YOUR COLDEST HUNT?

[skipglo]

Oh I hate the cold. Went to Saskatchewan one year for late season deer. Back when you could pop across the border and get a tag over the counter. It was about -20 when the north wind started blowing. Guide had us set up in tree stands too, the naked metal chair kind. I had brought all my military gear. Parka, wool sweater, long John's, mickey mouse boots, snow pants, face mask and big mitts . First two hours wasn't awful but the next few were. Hit a windchill of -40 by the time we climbed back in the snow cat. No deer, no birds, just silence for three days. Best part of the trip was the card games at the cabin. I was going to say "poker" games at the cabin but it just didnt sound right.

Candy is dandy..liquor is quicker...but in the end....just POKE..ER!

 

[skipglo]

I envy some of you guys. Unfortunately it never seems to get very cold during deer season here in TN, because I like cold weather and I hate hunting when it's warm. It's not uncommon to have temps in the 60's after Thanksgiving and right up to Christmas. Later in January the temps will occasionally drop down into the teens and 20's though. I fondly remember hunting in the snow once. It was magical, sitting under a tree while the snow fell, and everything was dead quite. As far as just being out in cold weather, I have found 20 degrees to be my cut-off for whitewater paddling due to my hands getting too cold. Also sucks having to sit in the truck for fifteen minutes at the takeout just to thaw out so that you can remove your skirt and PFD that is completely iced over.

I'm hoping it's a typo...and you meant SHIRT!

 

[Chadp82]

I have hunted in 20 below before, but the largest temperature swing I saw as this…. The picture was the temp when I read the weather forecast for the evening. The following day ended up being 25 or so and blizzard. We left around 3:00 on the Tuesday and it was still 90+ degrees. It dropped over 50 degrees in about 2 hours.

 

[Carsyn.22]

I'm hoping it's a typo...and you meant SHIRT!

Pretty sure he's referring to a spray skirt, it seals off the cockpit of a kayak, keeps the paddler somewhat drier.

 

[skipglo]

Pretty sure he's referring to a spray skirt, it seals off the cockpit of a kayak, keeps the paddler somewhat drier.

( lol...I know!) But definitely open to interpretation the way written!

 

[ELKAHOLIC247]

Been on several DIY packing into Idaho, Montana, Wyoming just to list a few hunts with horses for decades, several zero to below. When packing in by horse or backpack you typically have on set of clothes and a change of undies and socks.Lessons that I have learned over time is don't forget the basics such as wool and down. 2020 Montana Elk hunt was minus 17 with fierce wind ( no idea what the wind chill factor was) @ 9000 ft elevation.I use kenetrek 1000 gram boots, merino wool socks, under-armour base layer, merino wool over the under-armour, down jacket, heavy wool pants, wool coat, full head covering including neck and prefer gomlit type gloves with a quality liner under thus allowing ready finger dexterity.
With that said there are high quality products by Sitka and Kuiu that are extremely light with outstanding features for the outdoorsman. Recommend visiting their web sites and check out their products and diffinetly read the product reviews.
Beware of the products claiming to be waterproof, wind proof or scent masking as all too often they are noisy, bulky, heavy or don't breathe as advertised causing for profusely sweating leading to a cold hunt.

 

[ArkiePaul]

I frequently hunt San Carlos Apache Reservation AZ in January. One year it was down to about 10 degrees, plenty of sleet, and howling winds. Radio said wind chill was about minus 14. Broke almost half of my metal tent pegs in ground when breaking camp. A little too chilly for me!

 

[.222 ND]

37 below on the mountain between Dillon and Idaho about 7 years ago. Elk hunting thanksgiving weekend.

 

[Sockeye66]

My hunting buddy and myself were out hunting snowshoe hares on a Saturday morning in February 1989 in the Jim Creek area of the Matinuska Valley. The only thing above the snow was us and a few moose. When we got back to the truck we found it -42 degrees. We were both wearing the classic Carhart bibs and coats, and Sorrel pack boots.

Spent that February hunting crab in the Bering Sea, so cold at the Pribilofs the water looked like it was smoking.

 

[Boman]

Backpacking- We did a late season elk hunt on dec 31st one year and decided to backpack in. It was cold 10* when we went but it wasnt bad. That night it got very cold. We had -20* bags and we got cold. The thermometer was pegged at -25 in the morning and we couldnt get our backpacking stove to light in the morning. That was a rough morning without coffee. But i did kill a cow at daybreak so it was worth it.

Truck hunt- in Kansas about 10 years ago the truck read -28 but the news said the wind chill was -43. It was painfully cold to get out of the truck. We had a big buck jump up in front of us and ran into the property we could hunt. My buddy bailed out, crossed the fence and shot the buck. We all bailed out and grabbed the buck and by the time we drug him to the truck we thought we were going to die,haha. That was painfully cold.

 

[Muddyboots]

and unlike Arizona...just like JC...we can and DO walk on WATER...4- 5 months of the year....give this one a try....personal experiences

Skip, correction.....with my gunboats I pretty much walk on water year around! Who needs water skis?

 

[mnoland30]

I was hunting Barbary Sheep in southern NM in February. Took the wall tent but didn't take the wood stove. Usually shirt sleeve weather during the day and 40 degrees for the low. Got down to -20, and stayed there for 3 days. We didn't have enough propane to run the heater all the time, and the propane stove barely worked. Our water froze, and one of the jugs actually ruptured. I had a commercial coffe dispenser that was slightly insulated, and we could chop the ice and dip water out. It never got above 20 degrees inside the tent. I have a very warm bag I picked up at a yard sale for $20. I was only a little cold in it. We didn't see any sheep. I believe they holed up in the caves in the area. My friends from Montana all had wool clothes (left in Montana) and they went into town and stayed in a motel.

I was in Phoenix in June one year when they had a cold snap. It got down to 50 degrees. People were walking around in down jackets. Your body adjusts. It took me several years to adapt back to cooler weather after leaving AZ.

A friend that works the oil fields raves about UnderArmor long johns. Best he's ever used.

 

[Doug Herold]

-10 F. has been my coldest day hunting. I needed my felt pac boots with 3 mm closed cell neoprene divers' socks (over thin poly liners) to keep the felt liners from getting wet from my sweat.
BOTTOM: "polar weight" polyester base layer, synthetic Thermolite insulated pants and Gore-Tex over pants.
TOP: same base layer zip T-neck, heavy wool Norwegian sweater, Thermolite jacket and hooded Gore-Tex mountain parka
HAT & MITTENS: red fleece billed LL Bean cap with ear flaps, Dachstein boiled wool mittens inside Gore-Tex shells.

So what do you wear in bitter weather?
What is your lowest temperature limit for any kind of hunting - other than in a heated blind?

-40°….Regulator in wolf blind frozen. Fingers frost bitten from trying to get it to work. Outfitter won't be back till dark to pick me up. Clothes: Sitka Incinerator bibs and coat will save you from freezing to death…..FYI that's my "happy face"…..

 

[MW204]

My son and I hunted in -10 to -15 every day for a week in December in Nebraska in a lock on treestand. We both had on Cabela's ECWCS polyester undergarments, which are the greatest things I've ever worn, other older style thick thermals, pants and shirt with Cabela's insulated & Goretex coveralls, same for hands and head, heated belly warmer like quarterbacks use, great boots, insulated and Goretex along with insulated overboots with 2 pair of polyester socks, all the while bowhunting. Yes, I got a deer, but luckily the property owner had a somewhat heated shop to clean the doe. It also helped seeing plenty of deer but most were out of range of the bow and the conditions, but still see that many animals keep your head on a swivel looking for something coming in close.