Many snowmobile owners are anxious to get out now that there's a good layer of snow on the ground. But Dave Boutang of the Southeast Sno-Riders has issued a word of caution. He says trails are not open and there is a lot of water in ditches. Furthermore, Boutang says ice is very thin.

"There's ice on some of the creeks and it's only one inch thick. It takes forever to freeze. If you happen to get caught in that or are unaware of it, it's not good. You've got to know where you're going and be mighty careful."

Boutang says they've completed most of the trail clean-up to prepare for the season and came across something unusual this fall.

"This year we have a lot of new beaver dams that we haven't encountered before. We probably have seven or eight new ones that we're going to have to find ways around. Between Woodridge and Badger there are two, there are four between Marchand headquarters and the #1 Highway and there's one on forestry road #10, going towards Whitemouth Lake."

Boutang says this is because there are almost no trappers anymore and therefore the beaver population is multiplying and multiplying.

Boutang says they are typically able to open the trails around Christmas and is hoping that will be the case again this year. He reiterates, anyone going out now needs to be extra careful.

"All along the highways, where we could get, we had to tramp down the bulrushes. In some places, there's almost two feet of water in the ditch. If it freezes and then water runs out from underneath, you get ice that hangs up. That's all stuff we have to deal with. We've got some updated equipment that should help us."