A man from the Standing Buffalo First Nation near Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask., says he didn't think twice when he rescued his grandchildren from an icy dugout last week.

Walter Bear said he had just arrived home from work on Oct. 30 when his daughter raised the alarm about the two children, who had crashed through the ice in a deep slough.

Bear said he grabbed a sheet of plywood, threw himself into the icy water and brought the children to shore.

He told CBC News he didn't even feel the impact of the frigid waters until everyone was safe.

"I crawled out, I was already powering out already. I was right out of air," he said Monday.

The two children were airlifted to hospital in Regina, but they were in good enough condition to return to the First Nation the following day to go trick-or-treating.

"They were home the next day for Halloween," Bear said.

"They were wanting to come home. Well, I guess they were alright."

Bear added that his grandchildren have learned their lesson and will stay away from the dugout in the future.