A 63 year old man from Essexville and a 37 year old man from Bay City were ice fishing late yesterday afternoon on Saginaw Bay when the fog started rolling in and it began to get dark. They soon realized that they couldn't locate the shoreline. And they didn't have a compass.

Fortunately, the pair did have a phone on them, so they called for help around 6:30 PM. The Tuscola County Sheriff's Department responded with the air-boat they share with Huron County, eventually finding the duo around 9:00 PM, about a mile from shore.

A statement on the Tuscola County Sheriff Department's Facebook page states: "Any smart phone has the capability of a compass, however, it should not be relied upon, as smart phones lose battery strength quickly in the cold. A good, old-fashioned compass should be taken anytime you ice fish on Saginaw Bay."

Might not hurt to add an air horn and flares to your kit, too, when you're heading out onto the ice or into the woods, along with that compass.