Staying Warm While Hunting

Besides the obvious, good thermals, pants, jacket, layering clothing, hood socks, boots, gloves, beanie, handwarmers, footwarmers, etc. what do you do additionally to stay warm? Other than my feet and fingers, I am pretty comfortable in enclosed box blinds and my tripods until about 40 degrees assuming low winds. When temps are in lower 30s or colder and especially with some wind, I tend to struggle body temperature wise. I've not much used propane heaters in past but purchased a Little Buddy today as well as some covered tripod enclosures and intend on using both next season. What kind of THF advisement or secrets can you all shed on this?

When it is cold, I wear a face mask, with a wool type hat over it. I have used a hard had liner for face protection, and it worked well. For my feet, I wear socks, then heavy socks, then a insulated rubber boot. The key to the boot is that it is not tight. I find insulated pants really help. Quality warm gloves/mittens are a must. If you are in the wind, a jacket with a hood really helps. Having plenty of food, snacks, and water are important. If the cold really gets to me, I will go for a short walk, to warm up. I have a buddy heater, but have never tried it while hunting.

I've found a good, warm neck gaiter makes a pretty big difference for me. If really cold I'll pull it up over my face and ears, and with a beanie only my eyes and nose are exposed.

For bottoms I'll use thermals, insulated pants, and coveralls. For tops I'll use thermals, long sleeve fleece button up, pullover, vest, and coat. Wool socks and nice neoprene insulated boots. If my ears are cold sometimes I'll wear two beanies. For my hands I'll wear liner gloves, then thicker gloves over the top...but my hands don't get cold very often.

It's a pretty rare occasion for me to use a heater in the blind. I've also noticed that if I am sitting and my knees are bent for a while my feet will get colder...I try to stretch my legs out and that seems to help, my guess is because of circulation.

Not much u can do other than what u stated. Hand warmers save me cause I don’t wear gloves but for whatever reason my feet are a lost cause but hands being warm works to stick it out. I think it’s a circulation thing while sitting that causes most of it. Walk around and cold feet are gone sit and feet a block of ice.

I think I got too cold when I was younger and I can’t stand the cold anymore. I guided goose hunts in the panhandle and Canada in my twenties and I never wore gloves because I was always calling. Countless times I was laying on the ground in temps in the single digits or teens for hours with no gloves. Now if it is in the lower 30s or colder my hands start hurting bad after just a few minutes. I can’t stand it. I have little buddies in all my blinds and if I am in there and it is cold they are on. They work great. I think I would be comfortable in my blind in shorts and a t shirt in 20 degree weather with the little buddy cranked up.

DQ kid ya say?

Well the secret to staying warm is simple. Chocolate dipped vanilla, one lick at a time. Ya need that fuel burning to keep ya warm. Guaranteed: I stand by it

It's normal as you get older due to a decrease in circulation. My problem with cold hands and feet is due to a Beta Blocker I take which reduces or slows circulation to them. I found out the hard way that it also makes me more susceptible to frost bite. Goose hunting in Kansas I was cutting a hole in a frozen lake for goose decoys during a -6 degree morning and took my gloves and hood off for maybe 5 minutes. Later found I had frostbite on the very tips of some fingers and tip of my nose. So know that if your on blood pressure meds, some of those meds can be the cause if you have unusually cold feet and hands. And can cause real problems in extreme cold.

Something I do that really helps with not getting cold in the stand is to not just layer my clothing, but not put all the layers on until I am in the stand or blind. I will roll my jacket and extra layers up and strap them on the back of my pack or carried under my arm when walking to the stand. Same for duck hunting. If it's really cold I don't put the waders and parka on until at the hunting spot. If I get lazy and don't do this, I always end up getting hot and sweaty during the walk in, then later I end up getting much colder because of it. For feet when it is real cold, I will use liner socks under wool socks to wick the moisture off my feet. Hand warmers in my pockets for my hands. And with my enclosed tower blind I have been known to drop off a blanket or sleeping back in it on a hunting trip to have to cover up with during hunts if I get cold.

My truck has a good heater and it makes as good a blind as anything else.

I buy Filson Mackinaw wool and also use tin cloth as a top layer. Have not been cold yet.

I'm usually good till about 30 degrees, but I don't have any high dollar clothes. My problem is sweating on my mile walk to my stands and then then getting cold. So I've started carrying a backpack with my warm clothes in them and putting them on when I get to the stand.

I had no doubt. That's some good stuff.

I take to the cold quite well, but the big ones for me are:

Doc spoke of neck gaiters and that there is a bing, bing, bing. Strong help to keep your core warm.

I prefer overalls over full body suits. More easily facilitates layering. Doesn't need to be heavily insulated ones, just a 2nd or potentially 3rd layer.

Merino wool socks - one pair.

Insulated hat - ask Bobo.

A trick we used to use in CO when I was growing up is to take an aspirin an hour or two before you head out. Aspirin thins the blood a little and allows it to flow into you fingers and toes easier which helps you stay warm. Not everyone can do this due to some medical issues but if you can it really helps. Many people wear a lot of layers which can be good but they wear them too tight. Having the layers a little looser allows an air pocket to form around you and after your body heats up the air that really helps you stay warm. This is especially true when it comes to boots. Tight fitting boots will make your feet cold and it doesn't matter how much insulation is in them if they are too tight. A good hat and a baclava really helps as well. For gloves I actually use a mitten type with a slit that I can put my fingers through to shoot. Mittens allow all your fingers to be next to each other and your hands will stay warmer.

If you have to walk any distance take off most of your outer layers and pack them in a day pack. Your body heats up as you walk and you will sweat. This makes you damp and that will really make you cold. Walk in to where you want to be and still still about 10 min to allow the sweat to disperse and then put on your outer layers. You want to be comfortably cool as you walk, then get a little chilled before putting on the outer layer and then warm up. It sounds crazy but it works.

DQ you’ve had good threads lately(maybe always and I haven’t noticed.) Descriptive titles which I really like. This thread I’m looking forward to cause I get cold easily. I’m sure some will chime in on mountain states hunting when there’s lots of walking and then stopping and that’s a whole different ballgame on staying warm. I’m more curious on basic sitting still hunting. Right now I’m hunting(40 and 20mph wind) but I’ll comment later. For now one quick tip on those air activated hand warmers which I love. If you haven’t used them up you can put them in airtight zip lock baggie after use and reuse. They can stay days like that.

When I was doing a lot of scuba diving I learned that a person loses the most heat through their heads. There's little, if any naturel insulation up there, so wearing really good, well insulated head gear will really help keep you warm.

You can use anti perspiration spray on your feet to help keep them from getting damp when you walk in.

Sniper, thanks for posting this. I was wondering why I can't take the cold like I used to and never thought about the Beta Blocker that I am taking. My hands have always been on the cold side, but now that I am in my mid 60's, they seem to be worse.
I have started using Hot Hands inside my gloves, placed on the top side between the wrist and fingers. I open them up on the drive from the house to where we hunt, to let them get good and warm.They take awhile to heat up inside the gloves. My hands stay nice and warm now.

There are two main things I have to have in my deer blind when temps dip into the 40's and less. First of all, if my neck and ears are warm, I stay warm. Secondly even with base layer if my legs stay warm I am good. I have to have a fleece neck gaiter to cover my neck and up over my ears. Secondly, I always have my 5 dollar fleece blanket to put across my legs. That keeps me toasty for long sits. I also have a fleece neck gaiter in my duck blind bag too. On the gaiters, I like the ones from Drake Waterfowl the best and they have the most comfortable fit.

A trick to keeping fingertips warm I got from my motorcycle buddies is to put bits of cotton balls in the tips of your gloves. It does help a bit.

When it's cold, I never hunt without my buddy heater.

If under 40 and windy, I go light base layer, heavy base layer, and then pant/shirt. I have a heavy insulated coat over that. On my head I wear a light balaclava that is not wind-permeable, covered by an insulated ski mask and then jacket hood over that. With heavy gloves, I am good in a tripod for three-ish hours down to about 25 degrees, even colder if the wind lays. Heavy wool socks and Irish Setter heavy insulated hunting boots.

I'm sorry, 30 is cold ?

We don't sit in blinds so wind blocking layers are a must with merino wool underlayers. A good hat is also a must , cold head / cold body.

I’ve got lots to comment on all this but just a few at a time. I’m similar to Quit on most of what he said. For head on cold windy days when I’m exposed I have a thinish and snug neck gaiter I guess you call it. I turn it up from the back to pull it over my head and my neck and head is completely covered except eyes mouth. Then my 30 year old insulated cap with ear flaps over that. Then a somewhat stretched out ski mask fits over cap and all. Then of course hood from jacket. My exposed nose mouth still gets cold and I’m contemplating some type face shield like some wear for covid.
Some things I do seem like a lot to others but when you hunt from daylight to dark outside a blind and never move it changes everything. No matter how warm for a few hours, if cold can creep in anywhere it will eventually permeate to the core and become unbearable(to me).

Very good topic DQ. Seems in Texas there are more warm hunts than cold , but when it gets cold and humid can make a hunt miserable. Since I have got older I went to a box blind and can bow hunt and rifle hunt from it . This has made a huge difference on staying warm. If I am bow hunting I don’t use a heater but will when rifle hunting if it gets real cold . Loose clothing does seem to work better for me as well. Nothing worse on a hunt then getting too cold.

Note, Beta and Calcium Blockers will also cause some problems in the heat. It gave me hell as a firefighter wearing turnout gear while firefighting and I had to make some med adjustments to get around it during my last couple years before I retired. It made my performance look awesome on those treadmill tests though.

That's a good idea. I never thought of that before. On extended hunts in the cold, I have carried extra socks with me so I can change them out when my feet get damp and cold.

Hmmm gotta go take a look at the 11 med's I take everyday, with 1/2 of 'em taken twice a day. My high blood pressure pills come in several 'scrips. I have to be careful with my intake of anything in the Aspirin family. Anybody know anything about Plavix issues in cold weather?, I baby my 4 stents bigtime, but I escaped a triple bypass with the stents umm a little over 10 years ago, and so far only have had a small amount of calcification show up in my aorta. I'll be 78 this coming fall & I'd like to make it past 80 if possible...

Good Post, thanks for the heads up.
Ron

BODY - Outside of some of the things that have already been mentioned about clothing, the first thing I do is before I buy any type of hunting jacket or pants, I put my mouth up to the clothing and see if I can blow air through it and if I can blow air through it from the outside and have my hand on the inside of the garment and feel the air I am blowing I DO NOT even consider buying it for cold weather hunting. You will be surprised how many high dollar apparels made for hunting you can do this with that allows air through the garment. Why would I buy an expensive hunting jacket or pants if I can feel air coming through it. I want to retain my body heat and keep the outside ambient temperature and wind blocked off of me as much as I can. Try it the next time you're in the hunting section on some of the clothing and you'll be amazed at what you will find when doing this.

My feet and hands are usually what get me.

HANDS - For the hand warmers I upped my game a little bit and buy the body warmers that are much larger, but use them for my hands.

FEET - I had trouble with my feet all of my life getting the coldest and about 7 years ago finally found what works best for me. I tried thick socks, multiple thin socks, panty hose, and some other things, but what I have found that has worked the best for me and my young daughters is for our feet is I started buying boots that are a size or 2 too big and wear regular socks and then buy the full size insole foot warmers and this is key....don't put the insole foot warmer on the bottom of your foot like the instructions say. Instead, wrap half of the foot warmer around the top half of your foot and toes and the other half on the bottom of your foot. The foot warmers need some air to stay heated and by buying the bigger boots and wrapping it over the top of your foot helps keep the insole foot warmer going. I've actually had my feet get too hot especially if walking long distances to the blind.

I do most of my hunting from enclosed blinds with nice quiet windows that I can leave up in addition to a propane heater if needed when it's really cold just to avoid the misery factor so that helps.

Broke my big toe when I was young. Poor circulation ever since. Gets cold below 50 degrees. Bought these hot hands toe warmers to try this year. Low expectations but they worked. Sticks to bottom of sock. Made specifically for enclosed space. Didn’t move around in my boot on 1/4 mile walk to blind. Kept my pesky toe warm for 5 hours in open air brush blind in 30 degree weather. Loose layers and good seal around my neck are also keys for me.

Agree. Just as a warm cap keeps heat from radiating from your head, a neck gaiter does the same for your neck while also keeping warm air from escaping from the top of your coat. Of course a warm scarf serves the same purpose.

I also like to wear a thin sock under a thick sock to wick away sweat you gain while getting to your stand.

Finally, while they're a little pricey, 3M makes heated insoles that work very well in extreme cold. They're designed so they don't get warm like other products, which may seem odd, but help your feet from losing heat through the bottom of your boots where insulation is often lacking. As we've all learned with the Thermacell, if 3M makes it you can rest assured it works.

Things that have improved my hunts over the years. #1 is windows that I can close to block the wind. #2 is good Gore-tex Windproof pants and jackets. I used to wear bibs and heavy jacket even if it was in the high 40's but a base layer and a good pair of windproof pants have me only wearing my bibs in below freezing temps. I am still looking for a system for my feet though. I usually wear my snake boots most of the season and didn't even wear my insulated boots this last season due to temps so those colder days with heavy winds can be a pain.

A buddy heater is a must when my kids are with me but have not had to use it for myself since I put windows on my blind.

In a blind? Mr. Buddy

It’ll be 23 in morning and I’ll be out there so I’ll report back…….

Forgotten the obvious. One pound coffee can, roll of toilet paper, bottle of alcohol and matches. Just don't kick it over. This saved me many times.

Sitting in the cold.
Thick wool socks. Uninsulated leather boots 1/2 size big. Comfortable pair of jeans or fleece pants. Heavy wool pants. T-shirt. Long tailed wool shirt tucked in. Fleece pull over. Filson heavy wool double thick cruiser jacket. Neck warmer big enough to pull up over my chin. Either a heavy wool cap with ear flaps or a ball cap with a stocking cap over it. If the wind is popping I may wear a pair of fire hose pants and a light soft shell jacket with a hood over the top. Warm insulated leather gloves. Things need to fit snug enough to keep the cold out but not tight enough to bind circulation. I’m warm enough in low teens to fall asleep and can still move. A well fitting down jacket is about as warm and comfortable as it gets but the shells are usually a little noisy if you have animals up close.

All the layers mentioned and some good whiskey to keep you warm and fuzzy on the inside.

Heat up a breakfast burrito or sausage biscuit and wrap in foil and put it in your jacket.

Or just buy a Buddy Heater to keep you toasty warm and heat up your Burrito on it when you're ready.

Agreed. Will not have a blind without windows of some type.

Damn skippy!!!

Only I have the little cheapy one

In regular cold; I just wear the usual, if it’s in the teens with wind blowing, I go to the coats that the guys use to attack the largest mountains in the world. Almost always goose down. I figure ducks and geese have figured this out. And if they don’t, the guys hanging on a mountain at 20,000 feet probably do.

Two Words: Battery Powered Socks

Number one thing is be hydrated
Number two, eat before you head out

Those two are the most influential things you can do. You have to have fuel to provide internal heat, so with out the necessary fuel to produce heat, the catch layers are useless

Now the rest is just layering. I prefer wind block layer when not doing any thing strenuous. Out side of that it’s just layers and a supplemental on extremities. For example when I’m glass from an external exposed spot I use mitts(mountain hardware absolute zero or Cabela's Stand Hunter Gloves) and toss in a hot pocket in each.
If im moving a bunch I use a light Kuiu/columbia fleece neck waiter, if setting I use heavy cabelas Berber one. If I moving a I use light weight high quality down jacket (Mountain hardware ghost whisper) if I'm setting using heavy wind blocker cabelas Berber pull over jacket. Etc.


This cat is easy to skin just have to refine the system,

And let us not forget the benefit provided by a hot beverage poured from a thermos that warms the body from the inside out. The hot thermos cup alone can help warm the hands and fingers.

Never been much of a coffee drinker but boy do I enjoy steamy hot chocolate on those cold, frosty mornings.

We have a mr buddy in all our blinds. Never seems to bother the deer. But hogs I’m pretty sure know the smell. Never had them stay at the close feeder (30yds for archery)when heater was on

Nice. Poptarts prop easily between the bars too. Buddy heaters are the way to go period.

flannel lined pants make a huge difference

Best undergarments ever : polypropylene. Hands down the best. Half the price of the fancy Under Armour crap. You can get tops, bottoms, neck gaiters, full face coverings and more. Can’t beat it.

I have tried most of the recommended items listed above...the neck gaiter was the most effective.

I too walk as much as a mile into the stand and am aware of building up too much body heat to the point of sweating. My current approach builds on the tried and true principle of layering. Down to freezing...I wear liner socks+thin wool socks in insulated boots (nothing too exotic)...bush popper jeans...a thin moisture wicking long sleeve shirt...and a fairly generic hoodie walking to the stand (if it gets much lower than freezing, I wear a heavier pair of wool socks and a loose fitting Under Armour layer below the hoodie). I can pull the hoodie up or down to manage the heat and place hands in or out of the kangaroo pocket. Which is all pretty standard. For years I carried the high-tech jackets and a bib overall to then add in the stand as needer. One day I decided to just put a 2X hoodie over the 1X hoodie and was shocked at how warm I was. The double hoodie did a better job of keeping my head/neck area warm and I didn't end up fogging my binos and/or scope. The two layers of hoodie replace the neck gaiter and traps air...but it also extends out somewhat like a tube like true arctic gear. And I REALLY appreciate ALWAYS having a kangaroo pouch on the outside layer to keep my phone warm and available as needed. So I tried 3 hoodies and I was actually too hot at freezing. I was finally able to try 3 at about 20 degrees F three years ago and I haven't looked back. In fact I have a 4X hoodie just in case it gets any colder.

Viagra - sure gets the blood pumping

Poly - pro ! 😁🥃

Superduty, inform this dummy just what TIN CLOTH is, please. Daniel

Tin cloth is "spendy" good stuff.

A shot of vodka goes a long way. Russian secret for long waits at the bus stops lol

Hudbone, You are a lot of help. LOL Daniel

So a shot of any liquor is the key, got that. Guess I'll keep copious amounts of Wild Turkey in every blind. LOL

Alcohol helps you feel warm because it thins your blood and allows better circulation to fingers, toes, etc. sabotages what your body is trying to do- keep your core warm so you can survive extreme cold.

Alcohol just speeds up hypothermia

I have an electric heater with a thermostat.

This year in about 7 degrees ambient temp, with a pretty good breeze and snow probably pushing the wind chill to near zero, I did ok with just my Walmart real tree hoodie over a t shirt with a hot hands adhesive body warmer stuck on it, with my rain resistant carhart on top of that. Two pairs of sweat pants, a pair of good insulated gloves/mittens with hand warmer pockets, and most importantly I had on good wool socks with a hand warmer in the toes of my boots.

The hoodie has a face cover in it, I wear my lucky beanie from my 2nd deployment on top of all that. This beanie is awesome.

I was not comfy but I could hang for a day in the tree stand.

In this outfit I can work in a -40 degree windchill literally all day and have done it. Sitting perfectly still in a blind or tree stand is different though, you don’t generate the body heat and it really sucks. Not comfortable but it will prevent hypothermia and frostbite.