Tips to Stay Warm When Hunting During Winter

As another winter falls upon us this is the time of year where many avid winter hunters begin to plan their big winter hunting trips. As you begin planning that epic hunting trip with you and your closest friends it is important to consider safety and comfort when hunting. The winter weather can be harsh, especially for some of the northern regions where temperatures can reach well below freezing and it is important to prepare yourself for the cold. Remember, there is nothing worse than sitting in cold tree stands in the middle of winter as you wait for a big deer to come strolling on by. 

Here are some helpful tips to help you stay warm during your winter hunt this season. 

Wear warm clothes

Make sure you wear warm clothes. This tip may seem fairly obvious, but it cannot be understated. The issue is that you may not feel cold right away, but after long hours out in the cold in moderately warm clothing im sure you will start to freeze.  Do not forget to pack an extra pair of socks so you can change them part way through the day.Your feet can get wet from either sweating or wearing faulty boots. Sometimes your feet will sweat due to being warm and this will cause your socks to be soggy. When your socks get wet either due to faulty boots or from sweating, having an extra pair of socks on deck will definitely be something you're thankful for. 

Also, never forget to bring your winter toque! Depending on what region your planning you winter hunt, temperatures can be very cold. A regular hunting cap or ball cap will simply not cut it when it comes to the freezing temperatures of the north. Go out and get yourself a nice winter toque that will keep your head warm as you scout out a buck.

Wear multiple layers

I recommend wearing multiple layers when you go hunting. The layers will keep you nice and warm and make it harder for your body heat to escape. The multiple layers will act as insulation and do a pretty good job at keeping the heat in and the cold out. The mornings and evenings will tend to be the coldest points in the day. In some climates you can have temperatures well below freezing during the night and fairly warm during the day. Wearing layers will allow you to adjust to the changing weather patterns throughout the day. When it is cold you can wear all your layers and stay nice and warm, and then when it starts to get warmer during the day you can take off a layer. You may also find that you get warm while tracking through the bush and if you do you can simply remove a layer and put it back on when your ass if freezing in a tree stand.

Wear proper boots 

You need a warm pair of boots, trust me you do not want to have cold, wet, and cramping feet in your boots all day. Having cold feet during a hunt is one of the easiest ways to guarantee a short day in the bush, an upset hunter, and no big game to take home. When looking for a winter hunting boot you need to look at four main factors and those are comfort, durability, warmth, and grip. You need to have a comfortable boot that does not hurt your foot, the boot should be tight fitting and should not feel very loose. But with that being said the boot should not be so tight as to where it constricts blood flow to the feet or leaves your feet calloused and tender. 

Durability is another important factor to consider because your boots will sometimes leave the first set of tracks in unexplored bush. You need a pair of boots that won’t tear under pressure or have worn down grips after their first season in the wilderness. A high quality boot is definitely something you want to look into, because these boots will help you get through cold weather and will not lose their grip after one season. Also you want to consider how warm the boot is because staying warm during the winter hunt will allow you to stay out in the cold wilderness a bit longer as you wait for the big one to pass by. 

I hope you will find some of these tips helpful and that you will be able to apply them towards your next winter hunt. Remember to stay safe and keep warm this winter as you begin tracking down the big one.