Today our great nation celebrates Veterans Day, also referred to as Armistice Day, which commemorates the remembrance of the armistice signed between Allied forces and Germany, ending World War I. It’s a day to reflect on the sacrifices made by brave men and women who selflessly served our country to keep us free.
It’s also the anniversary of a little-known tragedy in the tradition of waterfowling.
On November 11, 1940, the morning started calm in warm in the Midwest, inviting hunters to take to the rivers and pot holes for a Monday hunt.
Foul-weather hunting can be a rewarding challenge for hardcore waterfowlers, but it's also a stern reminder of the importance of being safe and prepared.
Ducks migrated in incredible numbers in front of an intense low-pressure system. The morning of incredible duck movement was followed rapidly by a plunging temperature, high winds and snow, causing a blizzard that caught many hunters off-guard. By the next morning, upwards of 26 inches of snow had blanketed parts of Minnesota, and heavy snows clobbered a 1,000-mile-wide area of the upper-Midwest.
Duck hunters were challenged by the difficult decision of trying to escape the furious November winds or seek shelter the scattered island and coves. In many cases, neither decision was safe. The storm was blamed for 144 deaths, most of them duck hunters along the Mississippi River.
Today’s weather forecasting and communications technology would likely prevent such a tragedy from happening again. Yet I am reminded of several hunts in recent years when the weather turned harsh faster than anticipated. One year, ice flowed into our hunting area overnight, almost icing us in and nearly taking out our decoy. Even when the weather doesn’t turn on us, we risk exposure. My buddies can tell you a great story about the time I filled my waders with freezing water from the Mississippi River while pulling decoys. It’s a good laugh now, but it could have led to hypothermia.
While this day is a great time to reflect on the brave citizens who served us, it is also a good day to think about how prepared we are when we take to the wintry waters in pursuit of fowl. Every year we hear of hunters being overpowered by the weather, choppy water or equipment failure.
Closely monitoring weather reports, checking our boats and gear, wearing life jackets and keeping an emergency stash of dry clothes and survival equipment should be mandatory practice for all of us.
For a full account by Minnesota Public Radio of the tragedy, click here.
That boat looks familiar. Is that Mr. Moller crouching behind the wind screen?
Great Story! Can’t imagine the weather changing that rapidly.
Bob, it’s the little one.
I’ve read several detailed accounts of that storm, it’s pretty interesting stuff that makes you think about throwing an extra snack or drink and other “survival” stuff in with the gear, no matter what the forecast says.
Speaking of weather changes: Two of the three or four “out-of-state” trips Quinn and I took together could’ve ended in tragedy. In Arkansas our boat came untied and floated out of sight in a flooded cyprus swamp….only to return to it’s exact tree hours later. (act of God) Then there’s Lake Erie with Murr when the gas line became filled with water, stalled the motor, and while being pulled to shore, the boat sunk!! Lucky for us the water was only 2.5ft. deep when the boat hull hit bottom. Needless to say, I mainly hunt corn fields these days!!