Mia
Many factors go into making a deer hunt successful. For instance, this comprehensive guide on how to choose the best scope for your rifle can help you buy a quality scope that will guarantee an excellent shot.
However, when you’re hunting whitetails during the cold season, it’s a different game altogether. During a late-season deer hunt, your priority is to keep warm and dry.
Staying warm as you wait for hours in a hunting blind or tree stand during cold temperatures is not only critical for your hunting success but your health too.
To ensure you don’t freeze out during a cold-weather deer hunt, here are five tips on how to stay warm.
1. Keep Your Feet Warm
Freezing feet can wreck a good deer hunt.
Unfortunately, most hunters have difficulties keeping their feet warm when hunting late season. Here are a few tips that you can use to keep your feet warm when hunting in cold weather.
- Wear loosely fitting boots –Boots that aren’t too tight will allow for ample air circulation and blood flow to your feet. Also, wearing boots two sizes larger than your feet will help keep your toes warm in cold weather.
- Socks– Socks made of wool, silk, or polypropylene are your best bet during cold weather. The mentioned materials will wick moisture away from your feet and keep them dry. Avoid wearing cotton socks as this material absorbs moisture keeping your feet damp. Also, ensure the socks aren’t too tight to allow for air circulation
- Keep feet and toes moving – Even when you’re sitting still, move your feet by curling your toes or shifting from one foot to another to improve blood circulation. This will help create some friction and keep your feet warm.
2. Dress In Layers
Have a few layers of clothes, starting from the clothes you’ll have next to the skin to the mid and outer layers.
Once again, avoid cotton clothes. Go for merino wool or wool blend clothes to keep warm and dry.
Further, ensure your clothes aren’t too bulky or noisy. Bib overalls are perfect for cold weather as they keep the cold air out. Add a few heat packs on your belly or chest to chase away the chill during extended stays on a treestand or in a blind.
If you get too warm, take some of the layers off to ensure you don’t get sweaty.
3. Keep Your Hands Warm
If you can shoot well with gloves on, bring multiple pairs of them.
However, if you can’t stand more than one pair of gloves on your hands, use a hand muff. You can add chemical hand warmers to the muff.
Also, keep your gloved hands in the muff and only take them out when it’s necessary.
4. Take Care of Your Head and Face
Once you’re in your stand, try to keep your head warm.
Too much cold wind on your head and face can lead to a nasty headache. Wear a buff to cover your head and skin.
A facemask will also prevent wind from getting to your face. Ski goggles are another excellent accessory for keeping your eyes clear during freezing weather.
5. Don’t Forget To Bring a Thermos
A hot cup of tea or coffee will warm you up during single-digit weather.
Hold your warm cup of cocoa or noodle soup to lift your temperatures. A cup of something warm will also raise your spirits when hunting late season.
Also, don’t go on a hunt on an empty stomach. Your body needs to burn calories to stay warm. Eat a heavy meal with enough calories just before the hunt. Carry complex carb snacks that you can snack on as you wait for your target.
6. Carry a Heater or an Outdoor Carpet
A heater in a protected blind can be a good source of warmth during the hunt.
Similarly, putting a piece of outdoor carpet on top of your tree stand can keep the snow and wind away from your body.
Hunting deer during the cold season can be a rewarding experience. However, you need to be well-prepared to keep warm and dry. Hopefully, the above tips will help keep the cold away as you hunt late season.
