A Sheboygan Marsh Adventure

From 1982 through 1987 I lived in Sheboygan Falls, WI. West of Sheboygan is an area known locally as the Kettle Moraine area that has many geological formations created by glaciation. One area that I spent some time at was the Sheboygan Marsh. It is a wildlife area and abounds with pristine marshland, excellent canoeing and some interesting hunting opportunities.

One of my favorite upland game birds is the Ruffed Grouse also known by locals in Munising, MI, my hometown, as the partridge or pat. I have hunted Ruffed Grouse in Sheboygan marsh with a friend and we had chased up a few, but they are sparse. That's OK, it is more about being out in the wild than the taking of game.

One winter day I decided to take my Golden Retriever Captain and go see if we couldn't chase some grouse for a few hours. It was in January as Grouse season stayed open until sometime in mid-January or the first of February. Regardless, we were into a good old Wisconsin winter. Snow lay on the ground and the temperature hovered around 18 degrees Fahrenheit. I was dressed with layers of clothing and what I know as snow pac boots which are a combination of leather and rubber with a felt insert for insulation.

Captain and I parked on a country road that bordered the swamp and walked a trail frequented by snowmobiles to get back into the swamp area. The snow was not deep, inches only. Captain and I got off the trail and started walking some woods and channels. I say channels because apparently back in the 1920's large dredges were brought in and an attempt to drain the swamp was attempted. Obviously it didn't work but you can get a flavor of what the intention was. All around the swamp area are neat Wisconsin dairy farms and field filled with corn and pasture land. As a result of the dredging attempt the marsh is crisscrossed by channels created by the dredging attempt.

I found it easier to prowl the channels because the snow in the marsh was deeper and the swamp grass made for difficult walking. I noticed black spots on the ice but did not pay them any attention. Captain and I were enjoying being together, the weather was cold but clear and the marsh land was gorgeous in its winter coat.

I was walking with my shotgun cradled in my arms enjoying the sting of the cold air and the crunch of my boots on the crusted ice. As Captain and I walked down one channel I noticed one of the black spots nearby and had to cross it to get to the bank of the marsh. As I moved across the ice a huge cracking sound reverberated in the winter air and the ice disappeared beneath my feet. I went straight down into the water. The only thing that kept me from being immersed was I leaned forward as I fell and with my gun acting as a cross piece I caught myself on the ice at chest level. From my waist down I was in the water and I did not feel any bottom.

Stunned by the sudden collapse of the ice I lay there a few seconds trying to analyze my situation. Captain had been thirty or forty feet in front of my when I went down and I looked directly at him. He immediately turned and started back toward me. I realized from the look in his eye that he was coming to save me. I do not know what he would've done but I immediately had a sense that his weight might be enough to further break the ice and we'd both be in the drink. At least half my body was out of the water, if I went in fully I was afraid the weight of my clothing would make my chances at getting out a real struggle. So, I called "Captain, Stop." I had to repeat the command several times and Captain finally stopped about ten feet away.

I kicked my feet, I could move but I was afraid to move too much of my upper body as I didn't know how thick the ice was under my chest area. I kicked my feet, rolled from side to side and the ice held. Captain stood ready to help. After repeated tries, rolling gently from side to side I began to inch myself out further and further on the ice. Finally after what seemed to be many minutes but was probably 90 seconds or so I was able to crawl up on the ice. At that point Captain came forward and checked me out. I used his neck to brace myself to stand up. Thank God for a powerful dog.

It was then that I remembered what the black spots on the ice were. The channels had been dredged 60 years earlier. The channels had silted in as the slow moving water brought silt downstream. Because the water was slow moving the silt settled slowly and did not compact. This happens a lot in northern lakes and slow water areas and the silt can be very deep. We home boys call it "loon shit." Deer traversing the swamp would use the channels as crossing areas. One reason the swamp could not be drained 60 years earlier was the area was populated by numerous springs. As ice formed the thickness of the ice would be much thinner over a spring due to the movement of water in that local area. Deer would fall through thin ice, and the "loon shit" would cling to their legs as they thrashed there way out of the water leaving a dark stain on the ice. I should've known.

Captain and I began walking back to the station wagon I was driving. I was wet through to the skin from the waist down. It was 18 degrees. We had about a 30 minute walk back to the car. As I walked I began to realize that my pants were freezing. My body was warm as the layered clothing I had on retained my body heat. I would be OK for some time from the cold, but my heavy canvas insulated coveralls freezing stiff were becoming more and more of a problem. A snowmobile went by, the driver was unaware I was in trouble and waved as he passed. I didn't realize I was in trouble so I didn't flag him down. On Captain and I went, both now quite tired from the emotional stress of the dunking.

Finally we got to the car. One of the first things I had to do was get my keys out. My pocket was frozen shut. I used my fingers and dug through the frost until finally after several minutes I could extract the car keys. My fingers were stiff and operated very slow. I got the car door open but I couldn't bend my knees to get in the car. I couldn't bend to get in the car. What the hell! Finally I leaned forward, caught the edge of the roof and leaned into the car. I fell forward so I was laying on the front seat. Then I could get the keys in the ignition and start the car. I turned the heater on full, and had to lay there for about 20 minutes until my coveralls thawed. I then took off my coveralls and was able to drive home in my long underwear. I was not worse for the experience, but I was so impressed with Captain.

I do believe that if I had let Captain come to me he would've grabbed my coat with his mouth and helped pull me out. He was a loyal and loving friend.