Hunting fatalities throughout years have been facts of life, but they shouldn't be forgotten. They are a window through which enlightenment shines. All hunters can learn from past mistakes.

When I think about the perils of hunt- ing, one date always comes to mind; No – vember 11, 1940. That's because the Armistice Day Blizzard is impossible to forget. More than 160 people died throughout the Mid-West that day, many of whom were hard core duck hunters.

Ducks by the thousands poured into the Mississippi watershed along the Minnesota- Wisconsin boarder. A big storm was brewing and the birds were on the move, winging ahead of its mighty wrath. Late season duck hunting along any river system can be very good, often times of fering up the seasons best hunting. The Mississippi River is no exception but such late season hunts can be very dan gerous. In an era of unreliable weather forecasts, most duck hunters on that fate- ful day didn't have a clue what was in store for them.

The morning started innocently enough. The sky was mostly clear, the winds were light and temperatures were unseasonably warm around 60 degrees and perhaps even warmer. Many hunt – ers dressed light, opting to leave their cold weather water fowling gear behind.

Some even dressed in short sleeves. The storm, often called the blizzard of the century resulted from a collision of a strong high-pressure system from Canada and an equally powerful low-pressure system carrying moisture from the Gulf of Mexico. High winds and snow hit the regions like a sledge hammer.

By late morning the “winds of hell” were beginning to blow, pushing mallards into Mississippi backwaters as far down as Iowa and beyond. By noon, wind speeds in some areas were clocked at 60 miles per hour. Heavy rain changed to sleet which morphed into heavy wet snow. 20 plus inches of snow fell throughout the river system. Visibility was next to zero. Barns and buildings were flattened. Iced over power lines snapped and motorized traffic came to a standstill. Throughout the storm, shotguns continued to bark throughout the Mississippi backwaters. The hunting was so good that many hunters couldn’t bring themselves to leave for shore. While many hunters finally got off the river, many tried to brave the blizzard in their makeshift blinds. Many were marooned on islands throughout the bottom lands and froze to death. Other hunters tried to get off the river, but waves capsized their ice-riddled skiffs.

Apparently in the early stages of hypothermia, a few hunters attempted to stay warm by wading in the water which was considerably warmer than the air temperature. According to one published account, they froze like “fence posts” and were later found standing straight up in the water. One can almost feel the hypothermia setting in. First your body starts to lose heat faster than it can produce.

Then the cold reaches your brain depriv ing you of judgement and the ability to reason. Without treatment, death isn’t far behind.

Unlike today, garments for hunters made of Gore-Tex, Thinsulate, and Neo – prene had not yet been invented. There were no cell phones. Nor were there sophisticated meteorological weather instruments to predict storms and announce their arrival.

Many hunters miraculously survived the ordeal. Many built fires (with their gun stocks no less) or hid beneath their duck boats or found shelter beneath fallen trees. According to one published report, one hunter hid beneath his ice covered duck skiff and was saved by the body heat of his black lab, giving new meaning to man’s best friend.

The day was also marked by heroic rescue attempts throughout the Mississip- pi bottom lands, with brave men risking their lives to save those of others. The next morning November 12th, the tem perature was below zero. The number of dead was higher than many would have imagined.

The Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 – 81 years ago to date of this publica – tion– claimed 162 lives nationwide. This storm killed 49 people in Minnesota. In Michigan the death toll was the highest.

73 people perished as a result of capsized boats on Lake Michigan. It’s estimated that over 30 duck hunters from Minnesota and Wisconsin perished in the storm.

The Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 is a tragedy that hunters should not forget.

Anyone that enjoys reading true life stories might enjoy “All Hell Broke Loose "– Experiences of Young people during the Armistice Day 1940 Blizzard by William H. Hull.

A burned aluminum can (inset) and some glass bottles were the only casualties of Saturday's swamp grass fire, the response to which was complicated by fire district boundaries. Photo by Joseph Back.