If we keep getting frozen off the river.....

Dani,
Those rigs are called "scratchers". Not terribly fast but beats walking. Only one gear so if you spin the blade too fast, it won't bite in and just cuts a groove in the ice before it can get the rig moving forward.
 
huh...neato.....guess if it's not going fast then you don't get a wind chill from the boat....

so does it go faster than someone walking or slower?
 
Ed, that is just plain ingenious. By the way, how early is all this ice I am looking at? Set any records this year?
Al
 
huh...neato.....guess if it's not going fast then you don't get a wind chill from the boat....

so does it go faster than someone walking or slower?

I'm not sure. I had heard of these but until Dave's post I didn't know they had a name.
 
Ed, that is just plain ingenious. By the way, how early is all this ice I am looking at? Set any records this year?
Al

Hi Al. BTW...Loved the pics of the Snows at the refuge.

Yesterday afternoon the temp was 12 degrees. The river was practically frozen across the slough behind my house. Approx. 400-500yds. across. This is typically not seen until the middle of January, beginning of February. I've never seen it this cold this early. Last year it was December 10th. Our firearm deer season is this weekend. I hunt the islands. Not sure if I'll get to go this year.
 
Ed, that is just plain ingenious. By the way, how early is all this ice I am looking at? Set any records this year?
Al

I think we set or tied a record last night... Lots of places are locked up that normally aren't iced up until after our season ends. Of course they'll open back up this weekend when it rains and hits 50.
 
Officially have lost 60% of our season in IL for the second straight year!

Yep. I went to check where I put in to get to my deer stand. The gate is locked to the ramp! Terrible year for hunting.
 
We had a record low here this morning of 7 degrees. There saying now that this winter is going to be like last year. Really cold. I'm thinking I need to move south. I like your tooth drive. When I was a kid we put pieces of bike chain across the drive wheel of our home made go cart and ran it on the frozen creek. We had a blast.


Tom.
 
It's definitely cold this year, but I do remember a year back in the late 80's being able to walk across the ice in the marshes on the opening weekend of duck season here in MO. Back then it was only a 30 day season so it was likely the same time frame (second week in November) when that happened.
 
Ed we lost the season too a scratcher would work fine. But setting out the decoys you would need a ice auger big enough for each decoy lol
 
Ed, I saw a scratcher rig at Savanna years ago while ice fishing. It would probably be quieter than the air boats and much cheaper. I had 6* Monday when going to work.

You could come field hunt geese. It was about 21* this afternoon and 20-25 mph winds. Friday morning is supposed to be 2* about shooting time for the deer opener. Then 40's and rain Saturday and Sunday.
 
Today has been the coldest day yet. The worst part of winter to me is heating the shop. I heat with oil. I had one of my customers call today about a vacuum form mold I'm making to see if I can move the completion up to Monday which is three days early. So I cranked the heat up to 80 and will make it happen. I just hate to work weekends. Life is short. To all you guys that aren't froze in good luck hunting and be safe.


Tom.
 
Dani,
Faster than walking so there is some wind chill. I doubt you personally would notice the wind chill. Hard to measure wind chill when the person in question is already froze solid. :>) :>)


Here is a video of an ice scratcher in action.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_50S016wYU


Thanks for the video....i'll check it out when i'm not at work :)

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND I guess that's what faster than walking means both times eh? DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH CLEARLY my reading comprehension needs a little work.
 
It's definitely cold this year, but I do remember a year back in the late 80's being able to walk across the ice in the marshes on the opening weekend of duck season here in MO. Back then it was only a 30 day season so it was likely the same time frame (second week in November) when that happened.
Scott,

I remember that year. It must have been around "88" that was the year my youngest was born. I remember rounding the tip of the island to a cove I hunted on Beaver Lake in Arkansas to find it frozen over. I never thought I'd see that in Arkansas.
 
Back
Top