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I really admire y'all for being tough enough to handle cold like that, Ted. I think you must have to be raised up in it to have the right mindset. I can't even imagine it. I've hunted ducks for days on end in Arkansas when the temps never got above freezing, but sub-zero temps is something else entirely.

Prayers for your safety and comfort.

SRH

Although the temps are -32 dg. today where I am, it looks like it will warm up enough this weekend to get some clays in.
Karl

That is one fine lookin' Setter, Ted. How old is she, and how many seasons on grouse has she seen? You use a bell on the collar when she is afield?? Our weather here in Mid-Michigan reminds me of some of the wintry scenes in the movie "Fargo"-- based in your State, but the title comes from a city in ND-

When I get "holed up" with this inclement type of Winter weather, I watch "Fargo" and "The Shining"-- and then I don't feel so bad.
Stay well, and stay warm.. RWTF

She will be five in April. More pheasants than grouse, just the way the chips have fallen. Not much of a retriever just yet, but, I am stubborn. She has found every bird I�ve ever killed over her, just not picked them up.
She was deathly ill the first year of her life. We got through it, but, lost much. Long story. Another time.
She is belled when afield. We use a beeper collar, as well. We might head up to the pheasant farm for some pen raised birds, this weekend.



This was our last trip out this year, wearing her finery. Yes, the tip of her tail and a few of her paws were bloodied. She is a hard charger.

Stan, had you been raised here, you�d be out there too. Just a different mindset getting out in the cold. I, can�t imagine working a bird dog in venomous reptile or alligator territory, the cold seems tame by comparison-if it is going to kill you, you can see it coming from quite a ways, at any rate.

Best,
Ted

I hard those "Poppin Trees" here in southern mid-TN back in 1998. We had an ice storm on Christmas Eve. We were without electricity for 7 days & temps did not get above freezing. We had a gas heater we could run without electricity & cook on a gas stove, which we could manually light so made it pretty well except for Water. I am on a private spring for water & use a shallow well pump to bring it to the house, a distance of around 400 feet but not much lift. I would take a bucket to the spring & lift off the cover & dip drinking & cooking water. To flush the toilets it was closer to go to the creek with a 5-gallon bucket & dip up water. My daughter & Son-in-law had gone to do some last minute Christmas shopping that day & left our 8 months old granddaughter with us. We also had my 78-year-old mother in the house with us. We all survived. My Daughter &SIL lived about 25-30 miles from us & had planned on coming that night to pick up their "Baby", but all the roads were closed, we kept her all week. Every time I stepped out of the house I could hear numerous trees cracking all around when the thaw finally came I was utterly amazed there was a single one left standing. About 100 ft from my house a large & tall Wild Cherry tree had bent over till its top was nearly touching the ground but did not break. Following spring it was loaded with wild cherries as it normally was but I could not get to them to pick them. That year I simply walked out there & stood on the ground & picked a lot of those little cherries. My Wife made some Cherry preserves & it was delicious.

The coldest I can recall here in my area was back in the late 1950s when it got down to -15�F one night. That day a man came by who had run off the road & asked me to pull him out with my tractor, a B JD, which I did. I had been having a problem with one of the radiator hoses leaking & had not got it replaced yet so had drained the antifreeze & just put water in for this short task. The problem was when I brought it back into the shed I forgot to drain it. Next morning it hit me & it was frozen solid. We covered it up & put a heat lamp on it & was still 3-4 days before it even began to drip a bit. Absolutely Amazing but it did not crack a single piece of cast iron in the block or anywhere.

To answer the question posed in the title, you start looking to go South like Brian is in his Quail thread.
Stay warm, Ted. Gil

It went to 0 here on Christmas morning back in the early '80s, and down to 5 the next year, but that was waaay out of the norm. I was running a trapline back then and did so that morning, as per usual. I remember well the only critter I had that morning was a huge old boar 'coon.

Miller, not saying that this is the reason the block didn't crack, but I have noticed that steel outside faucets which have stood years of cold/hot extremes don't seem to bust nearly as quickly as a new one, when you forget to leave them dripping. Always figured there was a "seasoning" that takes place in the cast iron/steel, over time and temp extremes. But, I have no proof of that. Maybe the old B had been "seasoned" well.

SRH

You leave your outside faucets dripping ?

When it gets cold enough at night I leave them all dripping. It works down to zero, I can attest. I notice that in ARKANSAS most of the outside faucets are big, freeze proof things. I don't recall ever seeing one here. Several dripping faucets also ensures that the well pump runs often enough all night to prevent the little pipe nipple under the pressure switch from freezing, too.

SRH

Netflix and chill.


__________________________
Baby it�s cold outside.