I did the same thing. I was in a winter jacket, boots, wool socks, blue jeans, and would sit for hours in the freezing darkness, out in the open, facing north into the wind as you said. I invited people out in the winter time, not because I needed company, but because it was good to have a warm body next to me to help shield me from the bite of the cold air.

Enclosed with a heater is good. I just wish the solar panels would generate enough juice for the hot chocolate machine.

Some of you must really hate deer to put up with so much to go after them. As others here will likely agree, age has a way of reducing such hatred.

You live in Houston, you should move to Cuba

Most miserable I've ever been hunting was back in high school when I was at a buddy's place around Mertzon at Thanksgiving. Didn't keep up with the weather back then - figured 30s for lows and 50s for highs...boy was I wrong...teens for lows and 30s for highs with a ripping west texas wind. Sucked.

Coldest duck hunt was around 2 degrees...Wasn't that bad with the right layers/clothes.

The day 89 duck hunters died
89 Duck hunters dead

Anything under -10 is too cold for me, been there done that and it is dangerous if not prepared.
My last cow bison was brutal, about -13 the morning I shot her.
Had some WT deer hunts in E. Wyoming that deer froze solid when left in field overnight, we stood them up for pics the next morning.
Windchill is a killer so be careful out there in cold weather.

Archery, 30-40 below 0° with wind Temps.
30min hunt. Up in tree stands.
Last seconds of hunt a doe came out by my bro's stand.
As he drew back arrow came off string.
sound of an aluminum arrow bounching of tree & limbs echoed .

We still go out in below zero Temps (in our 60's), if wind not too bad ta hunt.

On the colder days we go 🧊🎣 ing.

It depends where I am, but if it’s below 10 F I am staying by the fire.

I guided waterfowl hunts in the panhandle for 6 years. I endured many miserable conditions. Single digits with howling winds and I couldn't wear gloves because I had to be calling. I was younger and dumber and it didn't seem to phase too much at the time but I think I somehow hurt myself as I can not tolerate the cold at all now and it is almost solely due to my hands. The rest of my body can be totally fine but if it even gets slightly cold my fingers get painfully cold in a hurry. If it gets below 40 my hands start hurting. I thought maybe some kind of circulation issue but went to Dr and they couldn't find anything wrong.

I spent a week working in Michigan in January once and I don't think it got over 10 degrees the entire time I was there. I have also worked in negative temperatures in northern Kansas.Yuck.

First time elk hunting we camped about 8,500ft. Woke up the first morning and it was 9 degrees in the tent. Hunting wasn't bad because we were moving, getting out of bed each morning was the coldest part.

In a stand, I'm good down into the 20's without a heater. Past that I'm either just hanging in camp or will definitely have a heater in the stand.

16 degrees and sleeting public hunting sitting under a tree was the coldest out in the elements. I think 9 degrees sitting in a box blind with my Buddy heater was the latest. Minus 72 degrees wind chill with the wind coming off the Yellow Sea on New Year's morning in S. Korea when the new Base Commander asserted his authority and ordered a Commanders Call for the entire base was the coldest I've ever been.

Just from the title, first thought EX-wife.

Reading more hunting in the cold all has changed over the years for me. Now on blood thinners below 30 seems cold especially with high humidity, Im my teens without as good of cloths 14 was about my limit. Now I might would hunt that from good box blind and little buddy heater

My Great Uncle used to talk about that storm. He said the duck hunting was incredible, the ducks just kept coming in and coming in. Best day of duck hunting he ever saw.

I too have read about that storm. That was a bad day.

Back in high school I remember feeding the cows square bails out the back of a pickup only wearing jeans, my summer football jersey (the mesh ones), and a pair of leather work gloves with the temps in the upper teens-lower 20's and no wind. Never really felt cold. Coldest I've ever felt was 1) making an amphibious landing in near Norfolk, VA in January with about 4" of snow on the beach. We "hit the beach" in water a little over waist deep. That was miserable. And 2) rode my motorcycle from Marlin to Temple about 3am in January wearing only jeans and a t-shirt after going over to visit a good friend. It was in the upper 30's but I about froze to death! My hands and thighs felt the worst. It had been in the 70's during the day and I stayed way later than I had planned.

Cold doesn't really bother me even now unless there's wind or wet. That stuff cuts through me like a knife. I avoid that kind of weather at all costs....

So, as many others have said...it's more a factor of wind and wet vs. temp for me.

Back in the late 90s we hunted a friend's place for mule deer on a mesa southwest of Durango. It would always get cold at night, but one night in particular the wind came up and was howling and temp dropped to 9*. We were not really prepared and the all others in the party who had been primitive camping ended up inside my pop up camper. It was better at blocking wind, but still pretty drafty and no insulation, so it got pretty miserable.

In 2001 we rode motorcycles from Dallas to Sturgis with a detour up through the mountains. We stayed at a free campsite just outside of Estes Park and temps dropped to 19. We had sleeping bags, but I ended up wearing every stitch of clothing I brought for the trip, including leathers, in my light sleeping bag. Went to bed about 10, but was up by 4 stoking the fire. That made the next day of riding very long!

As many have said, wind plays the biggest factor.

Back in the day, on a working ranch, we branded old school, (brand in fire).
1) We rode out check for cattle. The other guy was dressed for it, heaviest thing i
was wearing was a Jean jacket, with some down on inside.

We got caught in snow storm. Couldn't see 5' in front of ya. Was out roughly 2hrs.
Hands & feet were so numb couldn't feel reins nor stirrups. Whin feet & hands get cold,
Theirs no keeping warm.

2) We were out throwing cake for cattle. Snow storm, i was in back of truck.
Driver hit a dip in the pasture, front tire sunk in.
We were roughly over 1mile from ranch house. i took off walking. using telephone poles as guide.
@ a 2 O'clock heading. Snow picked up.
Snow blindness set in, snow hitting face was like needles.
Ended up walking in circles.
Finally made it ta ranch house,got another pick up & got other ranch hand.

Did end up with a huge sweld-up earlobe, but that's another story, alcohol was involved.
Got several cold "cool" stories.

Social distancing from MN.

Cold tis a state of mind

With all our modern advances, it’s never too cold to hunt. I hunted the coldest day of the season last year, with my bow. It gets sub zero here. Blew my only chance at a shot for the whole season, because I was trying to warm my hands when I should have been nocked, locked, and ready to rock. So this year I will spare no expense to stay warm, but I damn sure will be out there hunting.

Best thing about the harshest point in the winter is that food is scarce, so find that and you will for sure see deer. Soybeans are awesome because as they freeze and dry out the pods open and the beans fall out, it does not happen all at once so there are almost always a little bit of beans on the snow. They are not very appealing to the deer until they fall out of the pods. They will eat the pods but they do not prefer it. Soybeans on the snow, deer will come.

I dislike any temps under 50°F.

Give me summer.

As I native south Texan that is poorly traveled I feel ill equipped to weigh in. I’ve never been too cold to hunt, but I’ve never seen the temps some of you have.

I grew up in South Dakota, to me when the temps hit -10 or the wind-chill hits -20 it's to cold for me to get out and hunt. It's a totally different kinda hunting in SD. Mostly spot and stock. Pretty much no one has a deer stand either. Wide open country where you have to move and scan to find deer. My most common shot is 250yards from a kneeling or sitting position. Most years when I go back for hunting season temps are in the teens tonight to mid. 20's and windy.

I have seen -7° and +113° on the same piece of ground.

Not for the faint of heart.

Hunting Nebraska for the first time......3 degrees with a windchill of -17 and the wind blowing 40 mph. Was a culture shock for this South Texan. That sucked, especially in wet steel toed work boots.

To me cold is when its uncomfortable. I thought 10° with still conditions in the high mountains was not bad. The most miserable cold I experienced was working in a refinery on the south shore of the Houston Ship channel at 28° with a hard north wind. That cold cut me to the bone.

Did single digits for hog hunting in February of this year. That's cold enough for me