what do you use for warmth when you go hunting?

Question

When its icy-cold

Answer 1

I have used wool when I know I am going to be in a wet environment (mainly when I was fishing in SE Alaska).

When I deer hunt in November to January, I am usually sitting in a stand from about 4 AM to 4 PM. I dress in layers like everyone else. I wear Polypropylene long underwear (pants and a turtleneck). I usually wear a layer of cotton after that…usually a pair of jeans and a t-shirt (I either wear regular jeans or flannel lined jeans, depending on the temp). I then wear my blaze orange outer layer…a water resistant parka and pants with Thinsulate insulation. The parka is a 3-way that has both a warm jacket and a thin outer jacket that zip together). The pants are just a regular pair of Thinsulate insulated pants. For footwear, I cross streams, so I wear insulated rubber boots (1000g Thinsulate insulated…heavy, but do an OK job keeping my feet warm). I wear a pair of regular socks and I wear a pair of battery heated socks over those. Of course, I top off with a hat..I prefer a ski mask type hat.

I usually walk a long ways when I hunt (a mile or two). The best thing I ever did for keeping warm is not sweating. When I hike out, I put all my clothes in a full-sized frame pack. I also put water, food, and other equipment and survival supplies in there. I only wear my long underwear, jeans, and my light outer jacket. This keeps me cool until I get to my stand.

I vary my clothing based on weather. The battery heated socks help a ton when it gets cold out. I also carry instant hand warmers and I fill my water bladder with hot water. When I used to hunt in Northern WI where –10 below in the middle of winter wasn’t uncommon, and I was sitting in a stand all day, I built myself a charcoal heater out of a coffee can

To build a simple heater: Take a metal can. Find some metal doweling or thread rod..fairly thin. You will also need muffler cement. A wire if some sort to carry the can helps (old metal coat hangers work quite well). Drill holes in the can about 3 or 4 inches from the bottom. The holes should be big enough for the metal dowling to go through. Drill the holes so that 3 or 4 pieces of doweling run parallel to each other. Drill another 3 or 4 holes 90 degrees to the first set to create a grid for the charcoal to rest on. The second set of holes have to be slightly higher or lower than the first set. Put the doweling through the holes and use the muffler cement on the outside and the inside of the can to hold the doweling in place. Drill about 4 holes about 1 inch up from the bottom of the can for ventilation to keep the charcoal burning. Finally, drill two holes on opposite sides of the can at the top. Attach your wire to each side and you have a heater. Matchlight charcoal works OK. Starting charcoal with the sawdust & wax firestarter for fireplaces worked real well (I think the brand name is StarterLogg). Despite the odor, it never really scared the deer away. When my fire was going out, on more than one occasion, I had deer walk up to me and watch me as I was collecting sticks and branches to burn.

Answer 2

Hunting season here in Iowa is horribly cold. I wear Mickey boots, they're made for majorly subzero temps. I got them a little big so I can put on a couple of thermal socks as well. I usually wear a tee shirt, thermal shirt, sweatshirt, camo button up, then a heavy camo coat. Thermal underwear, sweats, heavy camo pants. A regular stocking cap, with a belakava camo cap over it. One pair of gloves with the shooting fingers cut out, but a good heavy pair to put over them until that time comes. Get those handwarmers after hunting season too, they're dirt cheap! My fiancee stocks up like he's getting ready for the second coming. And I've heard that you want to keep your lower back somewhat warm as your kidneys can be sensitive to the cold, but of course talk to a doc about that first. A great place to get some of this stuff is an old military surplus store, they've got great finds, and things are usually more heavy duty there as well. Happy safe hunting.

Answer 3

WOOL!! OK its old fashion and heavy but still the best for cold weather hunting. I've been using wool for 30years and its always worked great. i dress in layers myself a wool jacket then a sweater then a shirt etc. this way of it warms up i can pull one layer off instead of going from a heavy jacket to just a t-shirt. have fun

Answer 4

I'm not a hunter myself, but my friend swears by WOOL as being the answer to cold morning hunting

Answer 5

My advice is to apply a BB gun for targets and plinking and your air comfortable gun for despite air comfortable weapons are meant and use your .22 for rabbits. whenever you shoot some thing, you have an felony duty to kill it cleanly no longer injure it and enable it crawl off and die a sluggish death. in case you prefer to shoot rabbits with some thing like a gadget gun, seem at Cabela's recent catalog. they have a gadget which will carry 2 Ruger 10/22s edge via edge and a crank that attaches to the triggers in the kind of style that once you turn it, the weapons hearth rapidly like a gadget gun. i think of it became somewhat over $4 hundred yet then you certainly could purchase 2 Ruger 10/22 to pass in it. forget the BB weapons and airsoft weapons for rabbits.

Answer 6

The above is great stuff. In addition, I use those chemical hand warmers and I put scalding hot water in a canteen and drop it in my shirt. It stays warm for a good long time and when it cools I drink it and take the canteen out.

Answer 7

I layer my clothing. At least 3 layers. As the day goes on I can always remove a layer.

Miketyson26

Answer 8

layers are your best bet. i own two under armor shirts. i have a long sleeve one that i put on first, to wick away sweat. next, i put on a long sleeve tee shirt. after that, a fleece sweatshirt. the last thing that goes on my torso is a wool jacket. wool retains 80% of its heat even when wet. i used to use fleece, because fleece is light and holds heat, but if its windy fleece goes right through it and if it gets wet its not as good as wool. for my head i have a wool Balaclava that works wonders for me, and if it gets too hot, i just roll it up.
for my lower body, i use a pair of under armor long johns, then the fleece sweat pants that i use for fishing under my chest waders, then wool pants.
i use the same wicking sock and the same pair of wool socks that i use for my waders that i use for hunting.
i have a pair of wolverine 1000 gram brown boots that i use for coldweather hunting, but they are size 10 and i wear a 12.
i have a pair of wool Glomitts that are camo and i use them for not only hunting but for cold time fishing, like during steelhead season.
the fact is is that wool is the best to keep you warm, even if it gets wet.

Answer 9

high quality layers
PolarWrap™ Exchanger® Facemask
Insulated Boot Blanket® Overboots
And someone makes a sleeping bag you wear in the stand and pop out of. I hear they are the best thing going.

Answer 10

A couple layers of clothes and some insulated boots.