Just like hot temperatures and warm water can stress fish you release during the summer months, cold, freezing temperatures can have the effects on fish you want release in while ice fishing.

 Although you may be standing on frozen water, i.e. ice, the water the fish is pulled from is not. This means you’re pulling them from “warm” water out into the freezing weather.

 "If an angler is fishing on a particularly cold day, pulling a fish up through a hole and exposing them to freezing conditions can be stressful to a fish," Utah DWR Sportfish Coordinator Randy Oplinger said. "The water that remains on sensitive areas — such as the gills or eyes — can begin to freeze and this can cause damage to a fish. So, it is best to minimize exposure time and to release the fish as quickly as possible after catching it."

 One way to reduce exposure time is to have the equipment you need to remove the hook from the fish readily available. This means having your pliers on a lanyard around your neck or in bucket or on a sled next to you. Using a bucket or sled keeps your things from getting buried in the snow. Think about how you always seem to “lose” your knife in the leaves while field dressing a deer. A bucket or sled allows you to keep other things handy too. A dry towel, bait, tackle, rope, dry gloves, snacks, water, etc. are all things that can be handy.

  Another thing to keep in mind is to reduce damage to the fish’s natural “slime” coating. Wearing gloves while handling fish may be good for your hands but it can do a lot of harm to the fish.

 "That can leave fish more susceptible to various skin issues, such as fungal diseases," Oplinger said. "I know that it is tough to take gloves off while ice fishing because it's cold, but handling fish with your bare hands is best. Once the fish have been safely released, then you can put your gloves back on."

  Reducing the stress on fish is important, keeping yourself safe is important too. Remember to dress in layers and take along all the things to stay warm as well as your safety equipment.

  Also remember the ice needs to be at least 4 inches thick to safely venture forth. Keep in mind that the thickness can vary across the lake. Make sure to drill test holes while go out and back. Putting a lot of people and equipment in one spot can stress the ice so spread the weight out. And don’t go fishing alone!

 So reduce the stress on the fish you plan on releasing while staying safe and having fun. Remember, safety is no accident.

   So there I was at the end of the opening day of the Oklahoma muzzleloader season with two mature does tagged. One with my regular tag and the other with the available county wide bonus doe tag and now I was just trophy hunting. The pressure was off so to say and I still had nearly a week to try and fill my buck tag.

  The next morning I slept in and caught up on my sleep. It seemed I had been running non-stop for three days and the extra rest hit the spot. It was kind of lucky I did as my buddy Brentt came in around nine saying he had shot a buck and needed some help tracking it down.

  After eating breakfast, Josh and I followed Brentt out to his spot and started the search. About an hour later we found the 8-point buck not too far from where Brentt had shot him. After taking some pictures, we loaded buck on his 4-wheeler and headed back to camp.

  That afternoon I headed back to my stand at the Back Lot where I had taken the first doe early the previous morning. The afternoon went by pretty uneventful. Crows making noise and squirrels running about were the highlights until 6:30.

  A tall 8-pointer came in to get him some supper. He offered me a great seventy yard broadside shot and I took it. Through the smoke I saw the buck hightail it into the woods and disappear. It was getting late and darkness wasn’t too far off so I lowered my stuff to the ground and carried my pack out to the road.

 As I set my stuff down I looked down toward the feeder and saw another buck standing there looking up the hill at me. I dismissed him and went back for my rifle still hanging on the pull rope. Stepping out of the trees into the open I looked back to see if the buck was still there, he wasn’t. I knelt down to retrieve my drag and another light from the pack and glanced back down the hill. The buck had walked up the hill closer to me to get a better look at what was going on. He got to about 35 yards away and then took off.

 As I was walking down to pick up the trail I glanced over into the woods and saw another big buck coming down the hill. He blew at me and retreated. I was just about to the feeder when another deer busted out through the woods. In the approaching darkness I could just tell it was a buck.

  “There are bucks everywhere around here”, I said out loud to myself. “I hope I can find the one I shot at.”

 Well, long story short, an hour later I gave up the search. I found no blood, hair or any sign of the tall 8 pointer. Since I couldn’t get a phone signal I couldn’t call for back-up and I couldn’t tell anyone I was okay. I headed back to camp.

  About three quarters of the way back I saw headlights coming toward me. I recognized David’s Kubota UTV heading my way. I pulled up beside of him and he said they had gotten worried about me and figured he’d better come have a look. I told him my buck story and he suggested after supper everyone go have a look and see if we could find the buck.

 Again, long story short, we found nothing and arrived back at camp pushing ten o’clock. Strike one!

  It was raining the next morning and everyone slept in. Later in the morning Josh, David and Brentt took off to town to pick up some supplies and hit the local Chinese buffet. Early afternoon there was a lull in the rain and I took off to refill the feeder at the Back Lot.

  Extreme drought had been in place for months and there wasn’t much for any animal to eat. The acorn crop had been reduced to almost nothing and the grass was as brown as beef gravy and as crunchy as potato chips. Every animal in the woods was looking for a good food source and we had pictures of squirrels, raccoons, opossums countless birds as well as deer around the feeders and they had been hitting them hard.

  I made it back to camp just before the rain got heavy again. Needless to say, no one hunted that afternoon or the next morning as the rain was still coming down pretty heavy.

 The rain let up mid-morning on Tuesday and everyone was itching to get their stands that afternoon.

 After seeing all of the bucks on Sunday I opted to head back to the Back Lot. I figured I had a good chance of seeing another buck or two and was looking to redeem myself after the clean miss on the tall eight.

 About 4:40 I heard some noise over my left shoulder. Something was coming down the road behind me. Turning ever so slightly a turkey came into view. Then another and another... they just kept coming! Eventually eleven turkeys made their way past me and down the hill to the feeder. I was afraid to try and get the phone out to get a picture so I just enjoyed the show. They picked around on the corn for a couple of minutes then went on their way.

 At 6:30 I once again heard some noise over my left shoulder. Something else was coming down road.

  Slightly turning again I saw a deer through the branches. It was going to go right by me and it was a buck! I got my rifle up as the 8-point buck came into clear view. I had him in my scope as he walked a little further past me. All I saw through the scope was hair as I had the crosshairs on the sweet spot. “No way I’m missing this one,” I thought as I went “Mah”. When he stopped he was twenty yards away. I squeezed the trigger.

  With a slight breeze dissipating the smoke I was able to see him slightly stagger before running across in front of me into the woods. I listened as he broke the brush and stuff for a short distance then silence.

  As I ran a couple of patches through the rifle and reloaded all I could think of was “I know I hit him. Lord please help me find him”.

  Once again darkness was fast approaching so I didn’t hesitate too long before beginning the search.

 I couldn’t see any blood but I knew he had been hit and was determined to look as long as needed. It didn’t take long. The 10 point buck was lying about twenty five yards in the woods. There was some blood on the ground where he had kicked some and under him when I rolled him over.

  Just like on Saturday when I drug out the does, I cleared a path through the brush and dead cedar trees. It was still a chore getting him out the road but that was a good problem. Knowing I couldn’t load him by myself I took some pictures and headed to camp.

  Stepping off the 4-wheeler I told the boys I needed help. “Tracking down another one”, someone said.

  “No. I need help loading this one up” as I showed them the pictures on the phone.

  After eating supper, Ronnie and his girlfriend Susie drove me over in his Mule while David drove his Kubota to get the buck.

  Everyone was impressed with the buck. I couple of guys that hunt David’s father-in-law Clifford’s property had numerous pictures of this buck on camera and they were all gunning for him.

  The buck weighed 160 pounds and we unofficially scored him at 141 1/4 inches. I’ve taken heavier deer but this one has the biggest rack so far. I have a couple of mounts at our place in Tennessee I haven’t scored yet but will as soon as I get back down but I’m pretty sure this Oklahoma could be the biggest.

  Now that my Oklahoma season was over I was looking forward to another bow hunt in Missouri with my friends Steve and Grant and really looking forward to the upcoming Illinois shot gun season which didn’t turn out quite like I wanted but that’s a story for the next chapter. Until then, throw another log on the fire and stay warm. Jim Bob

  The rituals of hunting and fishing have endured long past their necessity as a means of survival. And, even more enduring are the stories, exaggerations and outright lies about hunting and fishing episodes. These stories, these experiences, usually retold in the dead of winter around the friendly warmth of a fireplace or in the neon light at the bar are the source of timeless and lasting camaraderie. Some stories are so blatantly phony that they are told only because those listening know them to be phony and therefore can appreciate their cleverness. Or as an excuse to spring for another round.

  Like basic outdoors techniques, these stories haven’t changed much over the years. The hunter’s stories usually center on that one incredible super accurate shot. Shots like the one where a quail hunter shot at a group of a dozen quail sitting on a limb of a tree. At least 200 yards away. With his last bullet. The shot traveled down the length of the limb, splitting it open just long enough for the birds’ feet to get caught when the limb snapped back closed. The lucky fellow then simply sawed the limb off and trudged back home with his trophy catch slung over the shoulder.

 The one thing most hunting yarns have in common is they emphasis the number of game taken. One or two rabbits, grouse or squirrels become four or five during the retelling of the retelling.

  Fishermen on the other hand always tell of the one that got away. It is always something like the trout the size of a shark! Or the bass that, "Leaped out of the water ten feet and musta weighed more than that huge four foot carp that got away last week!"

  Sometimes the lake fishermen will get into the numbers game also. Like, "Back when I was a boy, we’d bring home three washtubs full of yellow perch. Or the boat was so full of those white bass we were taking on water!"

  Why would the fisherman be okay with telling tales of loss, even bragging about the scope of that loss, while a hunter must exaggerate tales of success?

  Maybe it's because a fisherman cannot be blamed for hooking into a monster fish that was simply too much for the line he had strung. Or that the rod or net was inadequate for the task at hand.

  On the other hand, the hunter has no such out. If there is a missed shot, it's not the gun, it's the shooter's ability or lack thereof. So the hunting tales then must support the hunter's assertion that no body, not Davy Crockett, not Buffalo Bill, nobody but himself coulda made that shot!

  Thank goodness for this.