YOUR COLDEST HUNT?

[Varmint Hunter]

I hunted snow geese near Lake Placid. It was well below zero but I just can't remember how far below. All the waterways were frozen solid.

The smart guys in the blind had 20lb propane tanks with heaters on top of them. They stayed glued to those heaters. I had so much clothing on that I could barely walk. I wore boots that looked like I was walking on the moon. All in all, it was NOT worth the torture. I'd never consider a hunt like that again. Maybe I'm just getting old. LOL

 

[dan belisle]

-45 up NW of Foxcreek Alberta, hunting moose and elk. Wasn't that cold when we first went in (-10 or so), but the temp dropped over night second or third night in. Had -100 Sorel boots, quilted arctic pants, couple of sweaters and a down and duck parka. Worst thing was the hands, just could not keep them warm, even in mitts. Slept in a small holiday trailer I owned at the time, until the propane froze up. Jury rigged a connection line and moved the tanks inside to keep them warm enough to work. Not something I would do now, this was about 40 years back. - dan

 

[ColoradoElkHunter]

In Colorado the temp at the base of the mountain in the San Juan Mountains was -27 degrees and we were close to the top of the mountain.
I killed my biggest elk of my life.
We were so cold the snot in your nose froze and we had to clear it often to breathe.All 3 of us was so happy we got 2 elk that day and didn't want to stay any longer than it took to get the elk in the truck.It was at least 30 below and may have been more cold that that.

This sounds familiar. I used to hunt Colorado's late season cow tag when it was still over the counter. My hunting buddy and I hunted it 5 years in a row and got elk every time. Season started the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Every opening day for those 5 years it opened with an arctic cold front coming in. Leave my home at -10 and 20 minutes later in the vally/meadow area we hunted it was ALWAYS below -20 and still dropping even with the sun up. We process our own meat and it just became too much to thaw each quarter before we could begin to cut it up. My wife didn't like me taking over the kitchen area with frozen meat everywhere. lol

The hardest part was field dressing. Even trying to use the gutless method it was an extreme chore. The hide and elk would simply freeze faster than you can work. Miss those hunts but not the cold.

 

[APDDSN0864]

Ptarmigan and Snowshoe Hare hunting in Broad Pass just south of Cantwell on the Parks Hwy one weekend back in the mid-80's, we were tent camping and woke up on Sunday morning to -50°. It had only been -25° on Saturday.
FYI, propane stoves are useless at -50°. ☹
I wore expedition weight polarfleece over silk base layer, surplus Swedish military heavy wool pants, Pendleton wool shirt, wool socks over silk socks, Chippewa -50 rated boots, Carhartt parka, Filson wool-lined Tin Cloth Wildfowl cap, thin polarfleece glove liners under surplus US military Arctic mittens with the wool liners.
Old trick for helping to avoid frostbite on what little skin that was exposed is a thin layer of Vaseline.

Ed

 

[Timnterra]

Back in 2016 I got a leftover cow elk tag for a December hunt in South Dakota. I remember pulling up on the side of a dirt road in my truck before sunrise and looking at my truck thermometer only to see -18 F. Luckily there wasn't much wind. I remember everything was frozen around my face. My eye lashes eyebrows, nose hair. I was wearing a face mask and it was covered in frost too. The funny thing is I don't remember feeling cold at all.

 

[CoachChris]

-18° biking in before sunrise on the elk refuge here in Jackson.
The temp plummeted at sunrise.
I don't know how cold it got

 

[Ol' Red]

Ptarmigan and Snowshoe Hare hunting in Broad Pass just south of Cantwell on the Parks Hwy one weekend back in the mid-80's, we were tent camping and woke up on Sunday morning to -50°. It had only been -25° on Saturday.
FYI, propane stoves are useless at -50°. ☹
I wore expedition weight polarfleece over silk base layer, surplus Swedish military heavy wool pants, Pendleton wool shirt, wool socks over silk socks, Chippewa -50 rated boots, Carhartt parka, Filson wool-lined Tin Cloth Wildfowl cap, thin polarfleece glove liners under surplus US military Arctic mittens with the wool liners.
Old trick for helping to avoid frostbite on what little skin that was exposed is a thin layer of Vaseline.

Ed

The nice thing about those winter hunts is no mosquitoes.

 

[P7M13]

Brought my girlfriend along. She got mad at me for a sexist comment I said.

 

[Schroedernd]

I wasn't hunting in it that day, but I saw -71 farenheit actual temp while living in interior AK. Just a minute outside with exposed skin and you had frost bite. I also did a stretch of 30 days where it never got warmer than -30 which limited anything outside...

 

[Litehiker]

The stories about wearing cotton - or NOT wearing cotton are instructive. We have a saying regarding cotton in winter: "COTTON KILLS!" It gets sweaty and will not dry on your body like synthetics or wool.
Synthetic or Merino wool base layer and down insulating layers ONLY if you move slowly and don't work up a sweat.

The neck and head are radiators B/C the blood vessels don't constrict in the cold like blood vessels in your fingers and toes. This means to stay warm wear good head and neck covering. The opposite to cool down.

Boot insulation gets wet from sweat so you need a good VBL (Vapor Barrier Liner) like a 3 mm thick neoprene foam divers' socks over thin polyester or nylon liner socks. The divers' socks keep your boot insulation dry but must be removed every night and the stinky, wet liner sock put in the laundry (or a ZipLoc freezer bag if camping!)
I've found US DIVERS brand divers socks the best by far.

Gloves are OK if they have removable fleece liners to change out when they get wet from sweat but they are not easy to find so getting oversized gloves with separate fleece liners is a solution.
Mittens are warmest and best for sub zero temps. Thick wool or fleece liners inside Gore-Tex shells are great. I've worn them to -40 F. and been fine.

 

[Muddyboots]

Bowhunting Michigan UP 2nd archery season as a ice fishing/hunting trip. Killed doe when -27 and snowing. I was in treestand and I remember how difficult it was to get down SAFELY and swore never again in tree in those conditions. She didn't go far which is probably tied to how cold it was too! Maybe 20 yards! It was a bee scratch to dress out before hands became unbearable. Hands were first warm from her and then get colder than crap when you pulled them out to clean up. She froze before rigor could set in

 

[epoletna]

I have been cold before, but I'm very happy to say I've never been as cold as some of you are describing. Whew!

 

[Ol' Red]

The best part about my coldest hunts was I was younger. I am going hunting in the Bighorns this weekend. We just got 6 inches of snow down today, and I'm sure there is a lot more at 10,000 feet. Here I am praying for sunshine and 60 degrees. Yes, I can feel the age setting in.

 

[Canhunter35]

I'll hunt coyotes down to -35c, about -40 Celsius and Fahrenheit meet. I wear my chore clothing, canvas bibs, a couple coats, sweater, fur lined cap. It kinda sucks but when u call the coyotes r so desperate for food they come for miles lol I work in it so I get used to it, but you need to balance the clothes to your output, open ur jackets if ur walking, u don't want to sweat, and if ur sitting, button back up