Iowa Department of Natural Resources Conservation Officer for Dallas County Dustin Eighmy details safety reminders relating to icy conditions.

Eighmy tells Raccoon Valley Radio that hunters should be double checking ice thickness before they go out as it varies from different areas in Iowa. He illustrates that fish seem to be more active when early ice hits. Eighmy stresses that hunters should exercise caution when approaching any body of ice.

“No ice is 100 percent safe. New ice is usually stronger than old ice. Two inches to four inches can support a human on the ice, if it’s good strong clear ice. And then as you move up to four and five (inches), we can start to see maybe some polar activity on those ice as well.”

Eighmy dishes out a few more tips for people to not venture out to the ice alone, make sure that someone is available to call for help, always inform someone of the location and time frame you’ll be out there, and stay away from off-color snow or ice as it is an indication of weakness.