Please PLLLEEEASSSE be careful (and smart) about scouting new ice

[Desperado]

Over the weekend, we lost two anglers on two different lakes in Minnesota

Check every step with a spud bar
wear flotation
have picks around your neck or better yet hanging out your sleeves (don't stuff them in a pocket)
tie a rope around your waist and let it trail along behind you
 and . . . having a buddy at the trailing end of that rope is some of the best precaution available

or travel amphibious

but please don't get your name in the newspaper; drowning stories are (primarily) tragic for the family and (secondarily) cast a bad light on the sport of Ice Fishing in the eyes of those who don't truly understand ice travel or ice fishing