The Day the Duck Hunters Died: Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 Documentary 

I am glad you made this video about the day the duck hunters died. This was one of most extreem and ferocious weather storms to ever slam into the upper midwest in recorded history. If you made it out and survived you were one of the lucky ones. My Grandfather was a lucky one. My Dad was 8 years old November 11, 1940 and his Brother was 10 and they had to walk 5-6 miles to school. Dad is 90 now , but has told my about that fateful day many times. My Family rented a house in those days at Hookers Resort on the Wi. River in the Town of Dekorra in Columbia County. Grampa would row his Jonboat across the river each morning to check his traps and do a quick duck hunt before going to work in Madison at the Gisholt Machine shop. The day started out with very mild temps like 70 degrees early in the dark. So many of the hunters had on light clothing. Grandpa shot a lot of Cans, Redheads, and Mallards that morning as the temps dropped fast and the wind ramped up. He recognized early on there was reason for concern to quit and return across the river as waves rose up from nothing to 2' to 8' foot in no time at all. Grampa removed the laces of his Redwing Boots and tied them from the right orr lock to the trigger guard on his Winchester model 12 pump shotgun. He threw his heavy wood duck decoys in the front of the boat along with his 15 dead ducks. He orred almost cross wind into the violant gusts that were sustained 20 -80 mph. The waves slammed into his small jonboat and blasted over the bow soaking him in the freezing cold water and wind. The canvas coat and duck hat had 2" of ice coating over his jacket and hat. The winds pushed his Jonnoat northeast toward Portage. He had to make landfall on the adjacent beach shore before the cliffs start. Or he might be overcome by exposure to the elements from the storm. He made by feet away from the start of the cliffs. He left everything there and ran home. My Grandma was pacing the floor with fear her man had not returned home and was way late for work. She could see the rescue barge trying to go up and down the river searching for people trapped along or on the water. She then noticed his ice covered coat and hat laying on the ground in the back yard. Suddenly she then heard the front door open and close quick. Grampa ran to the bathtub and turned on the hot water and warmed up so he did not get Hypothermia from the wet cold exposure. My Dad fell down twice on his way to school and got wet. He was kept home after getting knocked down by the wind on slippery ice covered frozen roads and snow a second time. School would have to wait. My Dad still has many of Grandpa's wood decoys he used and survived with him that fateful day on Armistice Day November 11, 1940.

I’m soon to be 67 and have been deer hunting for 56 years. It has always been tradition at deer camp to retell the stories of that fateful day in Minnesota. Also I think you can hear Bud Grant tell his story on a podcast interview with Dan Barreiro on KFAN just before his passing. He was an avid duck hunter.

Thank you for sharing, my friends dad a grandfather were caught in this, and to hear what all happened from someone who survived it’s truly amazing. They got me into waterfowling my friends have moved on by Gods Grace, as whistling wings fill the skies as they smoked like chimneys in our duck blind, I oh my friends who taught me this life now my son is sharing with my grandsons by his side. This was truly a sad day and will always touch me. My son shared this story with my grandsons because he heard it from the family who survived. All I can say is thank you for sharing this may God Bless everyone

Born and raised in Southwest Florida so this is the first I have heard of this event. There is a lake in central Florida the Indians named the sleeping tiger because it can go from flat calm to 6 feet in a few minutes. You don't go out there without checking the wind forecast first. It still claims boaters on a semi regular basis. Thanks for the great production.

One of my uncles was driving his car days after that blizzard and noticed a strange light in a snowbank along a country road. He stopped, got out and investigated, it was the headlights from a car buried in the snow, the driver very cold and barely conscious. The holidays of the following years found him in uniform enduring the winters of Italy and then Germany.

That is legendary, waterfowers haven't dressed the same since... R.I.P. to the lost but not forgotten.

I'm so impressed by the sheer quality of this whole presentation, so well-planned and well-scripted. The background on hunting and its history was so interesting. My dad took me duck hunting in the 1960s on Gorder Lake (or Frog Lake) in Stevens County MN. Dad had his "pump" shotgun and he had me use a single-shot. Outerwear then was so inferior to today. I began reading about Gore-Tex and then I realized everything was changing. The key is to stay "dry!"

I remember being at my grandpa’s cabin in upper Minnesota by Grand Rapids on burnt shanty lake. sitting in the cabin by the fire,I found one of his old hunting magazines. I must’ve been seven or eight,and there was the article the day the duck hunters had died in the storm. It’s still sticks with me to this day at 58.

In Max Conrad's autobiography he said that if he is remembered for anything, he hoped it would be for what he done to save lives during that storm. Max, you are remembered.

My how times have changed. When I started duck hunting at my father’s side as a five year old we had canvas coats , leather shell bags and lead number 4 shot. Burlap covered styrofoam decoys were always on hand. I used to have great fun retouching the paint every summer… I couldn’t wait for the season to start. Our local CBS affiliate in Cleveland always mentioned this storm during their weather report on nov 11.

Thank you for this a story that hasn’t been put on video. I duck hunt and I was told to watch the weather or you could end up like the duck hunters of 1940!!! Great documentary!

My dad and his father and their dog survived this storm. The story was told after many a family Thanksgiving dinner. They said the temperature drop was so quick and the wind came up so fast they had no time to return across the river to their car. They stayed put huddled together and the next day were rescued and left at a cabin for another day as the rescuer continued to search for other hunters. They had to go back to their boat days later to chip their guns out of the ice in the boat. Their decision to stay put saved their lives and they didn't even get frostbite. But when they told the stories their eyes showed the depth of the trauma they had experienced.

Thank you for this detailed and dramatic look back on how this record early Blizzard that caught so many Duck Hunters in open water to far from safety. This was a record storm coming so early and then so much snow falling. I am sure Duck hunters were not the only ones that lost their lives that day. With that severe a storm cattle and horses and some wild animals had to perish also.

I've heard many stories of this day from old duck hunters. Thanks for the video.

This was an awesome video. I learned of this story some time ago on the refuge forums. This was the best video ive ever seen diving into it.

Very nice job. Thank you. My dad is from Winona and told us about this storm.

I just learned about this when I heard a guy singing a song about it down at the bar. Had to look it up, thanks for making this.

This is a fantastic video- thank you for telling this sad but real story.

I brought out a young man duck hunting yesterday and today (11/24 and 11/25, 2023) in middle Minnesota and told him about this story. This is his first year duck hunting, and this morning after we loaded up our frozen boat with 3 hooded mergansers as our claim, I told him about this day. He's normally one for some jokes, and so am I, but he listened to me tell him the shortened version of this historical account. He didn't have anything funny to say. I told him that the reason we left the lake early both days was because the wind and the boat were not working in our favor, and I don't want to end up on the local news if and when things get worse. We left our hole with 12 mph winds, and were loading the boat with 22 mph winds. The ducks will always have another day to fly, but a situation like the men endured on that fateful day wouldnt allow them to see that day.

That was an amazing job you did bring him back that history

My grandfather was one of the hunters that watched the man pass on Big Muskego. When I was young, I would listen to this tail from my Grandfather and dad. They where a group of hunters that launched from a home on Groveway lane. The “gultch’es” had made it to shore and had watched another hunter struggled to break ice and fight the wind only about 100 yd out and totally unable to help. In additional to that hunter my grandfather relayed the story of 2 other parties that found a way to survive on the lake that day. On Big Muskego, at that time, some hunters had the luxury to have built box blinds, one pair of hunter that had a blind was the “Olson twins” They had a blind on the open water part of the lake. By the time they decided to call it quits their boat was frozen solid in the skiffway, fortunately they had a tarp that was used to cover the boat. They put that over the blind, with the heat from their dog and burning the spent paper shotgun shells they survived the night, and the next day where able to cautiously, slid across the ice to safety. Another individual that survived had luck on his side, after rowing and breaking ice he became too exhausted to continue, the boat frozen in the ice, he too had a tarp, he covered himself and luck had it he had lantern - and with the heat from that, he was able to survive the night, the next day when he did get to shore he was no where near where he put in. his empty boat was found in the search and due to the poor communication for the time, he was thought to be lost/dead for 2 days.

Been out a couple of times in my 40 years of hunting when the ducks flew backwards and the land moaned like in a hurricane. I was a bit nervous but snug in layers of Thinsulate and Goretex. I don't even want to imagine what those guys in 1940's gear endured.

my parents lived in western wisconsin in 1940 as farmers, heard many tales of the armistice day blizzard

I really enjoyed this video. I have been duck hunting in southern Indiana for 30 years.

Thanks for sharing this event! My Grandpa told stories about this storm often, but in general many of my friends don’t know about it, when I have told some of his stories.

My aunt, who worked for the Minnesota Historical Society, was one of the authors of And All Hell Broke Loose, a book about the blizzard. My grandmother vividly remembered that day as did both my parents.

What a great video my friend ...BRAVO!!!!

I remember reading about this in Sporting Classics magazine. I have not seen any other mention of this till now. Good job putting this together. It was very interesting

Nice you covered this. My stepfather's experience from this storm as a teenager made him cautious of going out in the cold. Taught me the same 40 years ago. Gordon MacQuarrie was a Wisconsin treasure. Everyone should read his books, espeacially if you wet a line on the Brule or fish and hunt the Eau Claire Lakes area, grouse hunt the area from south of Superior to the Moquah Barrens.

Thanks for this video. I had an experience in Iowa that demonstrated how fast weather can change. We were living on a farm se of Nashua, Iowa at the time. On the last day of the Pheasant Season in 1969, I left the house, the sky was clear at 8am and the temp was in the 40’s. We. Walked the fence line west for 1/2 mile. No birds. We then went south 1/2 mile along the line fence. By this time, the clear sky was gone to clouds, the wind was picking up and the temperature was dropping. As. We approached the corner, I saw that the giant Burr Oak tree was full of Pheasants. Apparently didn’t want to be on the ground with the wind and blowing snow which would bury and suffocate them. We swung away from the tree to avoid spooking the birds and causing them to fly to an unknown fate in the face of a developing blizzard. As we turned east for the next 1/2 mile, the wind and falling. Snow on intensified. By now, I just wanted to get home! At the next corner we turned north into the wind. The visibility was zero. I kept a hand on the fence and my dog tucked in tight behind me as I broke the path in the rapidly drifting snow. Without the fence, it would have been very easy to become disoriented and lost in the 1/2 section. I thought about the stories about people freezing between house and barns in the plains blizzards. I also thought about the ARMISTICE DAY BLIZZARD. When we got to the house, the thermometer on the yard light post read -20 Fahrenheit! I went in the house and took a hot shower to get warmed up - used up all the hot water. I was lucky, had some frostbite issues on my face, fingers and feet. I wasn’t dressed as warmly as I would have been if the temp was zero or so when heading out. When we arrived to the gate and turned into the grove, I was nearly spent. In the trees, the wind was much reduced

I knew of Max Conrad from his work in the 50' and early 60's. But not of this. Your report shines a bright light on a more pivotal and substantial individual than someone just going for a new record. This man cared and showed his true colors. Way to go Max!

My grandfather survived this. Hunting around Mississippi county, Arkansas. He had been hunting and found shelter in a shack, had his ducks to eat, and firewood.

Nice job covering this storm and it’s effects. Also a great reminder to everyone that Mother Nature has a dark and icy cold corner in her heart…

Very well put together documentary.

Awesome job on this video. I hope you keep posting content and I look forward to seeing your channel grow.

Man, i hope this type of content sparks the demand to keep it coming. I appreciate the story

This was really well put and I enjoyed it, thank you Mr bellows

Amazing story and thanks for telling it. A good reminder of how mother nature can humble you. Never take her for granted. Amazing to me yet how ill prepared folks are on a simple commute to work wearing shoes they couldn’t ever walk 5 miles on dry pavement let alone in adverse conditions. I myself had an awakening experience duck hunting on a warm start and a clipper end. By the time I got the decoys on the shoulder and the marched to the atv to find a flat tire the wind had already had my clothes and gear frozen stiff and my hands would not work after getting wet gathering the decoys. Finally was able to drive myself out in reverse with a flat front To this day the coldest I have ever felt and I was only 4 miles from home as a crow flies I couldn’t begin to imagine what these folks felt.

Excellent documentary!! 👍🏼👍🏼

This was a great story and you presented it very well! Thanks!

Thx for the story. Had this happen to me while pheasant hunting. Day started 80 degrees f. We were 4 miles from the trucks wearing t shirts and pants when the storm hit. Next thing we know its 10 feet vis and the temp was about 20 degrees with 50 mph winds. We barely made it back to the trucks but we all survived.

Awesome read it before in old sports afield magazine, loved it ,good job!!

Such a well researched and presented documentary!

One of the worst extreme blizzards for November, because it killed so many Duck hunters from Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois and sailors from Michigan when the temperatures dropped quickly from the 60s to below zero within a matter of time. My grandmother was eight years old, and my mother's father was sixteen years old when that storm hit the upper Midwest in November 1940. Thank goodness my grandparents did not live in the upper Midwest that day, they lived in Massachusetts just like me and my mom

Hello, for those of you interested in a great book to read on the subject of the Armistice Day storm pick up Dan Bomkamp's 2011 book called, "Whiteout the Armistice Day storm". Dan dedicated the book to his Dad and in memory of his Golden Retriever Katy. Dan was gracious enough to let me talk with him about his books with his little dog on his porch in Muscoda Wi. At that time Dan had already written 10 books, which I can also highly recommend for reading if you enjoy the great outdoors. I loned Dan's book, "Whiteout the Armistice Day storm" to my Dad and my duck hunting buddies. We all liked Dan's book ! I bought the book in memory of my Dad's story about my Grandfathers survival on the Wi. River at Hookers Resort in Columbia Co. WI., those souls who perished, and the hero's that risked their lives trying to help or save those caught out in the elements that fateful day November 11th, 1940. Learn, enjoy, and remember.

Well made, educational video. You must have experience in making these even if this is the first video on this channel. Subscribed.

My coworker mentioned something about this, and wow, I never expected it to be so tragic.

Great video. Well done, sir

Awesome video. Thank you for sharing. Cant believe the comments saying "too long". Sign of the times i guess. I personally enjoyed the video, all the way through. These old stories are going the way of the men that lived them. Nice to hear someone keeping them alive.

I remember first learning of this incident in an article written many years ago from an Outdoor magazine as a budding young duck hunter. Can only imagine the enthusiasm felt by hunters heading out knowing duck weather would have birds moving that soon was apparent many were in big trouble as plummeting temps along with blinding snow and dangerous winds made regress impossible.

Thank you for a very interesting and well made video.

Great video, enjoyed the narration and subscribed one little suggestion show close up of duck calls and other accessories.

The Des Moines Register did an article on the Blizzard on the 50th anniversary in 1990 IIRC. Many hunters on the Mississippi and slough's in northern Iowa got caught out in the open also. I can't imagine how some of those men survived.

The most well done documentary since a Ken Burns film. Kudos

A great telling of an amazing story!

Thank you so much for this reminders.

Good video man, I hope you make more content.

Excellent video, weather can change faster than a person can think... The storm that hit Wyoming back in 1948 ? Is a mind bender, hard to believe you can freeze to death 15 ft from your doorstep, also seeing cattle, horses freeze to death standing up.

Extremely well done thank you!

Thanks for sharing

My dad had one of those hand warmers it was excellent. I used it sledding as a child in the 70's.

OUTSTANDING storytelling

my grandfather was on the Mississippi River hunting that day and told me the day started out in a tee shirt an day noon it was snowing and back then most had row boats and no outboards. guys flipped boats over to cover themselves and they froze to the ground.

Great video! I read about this years ago in SPORTS AFIELD MAGAZINE! You did a MOST EXCELLENT JOB presenting this! Please do more!

Great job! by the way, narrator, where'd you get that fine Jones hat? Hard to find good ones snow a days!

Very great tribute!!

I read a book when I was young called narrow escapes and wilderness adventures . This story was in it.

Excellant documetary!

Great video!

If anyone it’s selling t the Armistice day blizzard print shown early in this video please let me know. Thx

Great presentation!

Wow" that was the year " "galloping gerdy" (The Tacoma Narrow's Bridge) fell apart. I am from Washington State & have been over that bridge hundreds of time's.😊 I remember my Grandma talking about that fateful 1940's day. The whole winter was bad, that year alot of people froze to death.

My dad and grandfather were in that weather that day. Brice prairie, they skiff paddled and jump shoot. Grandpa and my dad had the clothes they needed. Always have you never know grandpa told my dad, weather can always change, if you are too hot you can take it off.

2 years before my birth, my dad had walked up to the nearby railroad tracks to hunt. He said it was so warm he just wore a heavy shirt. But then the temperature dropped so fast he darn near froze before he made it back to the house.

The fellas caught hell that day, they were only wanting to shoot some ducks, warm spells wouldn’t push the ducks out of their summer range. Frustrating for sure when one wants to shoot ducks. That was one bad weather system. Never heard of that from back when. Good job explaining things. Thanks

Thanks for this story...people laugh cuz im always over preparing...But if it can go wrong it will...

Thank you for sharing this story Tho it was sad 49:06

Wow, what a sobering story of the human spirit and mother nature!

My grandpa had to leave all his decoys on the slough he was hunting but he said there was so many ducks moving ahead of the storm. Him and his dad barely made it home in Western Minnesota. They were on a small slough over by Boyd, mn

My pa is from Wisconsin, he got hypothermia once while duck hunting and has always warned me about the dangers of the cold and getting wet. Not much of a problem for me in California, might have gotten sick a couple of times after my waders sprung a leak lol.

Scary,sad.good vid.

wonder how many actually would have checked the weather...most likely tgey just went. Surprising to me is that they did not know extreme cold weather survival...since there was so much snow could they not have dug in for shelter? The story is very heartwrenching but i just wonder if more could have survived. i was always taught to be prepared for anything...outdoorsmen..weren't tgey taught tgat, especially those around lakes where weather is unpredictable anyway, and especially as seasons are changing. Better to take more than you think you need..and just bring it back, than to need and not have. cabins in the north should have a stock of dry wood, dry goods, dry food. it just surprises me. i was taught a lot by my dad...this was his generation...WWII marine, sabateur, spy, guerilla, trainer...about being prepared, etc....and by Girl Scouts! So this story surprises me the general lack of preparedness. Plus, just being smart when outside...no matter how good the hunting, the excitement...safety is FIRST. they shoukd have just headed home when conditions changed... but hindsight is better than foresight.

My friends father survived this out in the marsh while he was out I think duck hunting. He lived to be in his 80's and was a college art professor at UW-Lacrosse.

Wars aren’t celebrated, they’re commemorated.

If anyone can give me more information about the hunter and dog pictured at 27:35 of the video, PLEASE leave a comment. That dog is a curly-coated retriever, a very rare breed that I have owned and hunted for 4 decades. More info about the hunter and the dog can help us fill in the history of the breed in the U.S. Thank you.

Damn what a story. I would love to hear a story of a fellow that was saved by a dropped package of matches sandwiches, and especially WHISKEY !!! 👍

A friend of mine survived on the Mississippi River 2 of his brother in laws died

Few people today know how different prewar America was as compared to America today.

Good video

This storm in 1940 is the same general storm track of the storm that sank the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior.

When I think of all the stupid stuff we did as teenagers, I would likely have been a casualty if I was around the midwest in 1940

I was born in 1957 my worst weather years were 1977 and 1978 lots of snow! Below zero temperatures snow drifts here in Pekin Illinois 10 to 20 feet high! Those two back-to-back winners killed a lot of our wildlife off pheasants and quail never recovered, probably because after these devastating wildlife losses our state DNR acted like nothing had happened and had the hunting season the next year as like nothing had happened previously! So the few survivoring quail and pheasants met their demise!!😢

Having to peal the ice off the old lab retriever shivering in my lap in a duck blind, I totally get this story.

Today we have pretty good weather channels

I, along with my son and a good friend hunt out on Big Muskego in the very same area where that hunter died. I cut my duck hunting teeth on that lake.

Born & raised in SE Iowa, I quickly learned to NEVER, EVER go anywhere on the Great Plains (western Nebraska/easter Wyoming w/o cold weather gear.

I was in -25 with -55 windchill once from my car to the ticket booth at Stowe Mtn. Resort to get my refund because the lifts were shut down. I walked 100yards each way. 10 minutes tops. Holy God was it cold and we have much better clothing nowadays. I can't imagine what these people went through.

Exspecially is not a word. Especially is.

The blizzard of 1977 was bad too, but not as many fatalities.

I am not a waterfowl hunter or even much of a hunter to begin with, but as a diehard year-round motorcyclist for quite a few years, I certainly know cold. Absolutely gripping story, and I am reminded of my own very cold, near-death experiences of hypothermia. As to the arrant yoots with their gnat-like attention span complaining this is too long or too simple-minded, or whatever illusion they might harbor…pay them no mind. They too will suffer their own fates, just not the way they might imagine. Morituri non cognant (those who are about to die - just don’t know.) Sending this to one of my old high school duck hunting classmates!