I have a flashing yellow light like they use in a construction zone. My wheelhouse is white and at times I turn it on at night if there are people driving around. If you end up in trouble a call to one of the local baitshops will have help on the way. There is always someone around to help.

I have s BRIGHT strobe light from my rescue team days...it clips to a life vest, runs on a D battery....

I like the "call the local bait shop" idea....never thought of that! 

[Nightbird]

A really low temperature sleeping bag will get you thru any nights or days trapped outside. Most probably don't want the investment in a high-quality, Arctic-type bag, but one summer bag inside another will provide much survival warmth. Another important thing is having a means to obtain and sterilize water, which for the likes of us is probably from an ice hole. In some areas, a storm can render one immobile for days.

[wirenut45]

Nightbird, this is what i,m thinking about is a big storm. two buddys trapped on interstate on way home from elk hunt in wy. many yrs . ago. 3 dsays in ford econoline ,til trucker rescued them (out of gas) ,n, got them in cab with him ,n, about 200 gal of diesel fuel to stay warm. to this day they send him a chr,mas package to thank him for their lives. oh yeah, they say he kept them laughing the whole time telling what he,d seen people do on road from a high cab ( think sex) wire