I live on a little lake in Western lower Michigan and there is another lake connected to it by a channel running about 200 yards apart. Wonderful funnel. Deer can cross the channel rather easy but I always seem to see deer. It is very thick in some areas and the deer have pretty well beaten trails to travel. Every year though, they decide to try to take the easy way through the lake and cross the ice. Last year when ice fishing I found a dead doe half way in the ice. Very Sad. So a couple days ago I went out to hunt and didn't seem much but decided to go over to the other lake and see what the ice was looking like. I got to the other lake and noticed several tracks on the ice but figured they were otters or rats. I was cautious of the ice since it was that thick yet but followed the tracks from the land. Sure enough a poor little dow had some to close to a spring but fell in shallow water. I had to do something quick so I hurried back to the house and got some 2 x 4's to stand on and distrubute my weight. when I returned the does head was down on the ice and I thought she has died but she finally lifted it up. I hurried and set the 2 x 4's beside her and broke the ice were she had fallen. When i got it broke all around her she just couldnt get up and I couldn't lift her without falling in the water. Finally I got postioned and lifted her half way out of the water and she kicked up out of the hole. When she got out she just layed there for a second. She tried to get up but was unstable. I brought her to the land and got her on her feet, tried to dry her off as best I could and she walked off so hopefully that went for the best. Sorry it's so long but the temps. warmed and hopefully she lived. - Buckhunter