THE DANGERS OF SHALLOW WATER LAKE HUNTING |
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| Hunting the shallow water in lakes has its dangers... And there are a few
things we all need to beware of. Water hunters with chronic heart problems should by NO MEANS be out there in the water. Having a heart attack while water hunting can automatically become life threatening! In the summertime I hunt with no wet suit, just cut offs and a tee shirt. But when I enter the water I like too sort of ease myself out into the deeper water. As soon as I step out into that cool lake water my body starts to lose heat instantly. To recover the lost heat your body will start shivering, it does this automatically after awhile. When your body stops shivering then this is a "BIG" danger sign! You must get out of the water at this point and into your vehicle with the heater on and make sure your wet clothing has been replaced with dry clothing. I caught a "major cold" while water hunting a few summers ago, because I immediately went straight out into neck deep water. My body lost too many degrees of temperature in too short of time. The air temperature played a big part in this also, beware of those cool mornings. Next time remember to hunt that two feet of water for about 15 minutes or so before going into shoulder deep water. Give your body a chance to get use to its new environment before putting the whole thing into an immediate liquid cooler. OK now we come to swimmers' itch... <grin>... Any person who encounters a real bad case of this may become nauseated and could develope a fever. What is swimmers itch you ask? It is a dermitis that develops on parts of the body that has been exposed to lake water. Red spots may form on the body within hours after exposure and will itch intensely for several days before subsiding. After approx. one week, the symptoms usually disappear. A person gets swimmers' itch when larval parasites (flatworms) penetrate into the skin of sensitive individuals and die, causing an allergic reaction. Human penetration by the parasite is accidental, as the flatworm ordinarily penetrates a duck or goose to complete its life cycle. Personally, I've never had a real bad case of swimmers' itch. I have had mild cases of it around my ankles and legs. It usually itches for about an hour and then goes away. Stagnant lake water is where your best chance is of catching it. So try to "keep moving" in the water at all times. When you get to the beach look around. Is the water stagnant? Are there ducks and geese along the shoreline? Do you see feathers in the water? If you answered "yes" to all three of these questions then be careful. When hunting, if you feel your legs starting to "tingle" then this means that swimmers' itch has already started to take its toll, and it is time to leave. Make sure you rinse yourself off in a shower before drying yourself off. Most drug stores do carry "over the counter" ointments for swimmers' itch. In the photo below we have what is known as a "drop off". |
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| This particular "drop off" was not there a few years ago. They will show up at
any time and are caused by sudden earth tremors and other acts of mother nature.
Notice the sandy rock bottom and then the dark area extending out into the
lake. Where you see the sand and rock it is not very deep, perhaps four feet at the most. Any water hunter that is not paying attention to their surroundings will become a victim. If you ever come face to face with one of these "drop offs" your blood will start rushing! Just stay calm and back off ever so slightly. Always keep a look out for dark areas on the bottom of lakes. Sometimes you will be fooled by shadows when the sun gets behind certain clouds. But I would be careful walking into these types of areas in which you cannot see the bottom. In time, every water hunter will sooner or later come face to face with a "sink hole". A "sink hole" may appear anywhere and at anytime also. It is simply a deep hole, thats all they are. They can be as wide as garbage can lids or as wide as a two lane road. The darker the "sink hole" looks...This means that the deeper it is. Remember that your body is buoyant in the water to begin with. (to a degree) So if you ever get into any trouble, then drop your scoop and detector and start swimming. You shallow water hunters should NEVER be wearing a weight belt out into the lake. Your long handled water scoop can be used as a cane and as a "giant feeler". (take advantage of this) When shallow water hunting... You always want to have immediate freedom. So when danger does present itself, then you'll be able too swim to safety. HH & Safety First!.... L.W. |
