The winters in the Midwest can be harsh at times, but compared to the far north are less severe, usually. Occasionally a cold spell will hit and may last for weeks. We have all seen it happen. One day it is fairly warm, a front move in, and the temperature drops quickly. With in a few hours there will be snow and temperatures will drop to the below zero range. Nonetheless, most people do not stop their day-to-day activities; we just slow down a little. Some folks, however, never hesitate when the weather turns sour. This is especially true of skiers, hunters, or ice fishermen.

When severe weather strikes, one of our primary concerns should be frostbite. While usually easy to prevent, it can hamper or permanently injure a victim. Most of us have experience the beginning of frostbite, the red skin, aching pain, and perhaps some numbness. If we have suffered the onset of frostbite (called frost nip), we will vividly remember the pain associated with the warming up. The deep aching pain we felt as the affected limb was exposed to warmth. Does this bring back uncomfortable memories? What exactly is frostbite? How do we prevent it? How do we treat it?

Frostbite is the freezing of body tissue during a long exposure to the cold. Frostbite may accompany hypothermia, so exercise extreme caution if you suspect the onset of either injury. What are the symptoms of Frostbite?

* White or wax appearance to the damage skin tissue.

* In the beginning stages the skin may still be pliable.

* In advanced stages the damaged tissue may appear hard, solid to the touch, and even have ice crystals under the skin.

* Joints may appear to stiffen.

* Numbness or loss of sensation to the injured area.

Usually, but not always, frostbite affects a limb, i.e., a finger, toe, nose or ears. I have seen cases on the legs (thigh and calf) from skiing trips. Stay alert for these symptoms on any area of your body.

While frostbite can be a crippling injury, it can be prevented with proper dress and common sense. First, let us discuss how to dress for the severe cold. When I lived in Alaska, the first thing I learned was to dress in layers. I would don long underwear, wool pants, and then finally, nylon trousers. This protected me in layers, allowing air to be trapped, which acted as insulation. I then put on nylon socks, wool socks, and then my boots (Thinsulate or Gore-Tex, both are Trademarks). My coat was a three layered coat, consisting of a fleece under garment, then cotton garment over that, and finally a nylon outer shell. But, I didn't stop there. I wore glove liners and then a heavy pair of mittens (once again, Thinsulate or Gore-Tex). My headgear consisted of a "mad bomber" hat with earflaps. If the weather was very severe, I would wrap the lower half of my face, including my nose, in a scarf. All exposed parts of the skin should be protected. This layering was how the old timers survived and it works most of the time.

When layering does not work, or you are improperly dressed due to an emergency, how do you recognize the onset of frostbite? How do you know you are being injured and what steps do you take? Earlier in this article, I mentioned common sense. Of all the tools you have with you during an emergency, common sense is one of the most important.

If you suspect a symptom we have discussed, stop. First aid must be given quickly to avoid additional injury to the damaged tissue. Prolonged exposure will only compound the damage and may lead to amputation of the damaged limb.

* Seek medical treatment immediately if possible. If not, then the following steps may be used in emergencies.

* Seek shelter immediately. Get out of the wind and into either a natural or manmade shelter. Get warm.

* Do not rub snow on frostbite. This act, though portrayed frequently in movies, only causes additional damage to the already frozen tissue. The rubbing may increase tissue damage, while the snow may lower the tissue temperature.

* Carefully remove the boots or gloves. Do not force frozen clothing off of the affected area. If needed, the frozen area (hands or feet) may have to be soaked in warm water to loosen the clothing.

* Place the injured part in Luke warm water, use your elbow to test it. The water should feel "comfortable" and not hot. It should be around 42 degrees C, or 100 degrees F. Warm the tissue until flushed with a red color from returning blood.

* Do not rub the frozen tissues. This will cause additional damage.

* If a fire is not available, you can place the frozen part at the crotch of your arms/leg using body heat. Keep in mind, this will lower the body temperature of the person giving first aid, and is only the last resort.

* The process of treating frostbite is very painful. Doctors treating frostbite often use narcotics to lessen the pain during treatment. In the field you will not have that luxury.

* Ensure the frozen tissue does not become frozen. If there is a possibility of the area becoming refrozen, do not thaw it. Once frozen, then thawed, the tissue will refreeze much quicker and cause additional tissue damage.

* Protect the damage skin by applying a loose dry dressing and do not break any blisters. Avoid bumping or additional injury to the injury.

* As soon as possible, seek medical attention.

Frostbite. It is a crippling injury that could lead to the loss of a finger, toe, or even a limb. It can happen to skiers, hunters, fishermen, children, or those who have car problems on lonely roads. It is not something to be taken lightly. But, by knowing the prevention, symptoms, and emergency treatment, it can be battled. By combining knowledge with common sense, you too, can have an enjoyable winter. Be safe. Gary Benton

WASHINGTON, DC - The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership welcomed good news from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army Corps of Engineers today regarding some of the most important wildlife habitat in North America. The EPA and the Corps announced they will not issue a new rule ceding federal Clean Water Act jurisdiction over isolated wetlands. The Bush Administration had been weighing whether it needed to issue such a rule on federal regulatory jurisdiction over isolated wetlands in light of the Supreme Court's so-called SWANCC ruling in 2001.

Ever since that ruling, the conservation community has urged continued federal protection of a habitat that migratory birds in particular rely so heavily on. The TRCP and its partner organizations have sought to bring that message directly to federal decision-makers in a concerted and constructive form. Recently the Bush Administration has reached out to the conservation community and offered to listen.

On Monday, November 24, the TRCP helped coordinate a meeting between leaders of several hunting, angling and conservation groups and Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and her top staff. The isolated wetlands issue was a focus of that meeting and was soon followed up on in a White House meeting with President Bush just this past Friday, December 12th. At that meeting, the President clearly acknowledged the importance of protecting wetlands. His willingness to listen that day and consider the recommendations of the conservation community has led to a good decision for fish and wildlife. The EPA and Department of Interior, by engaging with the TRCP and other conservation groups, has ensured that the voices of millions of hunters and anglers who want to see wetlands protection continued, were heard.

The TRCP's Chairman Jim Range was an architect of the wetlands protections in the Clean Water Act when he was counsel to the Senate's Committee on the Environment and Public Works in the 1970's. Range applauded today's decision saying "it is hard overestimate how vital wetlands are to the overall health of American wildlife. By clearly stating today that there will continue to be no net loss of wetlands, the President has given Americans who care about fish and wildlife a big reason to smile."

President Bush's father, former President George H. W. Bush put forth the pledge of ensuring that there is "no net loss" of wetlands in the United States. It's a pledge that fish and wildlife advocates have held fast to as being vitally necessary. We thank the President for standing by this pledge.

For information on The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership or the wetlands issue, visit TRCP's website at WWW.TRCP.ORG .

   ......it was time to go for a slick head.

Arriving back in the woods that afternoon I had my friend Flynn's idea stuck in my head so I decided to give it a try. (If you missed last month's issue, the idea was to get among some big round bales of hay and set up on the deer when they arrived in the field to feed during the evening.) You know try something new, something out of the normal realm of things. To think outside the box as they say. Close to the gap between two of my fields, where I had seen deer the evening before, was a group of five hay bales. Since they had been from the first cutting earlier in the summer the grass had grown up quite tall between them. I checked it out and decided this would be perfect. I was going over to my climber for a few hours and then be back hided in the hay by six o'clock.

Sitting in the stand I kept one eye on the trail and the other one on my watch. At around a quarter past five, I started down the tree. I knew it would take me awhile to pack up the stand and hike back over to my new ambush spot and I wanted to be there on time.

I was set up in my new spot with time to spare. Knowing that judging distance would be hard in the open field I stepped out in the field and with my new laser range finder marked two spots at twenty yards out in the field with a couple of old arrows I brought along just for marking stuff, blood trails, distance, etc.. Behind me was the fencerow and the gap where I thought the deer would come from, so I also measured the distance to it. Everything was in place. I now needed something brown and furry to shoot at.

What a set up! I could stand leaning up against a hay bale with only my head sticking up over it. The tall grass in front of me hide me well. The only drawback was the darn mosquitoes buzzing around me trying to find a hole in my repellent, (No Stinkin' Bugs).

To occupy my time, I decided to play around with the range finder and range some hay bales down at the end of the field. While fiddling around with that, by the way they were one hundred thirty four yards away, something caught my attention. A doe stepped out of the woods on the left side of the field about forty yards for the bales I had been "ranging". Seeing she was a long way off I didn't get to excited until another one joined her. They grazed around on the clover lifting their heads to take a look around every so often.

Suddenly another doe came out of the woods on the right side of the field to join in the evening meal. They all grazed around a bit. Looking up now and then to look for danger. Suddenly some shoots rang out from one of the neighbors. He is real gun "nut" who loves to target shoot. I thought that the deer would spook and the evening would be ruined. But they were used to hearing him shoot and only lifted their heads to look around before going back to their business. After a few minutes the shooting stopped. I guess he ran out of ammo or his wife told him to knock it off.

Anyway, one of the deer turned her head my direction and seeing something not quite right, started my direction. Slowly walking toward me, she would drop her head now and then to nibble on the clover before continuing toward me. She came within sixty yards of my position and stopped. Looking me over she decided I wasn't of any more interest and started back the other way. I tried to arouse her curiosity and started whistling. Either she never heard me or wasn't interested in Yankee Doodle.

Walking toward the other end of the field, she passed the other two at the halfway mark coming my direction. The one in the lead looks towards my "blind" and starts my direction. She was intent to see what that blob was leaning back against that bale of hay. "No way are they going to come close enough for a shot" I thought. "They will stop just like the other one did". Boy was I wrong! They just kept coming.

Now I started to get excited. I picked up my bow and got ready to take a shot if it appeared. Not wanting to draw and hold it forever, I waited until the lead one passed behind a bale of hay that was in front of me, slightly to the left. I had the bow at full draw when she reappeared ready to shoot. At this point she sees my arrow I had placed in the ground as my range marker and trots right over to it. I just needed for her to stop for a few seconds, so I made my sound, you would have to hear it to understand what it is, and she stopped on a dime. At this point I took aim and let it fly.

Perfect shot! She took off for the woods with my arrow stuck in her side just behind the right front quarter. Of course the other two took off as well. Unbelievable! Two deer in two days! I was so excited.

Knowing I had to wait awhile before tracking her and it was getting late, 6:45, I decided to pack up and head in to get help once again. Coming out of my hiding spot, I went around the other way to recover my other marker arrow. Looking up on a rise in the field, there was a 4 point buck looking at me. He didn't stick around long.

Getting back to the field around eight o'clock, Tommy, my brother-in-law and I went straight to the spot where she entered the woods and picked up the blood trail. This one left a great blood trail and I knew she wouldn't be far. I figured we would find her by the fence, not having enough energy to make it over. My instincts were right. Within ten minutes we had found her next to the fence with half of my arrow still sticking in her side. Dang it, now I had to field dress another one by flashlight. But that was a good problem.

What a weekend! My first and second ever bow kills on the first weekend of the bow season. My buddy Kenny ask me later the next week when we were going bow hunting and I told him I had my two, when was he going to get his? Until the next adventure - James.
 

Answer To Bonus Question: The speed limit was raised to sixty five in 1987. In 1995, Congress gave the authority to set speed limits to the states.