It's always a good idea to double check the amount of ice underneath your ice fishing shack each time you venture out.

Conservation Officers are stressing that even more so now after lengthy periods of above normal temperatures, and even some ice shacks sinking in to local lakes. 

"With the recent temperatures and with some more on the way, we just want to remind people to make sure they check and be safe before they head out on to the ice," said Conservation Officer Rich Hildebrand. "We've had some reports of ice fishing shelters going through the ice over at Buffalo Pound and also at Thompson Lake, it's definitely important to make sure you check the ice thickness."

He added that it's quite common for residents to leave their shack out for the season and while that is allowed there are steps to follow to be allowed to do so. 

"People will sometimes leave them out there for the ice fishing season, and if you leave it out there then you are required to put your name on the side of the shack, address and phone number. It should be in legible letters on the outside and they should be at least 2.5 centimeters high."

The general rule of thumb used by most outdoor organizations is an ice thickness of 4 inches for a person to walk on safely, 6 inches for all terrain vehicles, 10 inches for small passenger vehicles and then at least a foot thick for trucks.