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• February 4, 2016 • Oceana’s Herald-Journal
Oceana outdoors It’s time to fondle your gear
When the weather makes being out of doors about as much fun as a root canal, it’s time to fondle. Right now ice is about as safe as smallpox. It’s rainy and wet and cold and chilly. Opportunities for hunting and fishing are elusive. So break out your favorite gear. Properly fondled, a fishing rod can use up to an hour of the miserable weather. First you sight down the eyes separately, then assemble the rod and do it again. Make certain each eye is properly aligned and not loose or anything. You might try cleaning the cork handle, but it usually doesn’t work too well. If you are more of a hunter, break out the firearms. Actually, winter fondling of a By N.B. Sawyer shotgun or rifle is Contributing Writer much more productive than using a fishing rod. You can check the sights, making sure they are aligned properly. You can polish up the nicks in the stock, which appeared last fall after you fell in the brush pile. And, you can field strip the piece and give it a thorough cleaning. Don’t spare the Hoppe’s. Get the barrel and everything else squeaky clean. Then lightly oil everything and put it all back together. Let’s hope you don’t have any pieces left over. If you do, you have plenty of time to fix it before next autumn. Of course you won’t do anything about it until two days before the fall season, but that’s all right. Gunsmiths need a good laugh now and then. Lastly, it’s getting close to the time when you will need to know whether your waders leak. I had a grandson who checked that out for me. But I guess he got tired of being wet, cold and blue every opening day. He moved to Florida. So fill your bathtub with warm water, don your waders and sit down. When you get out, look for wet spots. Don’t stop there, get creative and fondle the rest of your gear. It’s a great way to get ready for the upcoming season and relive the memories of the one that got away.
Outdoor Action
DNR reminds public of ice-safety measures
With warm and rainy weather patterns seen in recent weeks in many parts of the state, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources urges ice anglers and snowmobilers to remember that no ice is safe ice. “When temperatures reach into the 40s, as they have recently in many areas, thawing will occur and that will definitely weaken ice,” said Sgt. Steve Orange, DNR Law Enforcement Division’s recreational safety, education and enforcement supervisor. “It’s very important to know and follow guidelines to determine how ice looks and feels so that your day of ice fishing or snowmobiling is enjoyable and safe. Ignoring warning signs of weakened ice can result in a life-threatening incident.” The DNR does not recommend the standard “inch-thickness” guide used by many anglers and snowmobilers to determine ice safety, because ice seldom forms at a uniform rate. Orange said a warm spell may take several days to weaken the ice; however, when temperatures vary widely, causing the ice to thaw during the day and refreeze at night, the result is a weak, “spongy” or honeycombed ice that is unsafe. Ice strength can’t be determined by its look, thickness, the temperature or whether or not it’s covered with snow, Orange said. When venturing onto ice, remember: • Clear ice that has a bluish tint is the strongest. Ice formed by melted and refrozen snow appears milky, and is very porous and weak. • Ice covered by snow always should be presumed unsafe. Snow acts like an insulating blanket and
• Contributed photo
Michigan conservation officers train to perform an ice rescue. Officers learn the proper way to communicate instructions to the victim and how to utilize a rescue board, which disperses the victim’s weight across the ice to help prevent further breakage. Here, recruits of a past conservation officer training academy practice these valuable skills.
slows the freezing process. Ice under the snow will be thinner and weaker. A snowfall also can warm up and melt existing ice. • If there is slush on the ice, stay off. Slush ice is only about half as strong as clear ice and indicates the ice is no longer freezing from the bottom. “Although it’s a personal decision, the DNR does not recommend ice anglers take a car or truck onto the ice,” Orange said. Anyone venturing onto the ice is urged to wear a life jacket, wear bright colors, bring a cell phone and bring along a set of ice picks or ice claws, which can be found in most sporting goods stores. If ice does break, Orange offered the following tips: • Try to remain calm. • Don’t remove winter clothing. Heavy clothes won’t drag you down, but instead can trap air to provide warmth and flotation. This
SRBC Smokey Bones Wild Game Dinner tickets on sale now
Do you enjoy wild game? Do you like venison, wild boar, beaver, rabbit, moose, fox, pheasant, alligator, perch, salmon, buffalo, bluegill and lots more? Shelby Road Baptist Church is hosting its annual Smokey Bones Wild Game Dinner Saturday, March 5. The evening will begin with a punch bowl and hors d’oeuvres at 6 p.m. with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $8 each and can be purchased by calling 861-6144 ext 222 or by stopping by the office Monday-Thursday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Seating is limited and tickets sell out quickly so don’t wait to get your ticket. This program is for adults only.
is especially true with a snowmobile suit. • Turn in the water toward the direction you came from; that is probably the strongest ice. • If you have them, dig the points of the picks into the ice and, while vigorously kicking your feet, pull yourself onto the surface by sliding
forward on the ice. • Roll away from the area of weak ice. Rolling on the ice will distribute your weight to help avoid breaking through again. • Get to shelter, heat, warm dry clothing and warm, nonalcoholic and noncaffeinated drinks. • Call 911 and seek medical attention if you feel disoriented, have uncontrollable shivering or have any other ill effects that may be symptoms of hypothermia (the lifethreatening drop in the body’s core temperature). Learn more about ice safety on the DNR website, www.michigan. gov/dnr. Michigan conservation officers are fully commissioned state peace officers who provide natural resources protection, ensure recreational safety and protect citizens by providing general law enforcement duties and lifesaving operations in the communities they serve. Learn more about Michigan conservation officers at www.michigan.gov/conservationofficers.
— Weather — Not your typical January
Jan. 26 Jan. 27 Jan. 28 Jan. 29 Jan. 30 Jan. 31 Feb. 1
Hi 37 32 35 36 37 39 44
Lo Prcp Sno Conditions 31 .35 1 cloudy/snow 26 .25 3.1 cloudy 26 tr. tr. cloudy/windy 21 .05 .5 cloudy 21 tr. tr. cloudy/breezy 35 cloudy 28 .36 fair Snow on the ground as of Feb. 1 — 4 inches.
Weather stats are recorded at WEEH-FM in Mears for the National Weather Service. Stats are taken at 7 a.m. on the date shown and are for the previous 24 hours. — January to date — Total liquid precipitation for period, 1.01 inch; total liquid precipitation for January, 2.33 inch; total precipitation for February, .36 inch; total snowfall for period, 4.6 inches; total snowfall for season as of Oct. 1, 42.5 inches; total precipitation for 2016, 2.69 inches. — The week coming up — Sunrise for Hart Feb. 7, 7:56 a.m. to 7:48 a.m. Feb. 13; sunset for Hart Feb. 7, 6:03 p.m. to 6:11 p.m. Feb. 13. — Lake Michigan Water Level Status — Weekly report from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for Jan. 29 indicated that lakes Michigan and Huron forecasted water level was at 579.23 feet, down 2 inches from the previous month and up 2 inches from the level of a year ago. The lake level is 10 inches above the long-term average recorded for January and is 25 inches below the highest average recorded for January. The level is 39 inches above the lowest average recorded for December and is forecast to drop 1 inch by this time next month.