I'd ensure replication is attempted at exactly the same location (tile borders or whatnot), as well as ensuring it's winter with a hole in the ice (either before you did the replication or as a result of it), so I guess you have to wait half a year to try it out.
When I discover something I suspect is a bug I typically make a save and a copy of it (given a suitable name, so I can find it later), in case Sami needs it for an investigation later. Hard disk space is cheap...