When you are attempting to launch your boat into a slough on the river that has 3" of ice, don't say F it and press the gas pedal while in reverse after the ice has brought you to a complete stop on the ramp. Just suck it up and drive to the public launch that has stayed open due to the river current.

Even though trailer light mounting brackets are cheap, LED trailer lights are NOT. I get to replace both - for both sides. And still had to drive to the public launch.

Next time carry a thick pole and break the ice where you want to back the trailer in enought to get the trailer lights under water...

where were you yesterday with this wonderful information???

Did the same shit this mornin man. Busted both of em. There was no other ramp for us to use. We all got limits early, so I guess it was worth it. Must a been five or six thousand birds on the lake. Guess their bodies were keepin the ice from formin where they were. We just kept bustin up the ice round the dec's and they'd keep comin in. Shot a banded mallard, and some huge thing we haven't figured out what it is yet. Thought it was a goose, but looks more like a duck, and has a duck bill. Never seen anything like it, gonna take it to the taxidermist and see if he can figure it out. Might post a pic when my buddy sends it to me, I didn't have a camera wit me.

You need to get all your light up out the water. We dont have alot of ice but our launches get full of light bustin debris .

Jon, my buddies that hunt the Potomac a lot fight ice all the time. Couple of them were in a box blind that got sheared off by ice while they were hunting. 6x6's cut like kindling.
They all have their lights on poles well out of the water. I may go to that kind of system.

Dont take the winch of to early also.. Hunted one place nothing so picked up and went to a nother place.. Well the carpet on the bunks froze.. Let just say goo thing it wasn't a long way to the water.. LOL THis morning went to launch and the trailer was frozen to the boat.. the trailer was floating with the boat had to pull it up to see if they had traps on ti.. Finally had to back up hard and slam the breaks on to break it loose..

I can't see how it would be illegal. But I don't have possesion of it anyway, my buddy took it with him. As far as I know there aren't any ducks or geese that aren't in season right now. Might only be able to shoot one, but that's all we shot. Still haven't figured out what it is yet. I searched all the native american ducks, and geese just in case, and didn't see anything like it. Maybe a hybrid of some type, but it's bigger than any duck I ever seen. Pretty sure the gw wouldn't know what it is either. I've had to help one of the local gw's identify a pintail hen one day.

Jon, if it gets cold next week it could happen. Buddy of mine was on Back Bay busting ice with his boat and pushing it so it wouldn't take his remaining blinds out. That ice will shear their blind poles which are gum trees the size of telephone poles.
Last time the Bay froze a buddy of mine was on Tangier Island and the Coast Guard called and said they were sending a chopper to get them. They said they were staying but if they had any beer could they please drop it off. USCG isn't so much on the humor.

I keep an axe and a sledgehammer in the boat for launch ice. Also a good idea to keep a bucket of ice-melt or rocksalt in the truck for when you pull the boat back out.