Winter can kill; playing smart can save a life or limb.

As much as we’re been advised to layer up, or chill out, it’s often unwise practices that are more likely to get us in trouble.

Don’t walk on an unsafe surface without good traction on soles (maybe boot chains), maybe a walking stick, too, and a phone handy in case of a winter fall.  Phone batteries drain faster than a bird feeder, so keep technology in a warm or warmer pocket.

Recreate in pairs, or tell someone where you’re going, or a put a note on the truck’s windshield.

A trapper, Wayne Smith of Blanchardville in Lafayette County, should know. “A fur parka is the warmest there is,” he said. “Some of the old deer hunting gloves, and maybe some new ones, too, had openings that held a hand warmer.”

Now that the ice fishing season is somewhat slowed down, according to some, Smith is wondering if those who can’t find beaver tails to cut up for panfishing bait might be willing to take a few flat tails off his hands.

“I can’t keep beaver tail strips (ice fishing bait) on the shelves,” said John Borzick, at Tall Tails in Boscobel. “Those and Silkie jigs are hot right now, even during this period when the fish seem to be locked down and not biting much,” Borzick said.

Hands, and mostly the fingers, get cold from holding the throttle on an ATV while plowing snow. “Try layered gloves and put a small foot warmer packet inside between the mitten and glove,” is Smith’s advice.

Or, he says, “Carefully take the glove off and warm your hand and the glove’s inside with the exhaust from the ATV. But be very careful, it’s hot and that/s carbon monoxide.”

Feet cold? If rubber boots are your footware, stand in a shallow watercress spring where the water is liquid and near 50 degrees. You can dip your hands, too, but then be ready to dry them immediately, but the hydration might do the skin good.

“Those battery operated gloves of old really didn’t work as well as we thought, but that idea has expanded to heated handlebars and deer gloves with flaps to get your fingers out and maybe stick in a warmer,” said Don Martin, at Martin’s in Monroe. “The old deer skin gloves with liners used to sell for $2.49 and the last ones we could get were $25.”

Recreating in small segments is an idea of old, too. “Take frequent breaks from the outside; a 10 minute walk instead of a 30 minute walk,” said Doug Williams, at DW Sports Center in Portage. “Be careful of surfaces and go in pairs.”

If equipment is involved, snow blowers, snowmobiles, leaf blowers and tractors, slow down. That’s Williams’ tip for the day. He’s learned this from days on a farm.

“If you can go out, the coyotes are running, rabbits, too,” he said. “Eagles and hawks are about.”

Look to others who are recreating and look to wildlife, too. “Get into some shelter, out of the wind,” Williams advises.

Ice anglers are often recreating in shirts, but inside a shanty.

So are sturgeon spearers in the Lake Winnebago area. That season begins February 12, 2022. Enjoy the season by being a spectator. The fishers use shanties, but the weigh-in can be enjoyed by spending a few minutes outside one’s vehicle and never having to venture out on the ice.

Drives through state parks, enjoying the wildlife but not harassing them, is enjoying outdoors from inside a vehicle. It’s like the old fashioned, and they worked, deer registration stations.

Don’t forget the bird feeders, which also attract squirrels, opossums, skunks, predatory birds and gliding squirrels at different times of the day and night.

An accidental feeding station materialized when I tossed eight small pussy willow branches out the basement door onto a concrete slab.

Birds landed so I tossed black oil sunflower fruits, one seed in each, into the limbs.

Black capped chickadees and tufted titmice generally pick a parcel and fly to a nearby shrub or tree to use a branch to stabilize the fruit to get the seed out. These tiny birds soon began using the willow branches directly above the food and didn’t always fly away as soon.

The make-shift station worked well, held the birds longer and provided a lengthy observation point. A face mask helped as did turning all the basement lights out. Small birds and squirrels don’t mind an observer, but eagles and hawks can pick up movement several hundred yards away.

The birds learned what it meant when the basement door opened and then slid shut; some were there within seconds.

Squirrels crawled through the branches, cardinals and blue jays mostly fed on the pile edges. I wonder if water would bring robins and bluebirds, regardless of the food type offered. Dried mealworms are available.

Don’t let winter spoil the outdoors, but take it in bits and pieces, sometimes from the inside. Even getting dressed to go out can be exercise, too.

— Jerry Davis is an Argyle native and a freelance writer who lives in Barneveld. He can be reached at sivadjam@mhtc.net or at 608-924-1112.