So far, autumn had been unusually mild, with temperatures in the 50s and 60s and many sunny, bluebird days. Each of these places requires a separate technique, alternate decoys spreads and calling concepts, and different gear to use. Disoriented, pummeled by the wind, with no visible landmarks to guide them, and no sense of east, west, north, or south, they wandered blindly through a roaring white hell. He then selected 167 of these accounts and assembled them into a book called, fittingly, All Hell Broke Loose. Hunters, both of waterfowl and upland birds, as well as fishermen and trappers, became victims of the elements. For us, duck season had gotten off to a slow start, with very little action after the local birds and early migrators had taken a pounding. Latest. Bar Room Banter: Armistice Day, The Day 85 Duck Hunters Died. It was the persistence of these memories that, 45 years after the event, prompted a Minnesota man named William Hull to track down and interview more than 500 people who’d lived through the Armistice Day Storm. A quote from an article describing the day 85 duck hunters died: “You also can’t underestimate a hunter’s willingness to push through bad weather to ascend one more mountain, or hunt one more hour, or kill one more mallard. But by late afternoon the hunting was all but forgotten. The account that eclipses all the rest, though—and has made the Armistice Day Storm vividly and chillingly real for generations of sportsmen ever since—is the one written by the great Gordon MacQuarrie. by Tom Davis | Dec 22, 2020 | BIRD HUNTING, HUNTING | 0 comments. If a storm causing as much destruction and loss of life occurred today, someone like Sebastian Junger or Jon Krakauer would write a best-selling book about it. All told, 145 people died in the storm. According to John Madson, 85 duck hunters perished in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Illinois alone. The Day the Duck Hunters Died Armistice Day Blizzard by Michael Sieve Nothing escaped the "winds of hell" and the deadly, suffocating snows that swept across the Upper Midwest on that fateful day in 1940. The phone lines hummed as hunting partner called hunting partner, their voices crackling with excitement. The Day the Duck Hunters Died - Sporting Classics Daily Monday, November 11, 1940 a blizard in the Midwest known as the Armistice Day Storm was so severe it caused duck hunters to die. Unbeknownst to them, they were now facing an unprecedented inland hurricane that was in the process of cutting a 1,000-mile-wide swath of death and destruction from Kansas to Michigan. This was the day the duck hunters died. Some gusts were recorded in excess of 80 miles per hour. 58 sailors died that day, most off Pentwater in Lake Michigan where 3 freighters went down. Stuff of nightmares. A slight wind rippled the water that fateful morning, but nothing portended what was to come during the next few hours. A co-worker and I went out to the blind before daylight. Conrad continued circling the hunters until one of the many rescue boats on the river spotted him and responded. All told, 145 people died in the storm. A hundred tales of heroism will be told, long after the funerals are over.”. Guide Ed Lezotte remembered, “We were all very lucky to make it back to the clubhouse…it was the worst day I’d ever seen on the marsh.”. After that, he’d circle above them until rescue boats could zero in on the location and reach the hunters. sportingclassicsdaily.com To sportsmen, it’s simply the day the duck hunters died. While a lesser writer might have filed a competent and informative report, MacQuarrie penned a masterpiece. Conrad would then circle until the Throckmorton or one of the many rescue boats that had deployed in search of survivors could get a fix on the spot. One newspaper's headlines referred to it as The Winds of Hell. They found the boy crouched against a stump, holding his dog for warmth, fighting to remain conscious. Saved from themeateater.com. There may be more snow in northern and eastern forest regions, and certainly much cold. There is no telling how many hunters died for the simple want of dry matches. A 38-year-old duck hunter from Minnesota died during the weekend in Day County. The unlucky ones didn’t. As he wrote in Where The Sky Began, “Caught by the storm with little warning, they drowned as they tried to reach land, or stayed in their duck blinds as waves tore them apart, or simply died of exposure that night on the river islands out of reach of help . “The winds of hell were loose on the Mississippi Armistice day and night,” wrote MacQuarrie. They knew, with as much certainty as they knew anything, the ducks would be flying, and they aimed to be smack dab in the middle of them. Unofficially, it became known as “The day the duck hunters died.”. . Some 66 sailors died on the Great Lakes, going down in three freighters—. Thirty-eight duck hunters died in a sudden blizzard on Armistice Day in 1940. Thread starter ribka; Start date Nov 11, 2015; ribka Active Member. In his magisterial Where The Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie, John Madson describes the genesis of a Midwestern blizzard as a “temperature marriage” of cold, dry polar air sweeping down from Canada and warm, moist subtropical air welling up from the Gulf of Mexico. By Gerry Bethge. A 38-year-old duck hunter from Minnesota died during the weekend in Day County. The ferocity of the storm was almost beyond human reckoning. Hunters throughout the region, from the Dakotas across to Wisconsin, from Minnesota down to southern Illinois, were on pins and needles, knowing that the change in weather they so dearly wanted was overdue, that it could happen any day. When winter conditions are at their worst, duck and deer hunters know the action can be red-hot. Still, it’s not much of a leap to suppose that the typical waterfowler of the Upper Midwest, upon hearing the forecast on the radio or reading it in the local newspaper, felt blessed—even jubilant. Rescuers in the government tugboat Throckmorton arrived at 2:30—half an hour too late to save Gerald’s father. Gerald’s brother lasted until 11:00 a.m.; his father passed away about 2:00 p.m. After the dead were buried, the damage was cleared, and the bereaved had ceased to mourn, life resumed more-or-less as usual. He was back flying over the river again the next morning at first light, no doubt saving many lives. Bob Steffes is 16 years old and is excited about playing for his town's summer baseball team. When winter conditions are at their worst, duck and deer hunters know the action can be red-hot. Indeed, that the weather could be predicted with any degree of accuracy then—November 1940, to be precise—seems almost miraculous, meteorology in those days being one part science and two parts the divination of omens, signs and portents. The balmy temperatures dropped like a head-shot mallard, plunging to just 10 degrees in a matter of hours. I believe it was the late 1970's or early 1980's. Hunting . Only 2 feet of snow fell, but drifts were as high as 20'. In the end, 49 people died in the Armistice Day blizzard in Minnesota, many of them duck hunters trapped in remote bottom land along the Mississippi when the blizzard hit. At the same time, a huge Canadian cold air mass was sliding down from the north, while warm moist air pulled up from the south. But some say that perhaps as many as 80 men died in their blinds or boats. Conrad would circle low over the hunters, cut the plane’s engine and yell out the window, “Hang on, help is coming!” He’d then toss down a waterproof container filled with sandwiches, matches, whiskey and cigarettes. 58 sailors died that day, most off Pentwater in Lake Michigan where 3 freighters went down. About mid-morning it started to rain, then the precipitation abruptly turned to sleet, then snow. Fishing. Bar Room Banter: Armistice Day, The Day 85 Duck Hunters Died | MeatEater Hunting For several hours, the waterfowl hunting was nothing short of fantastic, the best the boys had ever experienced. 5 of the Best Bullets for Handgun Hunters. Nor did their memories, like photos left too long in a show window, pale with the passage of time. But on this particular day, it became duck hunters’ hell. 49 duck hunters died that day. What started as a reportedly 55 degree day with a west wind quickly developed into one of the worst blizzards the region had ever seen. Winds were recorded at 80mph in Grand Rapids that day. Wildfowlers were ecstatic, and what made this good news even better was that Monday, November 11, was Armistice Day—the predecessor to Veterans Day, and, for many people, a holiday. Ducks and geese dove into the decoys with abandon, seeking shelter from the ever-increasing winds. The losses to wildlife, especially pheasants, were spectacular. E-mail your comments/questions about this site to:NRAFamilyInsights@nrahq.orgYou can contact the NRA via phone at: NRA Member Programs1-800-672-3888, To advertise on NRA Family, visit nramediakit.com for more information, Privacy Policy • Contact Us • Warnings • FAQs • © 2021 National Rifle Association of America, Barometric pressure in LaCrosse, Wisconsin, dropped to an all-time low, as it did in Duluth, Minnesota, Duck hunters were not the only people to perish in the Armistice Day Storm of 1940. Spray from waves hitting the lighthouse went 100' in the air. (There are a number of humorous, Keillor-esque tales as well, such as the one entitled “Three Hours Digging Path to Outhouse.”) Not a few of these stories were told by duck hunters. In other words, the duck hunting had been disappointing. It was a time when much of the country was still feeling the effects from the Great Depression. According to John It was shirt sleeve weather. Listen to articles that celebrate the heritage, the romance and the art of hunting and fishing. At about 2 a.m. the friend uttered one last moan and died in Gerald’s arms. The area along the Upper Mississippi River between Minnesota and Wisconsin was the hardest hit. Blizzard November 11 was a Monday, but not a typical start to the work week. Some from severe hypothermia, some from drowning. And the Great Armistice Day Storm found a place of infamy … And even when you were able to draw a deep breath, the cold seared your lungs like a red-hot blade. The Day the Duck Hunters Died Armistice Day Blizzard by Michael Sieve Nothing escaped the "winds of hell" and the deadly, suffocating snows that swept across the Upper Midwest on that fateful day in 1940. Livestock perished by the hundreds of thousands. David Vowell was discovered in … The cataclysmic weather phenomena which struck the Upper Midwest on Nov. 11th, 1940, has since been labeled in many ways. RE: The Day The Duck Hunters Died. thirty duck hunters died that day on the Mississippi River bottoms be-tween Red Wing, Minnesota, and La Crosse, Wisconsin. By BILL KLEIN, Special to the Star Tribune update: November 7, 2009 - 9:10 PM Rollie Chapple figures that his dad's bad back and an untrustworthy outboard motor saved his life that day. It was November 11 and 12, 1940 and an unusually warm day as duck hunters all over the Midwest set off for a day in the woods. Your email address will not be published. Clothes were carefully laid out; sandwiches were made, wrapped in wax paper and refrigerated; thermos bottles were placed next to coffee percolators. In the end, 49 people died in the Armistice Day blizzard in Minnesota, many of them duck hunters trapped in remote bottom land along the Mississippi when the blizzard hit. Gone hunting that morning was 17-year-old Gerald Tarras and a teenage friend. Accidents of this type often make me think of the “Day the Duck Hunter Died”. 50 degrees. The Day The Duck Hunters Died I have been searching online but I could not find much information about this day Monday November 11, 1940, when many sailors and hunters died. He was 24 that year, that year when the ducks came and men died, and like most hunters trapped in the deadly Armistice Day storm, he left home wearing only a canvas coat. http://sportingclass...k-hunters-died/ The dog was given an extra bit of food, because in a few hours he was going to be one busy retriever and would need all the energy and stamina he could muster. And they died trying to help each other.” More than 85 duck hunters died in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois during the Armistice Day storm. Even though the ducks kept piling into the decoys, the hunters were no longer concerned with shooting. The Armistice Day Blizzard (or the Armistice Day Storm) took place in the Midwest region of the United States on November 11 (Armistice Day) and November 12, 1940.The intense early-season "panhandle hook" winter storm cut a 1,000-mile-wide (1600 km) swath through the … Duck hunters were not the only people to perish in the Armistice Day Storm of 1940. Conrad did this until 10 p.m. that night, then got up the next morning and did it … o one really knows how many people lost their lives as a direct result of the Armistice Day Storm. More than 16 inches of snow fell in the Twin Cities, while more than 26 inches were recorded a few miles up the Mississippi River near St. There was a time when outboard motors, far from the sleek and powerful marvels of today, were crude, cumbersome beasts, unreliable under the best circumstances and all but useless under the worst. Caught off-guard by the weather, under dressed with no place to seek shelter, many perished. In his 1982 book titled, Where The Sky Began: Land of the Tallgrass Prairie, the late John Madson wrote of the hunters and blizzard, “Caught by the storm with little warning, they drowned as they tried to reach land, or stayed in their duck blinds as waves tore them apart, or simply died of exposure that night on the river islands, out of reach of help.” Madson said that 85 duck hunters perished in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois alone. Many of the state's duck hunters weren't that lucky. The river there is a two-mile-wide wilderness of islands, oxbows and sloughs, in essence waterfowling heaven. Latest. Armistice Day 1940 was a perfect opportunity for many individuals to enjoy the mild respite before winter. She promised ducks in the wind. Fortunately, these “bad weather” days usually come and go, yet some live on in infamy. On that date in 1940, on what was then known as Armistice Day (a holiday that marked the signing of an armistice treaty that ended WWI and now known in the US as Veteran's Day) a great storm claimed the lives of many people in the midwest. Up to 26 inches of snow fell; driven sideways by the incessant winds off the prairies, it piled up in huge drifts. The men beat on one another to try to keep warm, but it was a losing battle. Bob Steffes is 16 years old and is excited about playing for his town's summer baseball team. While the other hunters, who themselves were fighting to survive, watched helplessly, the man slumped back into his skiff, leaned heavily against the gunwale, and went motionless. Armistice Day morning in 1940 was warm in La Crosse — 48 degrees at 6 a.m., the cold, hard rain of the preceding few days gone. The river there is a sprawling, two-mile-wide wilderness of islands, oxbows, and backwater sloughs, and Winona was the epicenter of the disaster: At least 20 duck hunters died within 50 miles of the city. In Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois it's estimated 85 duck hunters were killed — some frozen, others drowned — all caught by surprise. The outlook was for clouds, snow flurries, and colder temperatures. . The next day, more than 50 duck hunters were found dead by rescuers, their frozen bodies recovered from marshes, lakes, potholes, ponds and rivers from Ontario to Illinois and from Iowa to Michigan. A boat with three Minnesota hunters and a dog sunk in Bitter Lake early Saturday morning, said Day … Depending on snowfall and wind, the storm may leave drifts three times as tall as a man and is usually followed by calm, silver-blue days of burning cold.”. Ice Men: The Deer and Duck Hunters Who Live for Deadly Weather. It was filed from Winona, Minnesota, a Mississippi River town about 90 miles downstream from the Twin Cities. This is what thousands of duck hunters, with their wooden skiffs and their cranky outboards and their canvas caps, found themselves caught in. He tells you how to approach each type of hunting for the weather and conditions. Of Minnesota's 49 deaths, 30 were hunters. Good reminder schit can go bad quickly if no planning and not prepared in the outdoors One of these men was alone in his skiff, trapped by waves and ice. Now in its 18th printing, it’s replete with tales not only of close calls and narrow escapes, but of countless acts of charity, generosity, selflessness, and heroism. On the eastern edge of the storm, members of the exclusive Point Mouillee Shooting Club were duck hunting in the Lake Erie marshes of southeast Michigan. When the storm exited the region over a foot of snow had fallen, and more than 150 people and thousands of livestock were dead. If you’d like to read more about the Armistice Day Storm of 1940, pick up a copy of William H. Hull’s book, Women On Target® Instructional Shooting Clinics, Volunteer At The Great American Outdoor Show, Marion P. Hammer Women Of Distinction Award, Women's Wildlife Management / Conservation Scholarship, National Youth Shooting Sports Ambassadors, NRA Outstanding Achievement Youth Award Presented by Brownells, National Youth Shooting Sports Cooperative Program, Fun Friday: Our Greatest Outdoor "D'oh!" In Minnesota alone, half of those who died were waterfowl hunters. So many turkeys died in parts of Minnesota and Iowa that after the storm farmers were selling whole “fresh frozen” birds for 25 cents apiece. Each year, on the day before Veterans Day, I’m reminded of a great loss . “By that time men along the Mississippi were drowning and freezing. It is easy to forget the days like the one the duck hunters died. In LaCrosse, downstream on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi, the barometric pressure sank to an all-time low. MacQuarrie told of Gerald Tarras, a strapping 17-year-old who’d gone hunting in the Mississippi bottoms that fateful day with his father, brother, a family friend, and their black Lab. Dozens of hunters would later acknowledge that they owed their lives to him. Other concerns were pushed aside; nothing mattered now but getting ready for tomorrow’s hunt. His story, under the headline “Icy Death Rides Gale on Duck Hunt Trail,” appeared on the front page of the Journal on Wednesday, November 13. No one knows exactly how many hunters died along the Mississippi river that day. It was November 11 and 12, 1940 and an unusually warm day as duck hunters all over the Midwest set off for a day in the woods. Livestock also died by the tens of thousands.