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Feb 12th, 2024
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 Breaking ice
#5522204
01/06/15 01:11 AM
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 163
Bissett
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 163 |
What a fun way to get warmed up before a cold morning hunt lol. What are some ways to clear a hole of ice? I normally break a perimeter and then start breaking the inside and try to kick the loose ice under the ice around my hole. But this leaves a bunch of small chunks that I can't kick away. I would take a rake with me but most of the time I'm loaded down when walking to my spots. Any tricks I'm missing?
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5522217
01/06/15 01:16 AM
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Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,386
john paul
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 1,386 |
Try to break the ice in as large of pieces as possible and then take the big pieces and slide them under the unbroken ice.
I'm with GK because I like salty old dudes.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5522220
01/06/15 01:16 AM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,203
Blake E.
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,203 |
I cut my ice with a long handle scraper. Then I slide the cut piece under the ice. This slows down the refreeze. Works great. Learned it from a northern duck hunter. Tried it and wondered why I haven't been doing this all along.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: john paul]
#5522231
01/06/15 01:28 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,228
Jeff Elder
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 6,228 |
Try to break the ice in as large of pieces as possible and then take the big pieces and slide them under the unbroken ice. and take a rake to clean out the small stuff
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5522233
01/06/15 01:29 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 11,928
#Hayraker
Chihuahua
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Chihuahua
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 11,928 |
#sigline
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5522260
01/06/15 01:40 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 20,929
Sniper John
gumshoe
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gumshoe
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 20,929 |
Last time I used an ax to cut the perimeter. Needed a chain saw. Stand on one side of cut till it started to tilt. Step off, bury the ax, and pull the whole thing back under the main ice. Then pushed paddled water from in the hole onto the ice around it. The weight of the water pushes the edge down for several feet around the hole. All work and decoy placement done from or within reach of kayak, tools, and ropes to shore. Bunching the decoys in and on the edge of the hole is more effective and natural than spread out on the ice around it. Real birds will bunch up in a hole and use body heat and motion to keep a hole from freezing over.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: john paul]
#5522283
01/06/15 01:57 AM
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Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 23,830
beaversnipe
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 23,830 |
Try to break the ice in as large of pieces as possible and then take the big pieces and slide them under the unbroken ice.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5522313
01/06/15 02:07 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 14,278
Fooshman
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 14,278 |
Depends on thickness. First time ever dealing with it we just busted it up, but we had to keep doing so. The next time we broke big chunks and slid them out of the way or under the rest of the ice. This morning it wasn't that thick and we just hunted on the outside of it and used butts to help open up a hole. Birds were landing all over the place this morning even on the ice way away from any open water.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5522389
01/06/15 02:39 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 20,929
Sniper John
gumshoe
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gumshoe
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 20,929 |
Yep. If not thick you still want as big a pieces as possible so again you can just swish the bulk of them under the edges. When i have left a bunch of broken small pieces, they seem to always catch in the neck area of my dogs vest.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5522432
01/06/15 02:50 AM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 20,929
Sniper John
gumshoe
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gumshoe
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 20,929 |
I love hunting ice.    I once hunted rocky up by the river. My area was froze over. Much of the way i pushed my kayak over the ice rather than break through it. Got to my beach and opened up a big hole for my decoys, then put my layout on the bank. At first light a late power boat cut the ice down the middle of the oxbow it's full length. Like a lava flow the entire sheet of ice shifted and in slow motion closed my hole pushing all my decoys to the bank as it went.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Jeff Elder]
#5522615
01/06/15 03:50 AM
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,295
Cody Malone
THF Celebrity
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THF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,295 |
Try to break the ice in as large of pieces as possible and then take the big pieces and slide them under the unbroken ice. and take a rake to clean out the small stuff Bingo
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5523016
01/06/15 01:39 PM
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 163
Bissett
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 163 |
Thanks for the info. Looks like a rake will be worth the extra carry.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Sniper John]
#5523018
01/06/15 01:40 PM
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 163
Bissett
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 163 |
Last time I used an ax to cut the perimeter. Needed a chain saw. Stand on one side of cut till it started to tilt. Step off, bury the ax, and pull the whole thing back under the main ice. Then pushed paddled water from in the hole onto the ice around it. The weight of the water pushes the edge down for several feet around the hole. All work and decoy placement done from or within reach of kayak, tools, and ropes to shore. Bunching the decoys in and on the edge of the hole is more effective and natural than spread out on the ice around it. Real birds will bunch up in a hole and use body heat and motion to keep a hole from freezing over. I've been reading this more lately and sure enough the ponds I've been driving by with water holes in them have the ducks all bunched up around one side. Definitely good to know
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5523038
01/06/15 01:51 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,881
TXPride
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 1,881 |
Last time I used an ax to cut the perimeter. Needed a chain saw. Stand on one side of cut till it started to tilt. Step off, bury the ax, and pull the whole thing back under the main ice. Then pushed paddled water from in the hole onto the ice around it. The weight of the water pushes the edge down for several feet around the hole. All work and decoy placement done from or within reach of kayak, tools, and ropes to shore. Bunching the decoys in and on the edge of the hole is more effective and natural than spread out on the ice around it. Real birds will bunch up in a hole and use body heat and motion to keep a hole from freezing over. I've been reading this more lately and sure enough the ponds I've been driving by with water holes in them have the ducks all bunched up around one side. Definitely good to know I see you are in Broken Arrow? Yeah, you'll be breaking ice if you are hunting any time soon... Solid adv ICE (  ) so far. If I were you, I'd just hunt somewhere along one of the rivers in your backyard and not deal with ice.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5523133
01/06/15 02:42 PM
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Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,859
LarryCopper
THF Trophy Hunter
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THF Trophy Hunter
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 5,859 |
Hmmm, never thought of the rake before. I'll be trying that Thursday morning.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: Bissett]
#5523184
01/06/15 03:03 PM
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Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,804
mohunter
Pro Tracker
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Pro Tracker
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,804 |
Ducks get really stupid when they see an opening in a froze up pond for sure, same thing on a lake that is locked up. Breaking into big sheets if you can, a rake, and a mallard machine are the ticket.
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Re: Breaking ice
[Re: TXPride]
#5523294
01/06/15 03:45 PM
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 163
Bissett
OP
Woodsman
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OP
Woodsman
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 163 |
Last time I used an ax to cut the perimeter. Needed a chain saw. Stand on one side of cut till it started to tilt. Step off, bury the ax, and pull the whole thing back under the main ice. Then pushed paddled water from in the hole onto the ice around it. The weight of the water pushes the edge down for several feet around the hole. All work and decoy placement done from or within reach of kayak, tools, and ropes to shore. Bunching the decoys in and on the edge of the hole is more effective and natural than spread out on the ice around it. Real birds will bunch up in a hole and use body heat and motion to keep a hole from freezing over. I've been reading this more lately and sure enough the ponds I've been driving by with water holes in them have the ducks all bunched up around one side. Definitely good to know I see you are in Broken Arrow? Yeah, you'll be breaking ice if you are hunting any time soon... Solid adv ICE ( ) so far. If I were you, I'd just hunt somewhere along one of the rivers in your backyard and not deal with ice. Yep I have a a good spot I like to hunt when everything else freezes. It's a nice little moving river you can pretty much wade across and it never freezes. So when the time is right, it can be loaded
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