Heat is Key
As elementary as it may sound, heat is the key ingredient in hunting cold weather. Many people underestimate the cold weather when gearing up for a morning or evenings hunt, myself included. Growing up I was very hard headed saying, "It's not that cold out." Then two hours later I'm back home trying to survive hypothermia. But as I grew older I began to prepare better for my hunts by wearing extra layers and having the right cold weather equipment, such as hand warmers. (Shown in the picture on the left) Now many of you are probably thinking this is a no brainer and one shouldn't have to put any thought into it. But with all the other things your mind is on before a hunt, staying warm is usually taken for granted. This is a big mistake because if you are cold in the stand, your life becomes miserable and so does your hunting. Whenever I'm cold in the stand I begin to lose focus and move around more to stay warm. Not a good combination to have. The worst scenario that happens when a person gets cold is leaving the stand too early. I've been guilty of doing this before and I regret it immediatly after I leave the stand. One particular October morning that I can remember was especially cold and windy. A storm system had moved through the night before bring about a 1/2" of rain. The next morning saw winds around 20 mph and a drop of about 20 degrees. This was the worst morning I ever had on stand, and like a fool, I underdressed greatly. I don't think I was on stand for even an hour that morning until I couldn't take it anymore and had to go home. The lesson to be taken away from today is never underestimate mother nature and remember fundamentals. Another layer of clothing and a couple of hand warmers in your pocket can make the difference between sitting a couple extra hours and shooting that buck of a lifetime, or heading home early and eating a tag sandwich.
