"Yep" Thin ice is a problem and so is open water. Usually hear of a few that fall in every year NW Ohio.I have deer tracks on my snow covered ponds all winter. Another reason to have a winter diffuser set up in very shallow water so if aeration is needed it reduces the odds of this happening.Not sure why they have a need to cross the snow covered ice as you would think the difference from frozen ground to ice would be noticeable. I have another pond with an open out flow all year long that many deer drink out of but still have tracks all over both ponds so its not like they are serching for water. PS Welcome to PondBoss.Ted