c-c-c-cold

[moooose102]

so, i thought i was all set for cold weather hunting. but, as it turns out, i was wrong. big suprise. anyway, i have heard that us army "mickey mouse" boots work very well, so that may be an answer to my feet. but what is a REALLY GOOD cold weather set of gloves/mittens? when i am having trouble is when i am on stand for hours on end. when your heart rate drops, and the cold really settles in, that is when i have trouble. the first hour and a half to two hours are fine. but after that is when i get cold. my main body stays nice and warm, even my arms and legs. it is just my fingers, and toes that get cold. any suggestions???

 

[7.62Reaper]

electric gloves

 

[~z]

move to TX and hunt in shorts
~z

 

[jak67429]

the chemical hand warmers work great. Also like the ones the have adhesive on them when it is realy cold will stick one on my shirt by my lower back. They also have some for inside your boots.

 

[Sinixstar]

There's an article I read some time about, about some biomedical engineering lab for the military, and research they were doing about how to warm/cool core body temps quickly. What they found is that the hand has a large amount of blood vessels very close to the surface of the skin, and that using this - they can warm/cool the blood in the hand very quickly, which then circulates through the rest of your body (thus warming or cooling the rest of your body).

There's some devices that have been developed as a result of this that are being used primarily in sports and medicine.

http://www.stanfordalumni.org/news/magazine/2005/julaug/features/cool.html

The thing you have to remember - is that as you get cold, your body will not pump as much blood to your extremities. Once this begins to happen, warming your body back up can be a long process, and probably not something that's going to be immediately easy in the field (not without walking for some time anyways).
Your best bet is going to be to keep from getting to that point in the first place.

Now - why I brought up that first bit of info about the glove device, is that while those specific devices may not be all that suitable - something like electric gloves, or some sort of hand-warmers inside your gloves very well may do the trick. I haven't experimented with it much - but perhaps you'd like to.
The key is going to be to make sure you're using them BEFORE you get too cold. If you keep your core body temp up - this will help keep blood circulating, and help keep the rest of you warm.

I think that's one of the key problems a lot of people face, even with basic things like layering. They don't think to warm themselves up or even add layers until they're already uncomfortably cold - at which point it's too late. It's like the old saying when traveling through the desert. If you're thirsty - you're already dehydrated.

 

[Sinixstar]

the chemical hand warmers work great. Also like the ones the have adhesive on them when it is realy cold will stick one on my shirt by my lower back. They also have some for inside your boots.

I use the toe-warmers on cold days snowboarding - absolute life savers. They're sticky on the bottom, and sort of crescent shaped to fit the end of your boot.

 

[DRYHUMOR]

Those boots are pretty rough on the feet. Partly because they aren't very good to walk far in, and partly because they can cause your feet to sweat a good bit.

The better solution would be to get a good sleeping bag and carry it with you. Get in the stand, get situated, and get into it. Bring it up to mid waist, and put your hunting coat on over it. The warmth coming up has to go into your coat, helping keep you warm.

A warm hat helps as well, a lot of body heat is lost through the head. Some of the poly synthetics are good, as well as wool, and fur. I've got a fur hat for those bitter cold days. Nice and toasty.

 

[stiab]

I've had the same problem and learned that in the deer blind one should wear a thin pair of gloves for camo purposes only. To keep hands warm use one of the belt on hand compartments, and put the chemical hand warmers in those. They are big enough to contain your gloved hands, so when Mr. Buch appears just pull your hands out and they are still camo-ed and warm.

Using gloves for the purpose of keeping your hands warm has not worked for me after several hours.

 

[moooose102]

i have been using chemical hand/feet warmers, that is one of the reasons i thought i would be all set. but even with them, and my thinsulate's i get colt extremities. the electric gloves sound interesting. now if they just made electric boots! the boots i have do not allow much room for extra socks (they are not supposed to be needed), so unless somebody make electric socks that are quite thin, like regular socks, they probably wouldnt work. i will have to see what i can find online. thanks for some idea's.

 

[Sinixstar]

Electric socks are pretty common. They run about $15/pair, run off 9-volt batteries.

I know they made electric snowboard boots - I have to imagine somebody's made an electric liner for hunting as well.

edit:

here ya go:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...h-box.jsp.form1&Go.x=0&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

 

[caribou]

If you have to sit still, try flexing your toes and stretching your fingers. Hang them straight and low, allowing warm blood to circulate.

Mittens are best for sitting still, your heart beat will warm your fingers when you have game in sight to shoot.

Black "Mickey's" are for cold wet, and white "Mickeys" are for dry cold, which is usually below Zero.

Wear loos, fluffy socks that fill in the boot with out being tight.

Arctic trick;Seal oil......maby olive oil for you , slather'd on a salad? Both are good for cleaning out your veins, and are redily absorbed for immediate use by the body.

Eat properly befor hunting. Snack often.Take Candy, it will warm you.

Take sweet tea to drink in your thermos.Hold the thermos! Itll be warm, and we often pack them in an insulating bag to keep them warm longer.That should really help, and its quiet...LOL!

We eat Seal Oil with frozen, cooked, dryed meat , cut veggies, roots, berries, dry'd fish and blubber chunks for the immediate Calories it gives.
Actally, oldtimers travled with a pich of salt and a supply of Seal Oil, as it will caloricly make frozen meat worth eating, warming you rather than chilling you, and you dont need a fire to get warm.

Chemical heaters are fine, just make sure they "Breath" for a bit, and heat up. I once put a set immediatly in my boots, and sufferd, untilll the next day, when we got to a village and I took off my boots...then they got Oxygen and warmed...PMO!!!! LOL, live and learn!

Good luck!

 

[Grassman]

move to TX and hunt in shorts
~z



Not so much this year, it's been down in the 20's here at night. Pretty chilly in the daytime too.

 

[qajaq59]

Wear the warmest hat you can buy. The brain will shut down the flow of blood to your extremities to protect itself, so keep it as warm as you can.

 

[moooose102]

move to TX and hunt in shorts

i dont know about that. i have seen a lot of hunting tv shows hunting deer in texas, and there arent any of them wearing shorts. but, on the other hand, they dont exactly look like the pilsbury dough boy either!

 

[moooose102]

Wear the warmest hat you can buy. The brain will shut down the flow of blood to your extremities to protect itself, so keep it as warm as you can

i dont wear a hat, i wear 3 of the danged things! if i walk more than 100 yards, i am sweating like a race horse after running the kentucky derby! like i said, the only part of me that gets cold is my fingers and toes.

 

[scythefwd]

I got some good thick fleece convertible gloves from Dicks sporting goods for about 10 dollars out of the clearance bin. They are fingerless gloves that have a mitten type flap that can be pulled over the fingers to keep you warm while still leaving you access to your trigger finger when you need it. Inside the mitten flap, my wife sewed in a pocket that will hold one of the chemical hand warmers. The gloves are good down into the very low 30's without the extra heat. Adding the heater will probably get you down into the teens before you really want more. These gloves from cabelas are very similar, but on mine the flap is held back using magnets and not velcro (or thats what it looks like in the picture).

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0021066920007a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all_NYR-perf&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&QueryText=fleece+gloves&Ntk=Products&Nty=1&cm_cat=Google_NonBrand&nyr=1&Ne=2510&Ntt=fleece+gloves&noImage=0&cm_ven=performics&_requestid=22008&Ntx=mode+matchall&cm_pla=search_search_gloves&N=4746&cm_ite=fleece%20gloves&rid=0180101070502&cmCat=perf

The mickey mouse boots are also known as rocky mountains. They suck. The sole is very unflexable and they feel almost like walking in ski boots. They are way over insulated if you are doing any type of walking. What every you do, dont polish them or water proof them as it clogs the pores and your feet do have to breath. I used them last year but never again. I'd rather have cold feet and use my jungle boots with thick wool socks than those clod hoppers on.

 

[Loomis]

cold beer.

It doesn't seem to make sense, but it does work. Take one or two cans of beer with you. If you feel like you are starting to cool off, crack one open and drink about half of it...slowly. Then let that settle until you start to feel like the warmth is building inside you. Wait until your mouth and throat warm up then drink the rest.

It works for me. It feels like someone kicks on the furnace, starting in my chest.

Another thing you should check on is your boots. If you are staying warm everywhere except your feet, it could be because you are losing circulation to your feet. Try wearing boots that don't fit so tight. Also, it could be the way you are sitting or standing. If you are sitting on something that digs into your butt or the back of your thigh, it will make your feet cold. If you are standing with your knees locked back, it will make your feet cold.

 

[scythefwd]

I agree with the second half of loomis post. Tight fitting boots are not really a great idea. Round here getting caught drinking while hunting is considered a big no no with the game wardens.

 

[Funderb]

Good boots, waterproof, thick socks, check out duluth trading company,
they have some thick boot socks that are amazing.

Thinsulate gloves, type it in on google. for times when you don't need your fingers, mittens over the top.
Layers, layers, one big jacket will not keep you warm.

I have a little experience with the hiking and cold weather to extreme weather variance camping.

DO NOT DRINK.
Drinking only provides your body a faster way to lose heat, if you drink you will die faster from hypothermia. The "warm feeling" is a trap.


Another thing to do is find a local boy scout troop that does hiking and have some of the scouts help you get outfitted.
People tend to look only into scandal, but the scout organization is a phenomenal tool.

 

[moooose102]

well, thanks for the cold beer sugestion, but i really do not want to end up in jail. we do have game wardens in this area, and if they catch you with alcohol while hunting, your all done, jail, loose your huning privilages, comfiscate your firearm, etc. they really do not have a sense of humor. and probably righfully so. this area is known for alcohol problems. so i would rather freeze to death (litterally) than be carted off to jail.

 

[Art Eatman]

The "Mickey Mouse" boots we had in Korea worked well. I walked guard duty iin the snow at 17 below. Long johns. Fatigues. Field pants with liner. Parka with liner over field jacket with liner. But my feet were warm, even if my hands were cold. (Promised the Lord I'd find a place without winter, too. If I want hard water, well, I have this big white box in the kitchen.)

My only experience with hand warmers is with the type you fill with lighter fluid. They seem to get too hot, at least too hot to suit me. But, wrapped in a towel with your hands resting on it, might work.

Art

 

[sd]

my 2 cents, layers, headgear, heavy wool socks, but not so thick that your boots are tight. tight boots are bad news.

 

[Smokey Joe]

Cold hands...

Moose 102--I used to hunt in quite cold weather, say 20's or teens°F, wearing leather mittens with knit wool liners. These are called "choppers," I suppose because old-time loggers wore them. They worked pretty well for me.

Have used the lighter-fluid-burning hand warmers, quite successfully. Never liked how they smelled, but BOY were they nice & toasty! One of my buds swears by the chemical-packet hand and toe warmers. For my own part, I don't like burning up fuel nor having used-up chemical handwarmers to constantly dispose of. But, both do work.

(Electric sox, same deal--they work but you produce a succession of used-up batteries.)

Then I happened upon the trick of keeping my jacked half-unbuttoned, and putting my right hand inside, into the left armpit/sleeve. (A la Napoleon but more so.) This was a big improvement--could get the nice warm hand out in a jiffy for shooting.

More recently my #1 son came up with something even better--a muff! Sounds stupid, and 1880's-girly, but gee whiz, your favorite pro quarterback uses one during every cold game, so, heck, I tried it. This is the solution to cold hands that I currently favor. I keep a good pair of gloves with me while hunting, for the times when I need gloved hands for something, but for waiting on the deer stand or the goose blind, where (I hope!) I'll need a bare hand for shooting, that muff is (Tony the Tiger voice) Grrrrrr-EAT!!! (/Tony the Tiger voice)

The muff I use is poly-fleece insulated, with a knit cuff on each end. It has a neck strap (which I rarely use.) Looking at it, you wouldn't think it was all that warm, but abt. 5 min. after putting my hands in it, they are really nice. When it comes shooting time, I take my right (trigger hand) out of the muff and hold the gun with my left, still in the muff.

Had one day this past deer season where the temps @ the start of the day were in the low single-digits. Muff still worked.

When it's time to go pick up geese, or track deer, then on go the old choppers.

 

[Big_R]

I've hunted in Northern Minnesota for many years and dealt with everything from shirt sleeve weather to the type of cold where you get ice in your mustache. I've learned that cold hands and feet are a symptom of a cold everything.

What works for me when it's really cold is to wear long underwear inside sweat pants/sweatshirt, then an insulated coverall. Wool hat with "mad bomber" hat over that. For hands, I use mechanix type gloves inside a hand warmer muff with a heat pack. Shoes, I use good Columbia boots, wool socks, and a heat pack made for shoes. Caribou is right about letting the chemical packs breathe for a while although be careful about the shoe ones. They don't need much air to get too hot.

After all that, we installed small wood stoves in our permanent deer stands. Now, that's toasty.

Ryan

 

[bad_aim_billy]

I second the hand warmer muff with heat pack if you're sitting, works quite well and no gloves to get in the way.