dunks...
Two events, both while duck hunting (thankfully with a partner!). The first one was at a small pot hole in the middle of a cornfield. It was late November around freezing. The pothole was about knee deep, maybe mid thight. There was a willow tree in the middle. Two mallards we shot wound up drifiting to the willow tree and hung up. I decided to wade out and get them. I got about ten feet away and the water was right at the top of my waders. I was doing the "moon walk" due to flotation. Eventually, I went over the top and the water came in despite the belt. It felt like two gallons of water in each leg buy the time I got out. I had enough sense to get out of the water and by the time I got to the truck which was about a hundred yards away, I definately had the shakes and teeth chattering going on. I went home, changed and got a float tube...The second was when we were wading around the edge of a slough breaking skim ice. I was carrying a gun case, decoy bag and a flashlight. I got my foot caught under a tree root and went in face first into water about two feet deep. Soaked my coat, shirt, waders and feet (got everything back but the Maglight). Fortunately, again, I was only a hundred yards or so from the truck. I was lucky both times that I had a partner, a heater, dry clothes and not too far to go!
"They say you forget your troubles on a trout stream, but that's not quite it. What happens is that you begin to see where your troubles fit into the grand scheme of things, and suddenly they're just not such a big deal anymore." - John Gierach