Hello Everyone,

I want to start this week by thanking everyone who gave to the Brillion Fire Department’s “Boot for the Hungry” this past weekend to help fill the shelves of our local food pantry.

As for this article I want to bring up two items. The first is that of gifts for the outdoor enthusiast in your family. The second is that of ice safety as we grow nearer to the hard water fishing season.

So let’s start with what to buy that outdoor enthusiast who seems to have everything already. If they are an ice fisherman, I have a couple suggestions.
A gift card for their favorite sporting goods store is a sure win situation, however there are other options which range in price from a dollar or two on up.

You can buy them some jigging spoons, such as Swedish pimples, or a pair of Ice Armor gloves, there is also the option of buying that special someone an Ice Armor suit, or even new boots.

For that hunter in your family there are a couple of different avenues to go down. If they are a spring turkey hunter you can buy them a pop up tent, a couple of different calls that they can start to practice with now, or even a new turkey gun. If they are a deer hunter there are a lot of really good deals out there right now for a variety of different items ranging from binoculars, safety harness, spotting scope, or even new camouflage outfit.

For the upland bird hunter you can buy them a new safety vest with the blaze orange, a pair of chaps, or possibly a new four legged hunting companion.

For the camper in your life there are plenty of gadgets not everyone can possibly have. This could be a new tripod for cooking over the fire, Pudgy pie makers, a new tent, new sleeping bag, this list is pretty much endless. For the ATV’er great gifts are a new helmet, gloves, goggles, or pretty much anything that they don’t already have on the four-wheeler. There is also the option of a GPS for their car, boat, ATV or even a handheld style. If they have all of these you can purchase a good camera so that they can take pictures of their different adventures and successes that they have. Or perhaps they can use the camera to take pictures during an upcoming hunting or fishing trip.

I hope this helps for those of you who weren’t sure and aren’t done with your shopping yet (hint-hint!).

Now for a more serious note, ice fishing can be the most enjoyable time in the winter because everyone has the opportunity to do some fishing without the expense of being a boat owner. There is one thing that I am reassured of regularly since my parents went through the ice several years ago, and that is that no ice is 100 percent safe. The No. 1 thing you can do before going on the ice is to check with the locals. They know the ice and check it regularly. Or you can check with your local bait shop owner who will have the ice conditions for your area. The No. 2 item is telling someone where you are going and when you are planning to return. I know this can be difficult because everything varies depending on the bite, but just about everyone out there owns a cell phone and it only takes a minute to make a call.

My No. 3 item is taking a rope along for multiple reasons from tying your self off, to you may need it to help someone else who may end up in trouble. Ice picks that you actually take out of the package and use the way they were meant to be used is another really good item. Also, consider a chisel for checking the ice thickness as you continue out to your spot.

My most important item that everyone should be sure to bring with them is “common sense,” and I am sure some of you are laughing, but a majority of the incidents can be avoided if this was used.

Don’t try and be the first one to a new spot without checking the ice as you go, I don’t want my next outdoor article having to be based on one of our local enthusiast being in trouble, or possibly worse. I am as excited as the next one to get out, but we all need to remember that it takes a little time to make ice it just doesn’t happen overnight.

For you snowmobile enthusiasts out there the season is starting to look good, and some of the trails are open, but you will want to check regularly to make sure that they remain open. You can find all the local trail information online at the following website: Association of Wisconsin Snowmobile Clubs.

I hope this works for everyone, however if someone else has a different website or phone numbers for the surrounding area and would like to email it to me I will include the information in upcoming articles, I am sure everyone would appreciate the heads up.

As always feel free to e-mail me with updates on the fishing and hunting, or to share your stories or pictures with the rest of our readers. I’m also always looking for new story ideas, too.

Remember to take a kid along into the outdoors. They will thank you and enjoy it as much as you do.