No one knows exactly how many hunters died along the Mississippi river that day. He was 56 years old—my age as I write this, which is probably why I feel the urgent need to talk about MacQuarrie’s last hunt, his last week, his last day. She promised ducks in the wind. 1,262 Posts #6 • Nov 26, 2019. Such is the case with the Nov. 11, 1940, Armistice Day storm, often referred to as “The Day the Duck Hunters Died.” Records indicate that 50 to 85 Midwestern hunters were among the 150 to 160 who lost their lives in that “perfect storm.” After the dead were buried, the damage was cleared, and the bereaved had ceased to mourn, life resumed more-or-less as usual. “There is the shooting, of course. A hundred tales of heroism will be told, long after the funerals are over.”. Winds were recorded at 80mph in Grand Rapids that day. 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. 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. 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. All told, 145 people died in the storm. And even when you were able to draw a deep breath, the cold seared your lungs like a red-hot blade. 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. >> Discussion Starter • #1 • Nov 3, 2017. this story really happened , I remember reading it when I was just 9 or 10 years old and it has always stayed in the back of my mind thinking of this horrific storm , and what the people went through … “The winds of hell were loose on the Mississippi Armistice day and night,” wrote MacQuarrie. The Day the Duck Hunters Died November 11 th 1944 has been referred to as the “Armistice Day Blizzard” or more darkly as “The day the duck hunters died”. He knows when and when not to call. Stuff of nightmares. Caught off-guard by the weather, under dressed with no place to seek shelter, many perished. The lucky ones bumped into something recognizable and groped their way to safety. Fortunately, these “bad weather” days usually come and go, yet some live on in infamy. Officially, it was named the Armistice Day Storm (Blizzard). Although as holidays go it was a fairly somber one. Casualties. More than 85 duck hunters died in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois during the Armistice Day storm. “They came across the prairie, from the south and west, a mighty freezing force. It had been a mighty quiet duck season so far but Monday, November 11, 1940 looked like it might stir up something. The Mississippi River was not the only place where duckboats became sepulchres, of course. The Day the Duck Hunters Died: a look back at waterfowling's darkest hour posted by JIM NIGRO in outdoors, duck hunting, the Armistice Day blizzard. 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. 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. Our equipment and clothing are much better suited to prevent … Hunting is the practice of seeking, pursuing and capturing or killing wildlife or feral animals. The blizzard killed at least 160 people, many of them duck hunters who froze to death. One of these men was alone in his skiff, trapped by waves and ice. 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. Officially, it was named the Armistice Day Storm (Blizzard). Livestock perished by the hundreds of thousands. 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. 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. Nov 12, 2020 #1 Good to keep this in mind for hunting, boating or fishing this time of year. In LaCrosse, downstream on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi, the barometric pressure sank to an all-time low. There was a time when there were no cell phones, no emergency beacons, no Flight for Life helicopters. Hundreds of duck hunters, trapped by the storm, found themselves in a life-and-death struggle. At just 17 years old, Rollie was already an 11-year veteran of … In rural America the contents of a hunter's game bag greatly helped add to the family larder. Dozens of hunters would later acknowledge that they owed their lives to him. x��}[����;E��� �P@=ڒ����^7�a�s�Ë�=Cq���T�����]iC�q���Q�$yG��1�Ä������?��z����/�q��i9�܏S+��\�|\�CN���N{+ _��ឺM���tx�������5�\�_���J���}=&�✗�8�Ûv��g�c>.�.�=͇_?��G�����'��_��b|Q�iY����Ϸ��}��4ÉV����{zߥC�˱��!�tLs?�=��חO���{*/?=�n����|�{:��_o���o_�rx�2ͼ���w��o_���ijkFx����@�/?�g���7帮�,��E�|֯K�/��37�{p����x�C|5�9���ǘ���W?hz��0���� [�^ ��f�à���xw1�?�����ao=� ��_.�㋷��8]�;���b^� ���#��=�$��0�1�? Crazy stuff. In Minnesota alone, half of those who died were waterfowl hunters. Seven duck hunters, trapped on a mudbank in the bay, blinked frantic distress signals with flashlights not knowing the water had blown out. hunting stories; Recently Added. 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. Help is coming!” A few minutes later, he’d return and, like manna sent down from heaven, drop a canister filled with sandwiches, whiskey, dry matches, and cigarettes. But no one who was there would ever forget it. Their deaths were lumped together with all the others, like the people who died stranded in their cars on the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul, and the sailors who drowned in Lake Michigan. 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. o one really knows how many people lost their lives as a direct result of the Armistice Day Storm. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The fall of 1940 had been a mild one in the Upper Midwest, an extended Indian summer of warm temperatures and little rainfall. Always be prepared, especially in your vehicle. 77 years ago today; The Day The Duck Hunters Died. And as the doldrums continued into the second week of November, hunters were becoming impatient. Buy Now. The Upper Midwest is known for its sudden and severe weather changes, especially during spring and fall. Your email address will not be published. Every town and village close to a main road became a refuge as stranded travelers sought shelter from the storm. 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. Then, shortly after noon, a small plane flew over. And the weather for the remainder of the winter of 1940-’41 was largely unremarkable. Yet, he still sits in the shadow of his older high school teammate, Ed, who is the star pitcher of a neighboring town team. 77 years ago today; The Day The Duck Hunters Died REGISTERING FOR MEMBERSHIP ON UPLAND JOURNAL 2021. Also, Andy tells some of his more bizarre stories from inside the spread. %���� His spirit, like the ducks that drew him out on that terrible day, had flown. Remembering the Armistice Day Storm With the 100th anniversary of the World War I armistice, our shotguns editor looks back at “the day the duck hunters died… Listen to articles that celebrate the heritage, the romance and the art of hunting and fishing. It was as if he was imploring God—or perhaps commending his soul to Him. I believe it was the late 1970's or early 1980's. Duck hunters' dream day turns into weather nightmare during Armistice Day blizzard Written By: Tracy Briggs / Forum News Service | Nov 12th 2019 - 7am. Decoys, shell boxes, shotguns, and calls were checked and rechecked. 78 Posts . *censored*ing an eye to the North, they watched and waited. 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. The guys discuss the primitive decoys and talk about one of the most tragic days in waterfowl history, Armistice Day, The Day The Duck Hunter Died. To sportsmen, it’s simply the day the duck hunters died. Communications and power were disrupted across thousands of square miles, and transportation was brought to an absolute standstill. Every sportsman who was there has his own wrinkle to add to the story. 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. Some from severe hypothermia, some from drowning. Of Minnesota's 49 deaths, 30 were hunters. They came all right, but by that time the duck hunters were playing a bigger game with the wind, and their lives were the stake. But there is another anniversary associated with Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) that comes to mind for this old duck hunter. 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. Unfortunately I have hunted on the day after two duck hunters died. Unofficially, it became known as “The day the duck hunters died.” Across half a dozen states 159 people perished, possibly more. The ducks came and men died. 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. It is easy to forget that there was a time—not so very long ago, really—when there was no Gore-Tex, no Thinsulate, no neoprene and no polypropylene for duck hunters. Sporting Classics Daily/Sporting Classics TV. Powered by LMNT. Caught off-guard by the weather, under dressed with no place to seek shelter, many perished. “The barometric pressure at La Crosse, Wisconsin, dropped to 28.73 inches. Max Conrad, a pilot who dozens of hunters said they owed their lives to, risked his own on Tuesday, November 12, to fly his Piper Cub over the Mississippi. The unlucky ones didn’t. She learned a few days later that the father of one of her classmates wasn’t so lucky — he was one of the duck hunters who died in the blizzard. So, belly up, mix yourself a glass of LMNT Recharge, and take notes as we look at the deadliest day for duck hunters in human history. Dec 7, 2020 - There’s a difference between book smart and bar smart. No one really knows how many people lost their lives as a direct result of the Armistice Day Storm. In Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois it's estimated 85 duck hunters were killed — some frozen, others drowned — all caught by surprise. 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. Thread starter Stone; Start date Nov 12, 2020; Stone Hobbyist. Those of us who hunt Arkansas will probably never experience the conditions they did in the upper Midwest on what is now called Veteran's day - this year being the 75th anniversary of multiple tragedies suffered by more than duck hunters that day. (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. Thirty-eight duck hunters died in a sudden blizzard on Armistice Day in 1940. Duck hunters' dream day turns into weather nightmare during Armistice Day blizzard Written By: Tracy Briggs / Forum News Service | 7:00 am, Nov. 12, 2019 ×. Bob Steffes is 16 years old and is excited about playing for his town's summer baseball team. Share Followers 0. Nothing escaped the storm’s furious, relentless, indiscriminate wrath. He tells you how to approach each type of hunting for the weather and conditions. On November 10, 1956, at 10:53 in the evening, Gordon MacQuarrie, the original Old Duck Hunter, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his A 38-year-old duck hunter from Minnesota died during the weekend in Day County. Each year, on the day before Veterans Day, I’m reminded of a great loss . A co-worker and I went out to the blind before daylight. There’s a difference between book smart and bar smart. The air was so laden with moisture that it seemed as thick as syrup. 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While the specifics may differ slightly—some recalled seemingly endless flocks of divers like redheads, bluebills, and canvasbacks, while others remember wave upon wave of mallards—they all agree that they had never seen the sky so full of ducks. They died standing in river water to their hips, awaiting help; they died trying to help each other. 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. it was some years ago and entitled something like "the day the duck hunters died." Countless people opened their homes to complete strangers, providing whatever they could offer in the way of board and room. "The day the ducks flew and the men died" Armistice Day, Monday November 11, 1940, will be remembered as one of the worst storms to ever occur in the Midwestern States in recorded history. By Dave Quindt, November 10, 2017 in General Discussions. )�Y�{��o�հM��ߢa��l�.�.^���M_b����'��߼`Z�˷���?1�k��>�o ����Ni\�@P�{�������gc���W��=�����?�W�8�5ƻ���. The Day the Duck Hunters Died by W.H. 9,228 289. Too often we leave others to define hunters and our role in conservation, but it’s time hunters take control of the narrative. By Larry L Reid "Armistice Day Blizzard" by Michael Sieve. … Gerald’s brother held out until 11 in the morning, but after 23 hours of exposure, he, too, succumbed. On Lake Michigan three freighters and two smaller boats sank, 66 sailors died. 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. “The wind did it, the furious wind that pierced any clothing, that locked outboard engines in sheaths of ice, that froze on faces and hands and clothing, so that survivors crackled when they got to safety and said their prayers. The temperature dropped 30 degrees—from above freezing to single digits—in two hours and continued to plummet from there. 49 duck hunters died that day. He then selected 167 of these accounts and assembled them into a book called, fittingly, All Hell Broke Loose. But for some there was no shelter, no refuge. The fall of 1940 was a mild one in the Midwest. . There was a time, too, when there were no weather satellites, no telemetry to provide data that could be plugged into sophisticated formulas and fed into supercomputers for timely forecasts. On November 10, 1956, at 10:53 in the evening, Gordon MacQuarrie, the original Old Duck Hunter, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Another name, for this classic tale that always stuck with me. I can’t imagine the weather deteriorating so rapidly that I can’t make it back to my vehicle. blizzard of November 11, 1940 as the Armistice Day Storm. Indeed, it’s entirely likely that if MacQuarrie, then the outdoors editor for the Milwaukee Journal, hadn’t been on the scene, the event would be little more than a footnote in duck hunting history. “By that time men along the Mississippi were drowning and freezing. . The kicker, notes the 83-year-old Looker, is that the birds—mallards and divers both—were flying beneath the wires. A storm without equal, it is remembered as the day the winds descended, the heavens rained ducks, and 40 duck hunters died. The trio from Houston who vanished during a duck hunting trip have been found dead in Carancahua Bay. Hobbyist. 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 men beat on one another to try to keep warm, but it was a losing battle. Of course, some things do not change with the passage of time, and one of those constants is the love of duck hunters for the kind of wet, raw, blustery, thoroughly miserable days that keep normal people indoors with the fireplace crackling and the teakettle whistling on the stove. Hundreds of duck hunters In the weeks to follow, it was learned that 85 hunters across the Midwest died after getting stuck in the storm For mid-western waterfowl hunters, the fall of 1940 was warm and uneventful. “It was, for all practical purposes, a hurricane,” wrote Chris Madson in “The Day the Duck Hunters Died,” in the February 1984 issue of Outdoor Life. On November 10, 1956, at 10:53 in the evening, Gordon MacQuarrie, the original Old Duck Hunter, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his By Dave Quindt, November 10, 2017 in General Discussions. Although Time put the death toll at 159, the actual figure was probably closer to 200 – and about half them were duck hunters. 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. Most of the world knows the Midwestern blizzard of November 11, 1940, as the Armistice Day Storm. The ferocity of the storm was almost beyond human reckoning. But no one, not even veteran outdoorsmen, had ever experienced what happened on November 11, 1940. 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. 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. “There is no explaining the lure of such a day to someone who hasn’t experienced it,” wrote Madson. Cloud. The phone lines hummed as hunting partner called hunting partner, their voices crackling with excitement. Rollie Chapple and his father were two of the lucky ones. The savviest hunters registered blinds in the name of their family’s youngest child. 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 … Each of these places requires a separate technique, alternate decoys spreads and calling concepts, and different gear to use. Spray from waves hitting the lighthouse went 100' in the air. You may not be book smart, but this series can make you seem educated and interesting from a barstool. While a lesser writer might have filed a competent and informative report, MacQuarrie penned a masterpiece. To sportsmen, it’s simply the day the duck hunters died. A story based on facts from the historical Armistice Day blizzard of 1940 that took the lives of dozens of duck hunters in the upper Mississippi River valley. The losses to wildlife, especially pheasants, were spectacular. But no one, not even veteran outdoorsmen, had ever experienced what happened on November 11, 1940. Hunting is most commonly done by humans to harvest useful animal products (meat, fur/hide, bone/tusks, horn/antler, etc), for recreation/taxidermy (see trophy hunting), to remove predators dangerous to humans or domestic animals (e.g. The wind was blowing hard, ice … The outlook was for clouds, snow flurries, and colder temperatures. . Bar Room Banter: Armistice Day, The Day 85 Duck Hunters Died. . Rescuers in the government tugboat Throckmorton arrived at 2:30—half an hour too late to save Gerald’s father. Ditto for boats, motors, gas tanks, and oars. Grandfathered, that is, until the person to whom it was registered died. Each year, on the day before Veterans Day, I’m reminded of a great loss . %PDF-1.3 The Upper Midwest is known for its sudden and severe weather changes, especially during spring and fall. On Jan. 7, two duck hunters died, and another barely survived, when their 12-foot skiff capsized in choppy waters on the Westport River. Finally, on Sunday, November 10, came a forecast that held promise. November 11 is nearing. On November 11, 1940, one of the deadliest blizzards this region has ever seen struck. And just as absence makes the heart grow fonder, the longer the duck hunter is made to wait for such a day, the hotter burns his pent-up desire to escape the sloughs and bays and marshes, and there—decoys artfully set, blind brushed and grassed, dog expectant and quivering, call poised to be pressed to lips—scan the lowering skies for birds that ride the wind. November 11 was a Monday, but not a typical start to the work week. Watched it coming for about a half hour. “There is no explaining the lure of such a day to someone who hasn’t experience­d it,” wrote Madson. Windchills were virtually off the charts. Hunting vs. Bushcraft Friend. On Tuesday the 12th, with the wind still howling but the skies clear, he took off from his hangar in Winona to help find the hunters who hadn’t come home. 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.”. Nov 6, 2012 #1. smashdn 12 pointer. They died underneath upturned skiffs as the blast sought them out on boggy, unprotected islands; they died trying to light fires and jumping and sparring trying to keep warm; they died sitting in skiffs. . I was hunting this morning when the front hit around 8:30. During this episode, Jeff Stanfield and Andy Shaver, talk about the rich history of waterfowl hunting and the ultimate waterfowl museum in Memphis, Tennessee. Many of the state's duck hunters weren't that lucky. Two dead duck hunters from Minnesota. “There is the shooting, of course. That, in a nutshell, describes the blizzard that screamed across the Upper Midwest on Monday, November 11, 1940, devastating everything it touched along the way. What are some ways we can contribute to making the change? She lured them out to the marshes with fine, whooping wind, and when she got them there she froze them like muskrats in traps. But even that was no guarantee, as there was still the problem of finding dry fuel to burn. Rollie Chapple and his father were two of the lucky ones. The author wishes to thank Howard Mead of Madison, Wisconsin, for his assistance in providing background research. For mid-western waterfowl hunters, the fall of 1940 was warm and uneventful. The grinding effect of the Great Depression still lingered in the U.S., and in Europe. Duck hunters who were out at the time were amazed at the amount of ducks that were in the area and on the move through the skies, one survivor recounting there were thousands. He was 56 years old—my age as I write this, which is probably why I feel the urgent need to talk about MacQuarrie’s last hunt, his last week, his last day. /Length 12059 ... 13 people died in Illinois, 13 in Wisconsin, and 4 in Michigan. it was some years ago and entitled something like "the day the duck hunters died." There are accounts of farmers who, after checking their livestock, could not find their way from the barn to the farmhouse. “Since its primary component is wind,” Madson wrote, “the classic blizzard is essentially a phenomenon of the open lands—particularly the plains and prairies, where the topography offers little resistance to moving air and the great storms can run almost impeded. Duck hunters' dream day turns into weather nightmare during Armistice Day blizzard By sundown on Nov. 11, the hunters knew they were in serious trouble. Although Time put the death toll at 159, the actual figure was probably closer to 200—and about half of them were duck hunters. It is easy to forget the days like the one the duck 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. i know this is tough, just hoping somebody remembers. When he located survivors—they were frequently huddled in the lee of a skiff they’d propped up as a windbreak—Conrad would circle low, cut the engine for a moment, and holler “Hang on! Nothing brings this into starker relief than the fact that, a little more than a year later, what appeared on radar to be a swarm of aircraft approaching the Hawaiian Islands was dismissed as some sort of malfunction by military officers who refused to trust this newfangled and unproven technology. It was still raining Monday morning but the wind had shifted from the southwest to the northwest. Supporter. They found the boy crouched against a stump, holding his dog for warmth, fighting to remain conscious. On November 10, 1956, at 10:53 in the evening, Gordon MacQuarrie, the original Old Duck Hunter, died unexpectedly of a heart attack at his home in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. To sportsmen, it’s simply the day the duck hunters died. And the Great Armistice Day Storm found a place of infamy … He kept flying until 10 p.m. that night, and he was out again at dawn the following day. Cyril Looker of Fremont, Wisconsin,—in the heart of the wildlife-rich Wolf River bottoms—recalls standing on the shore near a power line cut and burning up two boxes of shells as the ducks poured into Partridge Lake. This is their story. I read an article about it every year. Motorists stuck in snowdrifts on remote stretches of road were buried alive in their cars, their frozen bodies not exhumed for days. stream Joined Nov 4, 2013 Messages 7,350 Likes 37,461 Location Ely, MN. /Filter /FlateDecode it had to do with a freak storm that traveled across the midwest and up the eastern seaboard killing many duck hunters along the way. The winds blasted at a constant 40-50 mph with gusts in excess of 80. That’s just nuts ! Nov 24, 2003 Palmyra, Kentucky. The difference between winter storms there and the classic prairie blizzard lies in the intensity of unbridled wind that plunges the chill factor to deadly lows, drives a blinding smother of snow during the actual storm, and continues as ground blizzards and white-outs long after snow has stopped falling. . But some say that perhaps as many as 80 men died in their blinds or boats. It had rained all day Saturday. On Lake Michigan, the freighter William B. Davock was sheared in two by monstrous waves. << Armistice Day Storm, The day the duck hunters died. More than 85 duck hunters died in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Illinois during the Armistice Day storm. 5 0 obj FARGO — Widely considered to be one of the worst blizzards in the recorded history of the Midwest, the Armistice Day blizzard, which happened 79 years ago this week, cost 154 people their lives and forever changed how weather would be forecast here. Were waterfowl hunters, the freighter William B. Davock was sheared in by. 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