I just finished freezing my rear off deer hunting. I love to hunt but really dont like the cold much anymore. I guess I will just have to hang out on the african forum for now. I told the wife Ill have to deerhunt down south next year even if they are the size of my dog.

I to also have a hard time with wet cold. Arthritis is getting the better of me. It goes right through me as 55 years of age. I try to get as much as possible out of any wind, it helps. I have tried to use a wooden blind, but it seems to me that I am in a vacuum and not with the action or animals, can't hear anything or see much, so I don't like them. I did enjoy Africa. Nothing like hunting in short sleeve shirts. It seems that more and more people are going to the bow hunting season as it is earlier in the year and at most times much better weather.

I can take it so far. I have arthritis also but with arthritis it's either too bad or not. If it's bad then it's very bad and it's not funny at all.

I do move around too much on a stand however. Maybe most people do but my hands can't stay still for long.

Cold weather hunting seems to be in me. I recall when my late dad was hunting with us and it was nine degrees out and the wind was blowing. My friend commented that my dad at 81 was the oldest person he had ever seen deer hunting in that weather. It must be in us. Yesterday I went out in the snow and climbed a very steep hill in nine inches of snow. That was warm of course. But I fell down twice. I mean really fell. I suppose the cold and snow are in my genes.

That said I like the Florida Keys!

I too had arthritis in my hands a few years ago to the point that I couldn't knock on a door and it hurt to sling my hand out. I started taking the generic brand of the glucosamine & chondroitin combo that I found at Wal-Mart and now my hands are in great shape again; it works. If you just need to, get a small propane bottle and small bathroom heater and put that in your stand.

I love the cold
Pretty much anything between bout 0F to 25F is wonderful. Course her is Sask its dry dry dry

Desy I love the cold too. Isn't it nice to go out deer hunting and not have to worry about the bugs.

Yes, the cold does create some problems - use a tubular fleece gizmo (like the football quarterbacks use) with a few chemical heat packs inside - this will keep hands from getting too cold - a hunting friend has sewn several internal pockets in his hunting coat, he puts chemical packs inside to warm the torso - keeping well hydrated and eating / snacking on a routine basis helps also - I prefer colder weather and as Tom stated, less likely to encounter the bugs KMule

I used to love the cold but these days it just hurts.

There is nothing like a cold quiet day for hunting deer. It is a small slice of heaven. Ad said above, anywhere fron 0 to 20.

I usually don't mind the cold. But this year I was a touch sick with a sniffle when opening day in Wisconsin started (Nov 23). It was a little cold here. But then I got so sick I couldn't hunt the second weekend (I was flat on my back on Turkey Day). I am still recovering.

This year I brought with me to the stand the Black Cat propane heater. That worked well. I do like that there is no open flame to catch things on fire as easily. I did notice that there was a difference in the chemical hand warmers. I had two brand and one was better than the other.

The other key is to get a good hat. Since I went to the Columbia Yahzoo hat I wonder how I hunted with out it before.

Overall I must say now I don't like the cold to hunt in. And make sure you try to be healthy before your hunt come up.

Hcliff

Some of my tips for beating the cold:

Wool, polypropylene, and polyester fleece rule. Cotton SUX!

Best gloves are thick wool or thinsulate glo-mitts (half-finger gloves with mitten caps). Wear some thin fleece gloves under them so your fingertips are still somewhat protected when you roll back the mitten.

Medium weight wool socks and 600 gram Thinsulate in the boots keep my feet warm. Avoid any posture that cuts off circulation to the lower legs.

A wool or WINDBLOCK fleece hat is indispensable. A warm head will warm up the whole body.

Always carry at least four chemical heat packs. They can save your day for $1 a piece.