Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Seeking tips for surviving long sits on stand

Greetings, friends from the North,

I have a deer hunt booked for November in Northern SK. I’m from ND and used to be fairly cold-hardy back in the day before being wussified from living in TX. I hunt ND and/or MT nearly every November but I’m never still for hours on end.

I’m trying to upgrade my cold weather clothing this winter so I am ready this fall. What are your go-to items when layering up for a long day in the deep negative temps? I figured the guys who frequent this page would be best equipped with advice.

Thanks in advance,

Stros

I have lived in Northern Alberta since 1973, trapped, guided and hunted as well.
I use pretty old school gear as far as clothing goes

Wool pants , shirt and Jacket, downfilled vest, and Helly Hansen or Stanfield long underwear. Fur hat or Smithbuilt campaign hat on top, but I think Saskatchewan has an orange gear gear law, not sure.
Socks are wool, and for boots until it gets-20c, I use 800 gram Irish Setter Elk Trackers . Colder than that , Kennetrek pacs, other guys use Schnees or Baffins .
When it us really cold , I wear lined mitts with light shooting gloves inside them.
However, if you are hunting out of a blind, it most likely will be heated , so I would talk to the outfitter and find out what they use.
Saskatchewan is a great Province, you should have a fantastic hunt!
Cat

Change socks regularly, Darn Tough is a good way to go. Use antiperspirant on your feet to keep them drier.

Take niacin tablets if you start getting cold.

Do not bundle up from the beginning, Start with hat off and coat unzipped, gloves off. Then put stuff on as the body part gets cold, It works.

Basically similar gear as Cat. I like bibs over pants if really cold as they help keep my back area warmer. Good cushion for a bony butt. Some hard candies and a book to scan at times.

My hands get cold fast so I tend to wear a mitt on my non trigger finger hand (left) and put the right in a pocket with a hand warmer pad if really cold.

When traveling in the winter by snowmobile or the dogs, we always made sure we had extra socks, and would change them mid day.
It's amazing how much difference it makes when it is -35 out!
I still keep an extra pair of socks in my day pack even if only going out for a short walk in the morning.
Cat

^ ^ ^ yes
A few pieces of candy to have also helps
to keep the frog out of your throat.

Just me- I don't have books or game boys
or text or any of that while hunting. I don't
want to be distracted and miss seeing
anything at all. Not to mention the something
might see you diddling with your phone
or whatever and turn away and leave and
you never know it was there.
I can't say at the times I've been looking
hard one way or another only to turn
back around and see an old doe 20 yards
away staring right at me and there's no
way to get a bow or gun into position.

I don't get "bored" when hunting or fishing
or camping.

You need a Hudson's Bay Blanket ,pure wool. Wrap it around your shoulders and some beef jerkey from the local friendly indians .Seriously..you need a hooded parka and leather topped snow boots with rubber bottom double mitts and be careful ; you'll be surprised how cold it gets up there . Good Luck !

I dont like running the heat myself unless absolutely necessary.

In a ground blind, I bring a comfy and quiet chair. Layer up with snow pants. Take my boots off and jump into a sleeping bag. Throw a few hand warmers in the bottom and zip it up. Cheap and warm.

For entertainment, I usually just daydream and scan whats in front of me.

If you're hunting out of a box blind, just pack your sleeping bag and use that for the sit.

The sleeping bag is a good idea^^^^

673;
Good evening my friend, I hope the day went your way and you're all well.

While I've told this one before here, it's been awhile so hopefully I can be forgiven if I do again.

The first year we were married we bought my wife a little .308 Remington carbine that she picked out herself down in a shop south of us that was only open in the evenings because they were harvesting and/or hunting during the day.

Anyways we'd built a bit of a blind with Canola straw on the corner of an alfalfa field of ours where we'd see lots of tracks coming onto the field. We'd park the '80 Toyota about 500 yards back down in a slight hollow and hike up to the blind for morning and evening hunts.

There we were, sitting in what was dubbed "The Crow's Nest", it's -38° and we've got all of the winter gear on we owned, plus a goose down mummy bag as a blanket over top of us. Since it's Saskatchewan, the wind is blowing too.

After about an hour and a half, a buck comes out, she quickly leans across the side of the blind and shoots the buck.

I could tell it was a good hit and was pretty excited, but she just gets up and says, "You go get the buck, I'm going to get the truck, I'm frozen!"

So she did and I did and she had her first deer.

Honestly we both talk about it now and don't think we could take the cold out there like we used to.

Best to you all.

Dwayne

Saskatchewan is home for me, and yes, it can be darn cold. You've had some good advice so far. The following are my personal dress habits if hunting from a blind in very cold weather:

Wear good merino wool next to your skin. Socks, long underwear, and long sleeved undershirt. Nothing comes close to good merino for comfort, warmth and you won't start stinking for days ( instead of hours like synthetics). Smartwool, Icebreaker, And True North are brands I like and use.

Bib overalls are better than pants. Easier to move in, and combine better ventilation with less drafts up your back. Get the kind that have a side lower leg zipper so they are easier to get into and out of. Also, have a down vest in your pack that you can use to add a layer, or take it off if too warm . Vests take almost no space or weight and really help you regulate temperature.
Whatever coat you like, make sure it is quiet has a good insulated hood. Gore-tex or other membranes freeze, get brittle, and are way too noisy in extreme cold. And they make you sweat. Their water vapour passing qualities quit in extreme cold.

Hats by themselves just don't do the job. I prefer a tuque over other hat styles, they are more versatile. "watch cap", "beanie", for whose who don't know what that is. Be advised, those names don't apply in Saskatchewan. Your tuque must be orange, red or yellow to be legal in Sask. during rifle seasons while hunting big game. I often wear a thin synthetic or wool balaclava with a tuque on top. If the wind's really blowing you can flip up your hood over all that and your head will be warm no matter what the weather. You will need a safety vest over your coat of those bright colours or it may be white. I often hunt with a white over coat because it acts like camo in November and also meets the safety colour requirement. Avoid those glowing white u.v. brightener-enhanced polyester fabric over coats. Soft cotton washed in non-uv & non-scented detergent is far better.

Wear mittens not gloves. Fingers touching keeps each finger warmer. The mitts with "one finger" to use for small tasks or shooting are OK, but I prefer the ones with the slot that you can sneak a finger out for shooting. Leather cover, not noisy nylon. Removable wool liner mitts. Same materials with boots. Nylon-top snowmobile style boots are warm, but way too noisy. Baffin, Kamik, or Sorel style rubber bottom leather top boots with felt or synthetic REMOVEABLE liners are the best style of footwear. Bring a spare pair of boot liners. Change the liners every day. Hang your damp pair at the end of the day near the heater in camp, and use the spare dry pair the next morning. Boots with built in insulation are a big problem. There is nothing worse than sweaty boots with built in insulation that you can't dry. The only way to live with them is to wear antiperspirant on your feet as suggested previously.

A thin small piece of sleeping pad foam helps a lot to keep your butt warm if there is no heat in the blind. Keep it in your pack.
Another couple tips:
Take great care not to breathe on your scope or binoculars. And bring a lens cloth for when you do. Flip up lens covers look dorky, but they do help.
A few chemical hand warmers work wonders when you have to field dress a deer or some other bare handed cold task, and you need to get your hands quickly warm again. Keep a couple in your pack.
ALWAYS carry a couple ways to make a fire in any conditions. That might save your life.

If you dress properly, the cold really isn't a problem. And it's not always "cold" at least as we define it. That's when those layers come in handy. I hope you have fun, and shoot a BIG one!

I recently picked up a heated vest from ScentLok on a whim
It worked great on stands thru early December here in Vermont. It’s nice to have something besides my own body make a little heat. I kept one 18k AH battery pack in the pocket & an extra in my pack. Easily lasted the whole day.

https://www.scentlok.com/be-1-reactor-blackout-series-vest-plus

On the sleeping bag topic, I use a relatively light down bag, take boots off on stand. Another thing that’s always in my hunting day pack is a closed cell foam pad. It’s padding and insulation.

One thing I found great that a friend uses in his pop up blind is a piece of carpet that covers the floor .
Rolls up easily and makes a huge difference in the temperature near the ground .
Cat

I never realized how much heat you lose through your exposed ears. When my hearing got bad enough that I couldn't hear deer or hogs walking in the leaves I bought a set of sound amplifying ear muffs that would cancel the rifle shot noise. The difference in how much warmer I felt was exceptional and I could hear again.

I've often used a sleeping bag as suggested already. The key is to not sweat in any way before getting to the stand. Wear as little as practical while driving and walking in. Pack in your heavy cloths and possibly even boots and then put them on when you start getting cold on the stand.

You are very right about this. If you work up a sweat in freezing temps there will be hell to pay once you get stationary.

When I hunted in KS this year, it was 19 degrees, not really all that could by comparison but pretty chilly with the wind. I spent five days in Saskatchewan hunting dawn to dusk from a blind that we really just a pile of logs stitched together, got my deer at 1PM on last day, sat there until dark until the outfitter picked me up. Sitting is always much colder than moving about, my feet turn to blocks of ice no matter what I do, lack of circulation is the culprit when sitting for hours. I stand from time to time when I can to help circulation and these days, I never hunt without toe warmers, they are a life saver and the stick to your insoles and you forget they are there except for the warmth. An insulated hooded jacket is a must have, keeps you warm and really blocks the wind if you can turn your back to it. Also, make sure your layers allow for some air in between, don't go to tight. It never got above 8 degrees during that Sask hunt but one life saver was a fleece scarf I bought at the airport, I wrapped it around my neck and zipper my jacket up to it, really sealed off everything keeping my body heat inside.

strosfann;
Good morning to you sir, I hope that you're getting weather you can live with in your section of Texas and you're well.

There's been a whole bunch of good ideas thrown out here, hopefully some of them are useable and useful to you.

After reading the replies a few other thoughts have bumped into my head so here goes.

When I'm ice fishing I have a chunk of 2" Styrofoam SM to put my feet on. I've laminated both sides with that plastic waferboard from political signs. It's amazing how much warmer my feet stay when on that and not on the ice.

Scarfs and even balaclava type headgear is comparatively thin, easy to pack and goes on and off as needed easily.

As 257Bob says, don't have the layers too tight, like our houses it's the air between the insulation doing the job.

Taking all these clothes into account - you might need to shorten your length of pull on your rifle. Many purpose built Canadian prairie rifles have really short lengths of pull and the unknowing might think it's because they're all my size - 5'6" on a tall day - but that's not the case. Try shooting the rifle going with you while you have 5 or 6 layers of clothes on.

By the way, that's not an exaggeration - typically here in late season where it's only -15° to - 28°C on top I run a merino base layer, then my "lucky" cotton camo, then an ancient Rocky fleece shirt, next a light down vest, next a hoodie and last a heavy wool sweater. I'll have a heavy vest and if it's really cold a camo Gortex parka strapped to the pack some days too.

So for sure, the length of pull or perhaps placement of the ocular lens at very least is something to consider.

My fellow Canuck from the land of my birth and first 20 years castnblast is spot on regarding mitts. I run a heavy wool liner mitten under welding mitts. Disposable hand warmers last about 3 hours ice fishing for me - regardless of what the package says.

Lastly I use a 3/4" foam pad to sit on these days, the ones they sell in the sporting goods stores for hunting that are camo on one side usually. Honestly I just discovered them a couple seasons back and they've added hours to how long I can comfortably sit.

Hope that all made sense and was useful.

Best of luck on the hunt regardless and all the best until then as well.

Dwayne

Take a Hooker with you, NO not a fisherman.

Not Canadian, but on the rare occasions I'm forced to sit in zero or sub-zero (not in TX obviously) I bring heavy insulated bibs, sized larger than I'd normally wear, and a down parka 2x as large as my normal size. Like everyone said the clothes need to be much bigger than normal. I found that combo to be warmer than wrapping myself in a sleeping bag and it still allows for movement. I keep these things in a pack and put them on as needed. An insulated thermos with a very hot beverage can also give you extra time when your core temp starts to crash.

When I really hunted in the snow a lot I used mukluks which suck for climbing rough terrain but are super warm.

Most now I just try to hunt in areas in which I can move around some. I'd rather spend 30 minutes leaning against a tree, move some, spend another 30 minutes leaning against another tree, move some, etc. But maybe your outfitter won't allow that.

AS BC30Cal says, you may need a shorter rifle, you could simple remove the recoil pad and protect the stock with electrical tape.

Well I'm not Canadian, but I grew up within sight of Brockville Ontario so, close enough. I've scanned this thread, maybe I've missed it, but one thing I didn't see that I would add is "don't wear too many socks." These days, in South Carolina, all I need on my feet right through deer season are my snake boots. If I'm up home hunting, however, I wear my Schnee's pacs with removable liners, a really thin pair of polypropylene sock liners, and a medium weight pair of wool socks at most. Leave some room for your feet in those boots. Too much sock and you'll cut the circulation in your feet. I have to admit, it took me a while to figure that out.

Thanks for all of the great suggestions (minus the hooker)! My feet tend to sweat and get cold first so I will definitely be going with the advice on using spray antiperspirant and packing extra socks. I have some -80 Lacrosse pack boots that are one size up from my normal boot so will hopefully be able to get a heat pac in there with plenty of room. I do need to track down some extra size 14 liners so I can swap daily as advised. I’m 6’4” and 270 (but hope to be 240 by fall) so I typically wear a XXL without a lot of room to spare. I will likely need to track down some generously cut outerwear to enable proper layering.

I am thinking of getting one of the heater body suits or a competing brand but don’t like the thought of being zipped up in it when a big buck cruises through. I’m glad the LOP was brought up. I’ve been going back and forth on what rifle to bring and this May pint me towards a .308 that is shorter than the rest of my options.

Thanks again for all the good intel and anything additional is appreciated.

A Jones hand warmer?

strosfann;
Afternoon sir, it's me once more from the banana belt of Canada for sure now, but as mentioned I grew up east of Yorkton on the Saskatchewan prairies.

Drying out the felt packs cannot be emphasized enough. If they're wet the next day you're done before you start.

With my old Sorels I've always had an additional felt liner underneath the removable felt pack bootie. A couple years back I found some with a metallic foil on the bottom and they actually might be okay, but just another felt liner underneath the bootie makes a huge difference.

When I was 15, my father took me out of school to hunt moose for a week in early December. It warmed up to -35°F one day but mostly it was colder than that. We left the rifles outside for the entire time as we didn't want them to sweat because they will do that. I had one rifle rust it's bore when I brought it in from chasing deer and just put it into the gun cabinet without wiping it down. Beware of sweating firearms...

Speaking of, make sure the rifle in question has weather proof lube in all spots. There was a thread going up in the Alaska forum about cold weather reliability that had some good intel in it. Usually we'd clean the inside of bolts and the trigger out with some aerosol cleaner like Brake Kleen and then use a dry graphite type lube. If castnblast is reading this ask him what works because he still hunts not far from where I lived for awhile and where we hunted.

Dad used to use a Jones hand warmer and honestly I know I inherited them when he passed but despite repeated efforts to find them, I've been unsuccessful so maybe I gave them to a buddy who lives further north? From what I recall they're fine, but as mentioned I just use the disposable ones - Hot Hands - is the brand that Costco had in the bulk box so that's what I use. They're better than not having them for sure.

Not to be indelicate, but understand that certain bodily functions are more of a procedure when you're wearing 6 layers of clothes which need to be removed and it's still -45° out. The learning curve is pretty quick for most of us and it is possible. Be careful to remove the layers far enough away from the process to prevent contamination - if you understand my meaning.

Few things ruin a hunt faster than contaminated hunting clothes - so I hear from reliable sources.

I've got a really fast metabolism so I eat all day long when I'm in the cold. A buddy who is a fair bit larger than me - and as noted previously that don't take much - can go much longer without eating and feeling chilled.

That's it for now, but I'll likely think about more after.

Off to plow out the neighbor's driveway now sir, it snowed again and they're down in Arizona where the smart Canadians spend this part of the year.

Dwayne

Wear a pair of thick fleece trunks over your lower baselayer and under the exterior pants.

-38...

NAY NAY !

Arctic Panic! Six inches of clothes, three inches of peter, and a full bladder!

If wearing/using goose down clothing don't wear anything over it that compresses it. Compress the loft and the garment loses a lot of its warmth, it takes very little to compress the loft.

I have a shortage of 'over-sized' winter clothes.
Make sure and put your clothes in a place where they'll fully dry before the next days hunt.

The body puts off a lot of moisture, moisture that can and does freeze inside the insulation of exterior garments.

A guy retiring to Alaska bought the best down clothes money could buy, Western Mountaineering/Feathered Friends/etc. . Once there he was freezing when outside for long periods of time because he wasn't thoroughly drying his at the end of the day.
He wound up using what the Alaskans wore, if I recall it was double fur, fur turned inward towards the body and fur outside.
Don't try and re-invent the wheel type thing.
Good luck...

Sitka Deer;
Good morning to you sir, I trust the you and your fine family are well and you're getting a decent winter overall up there.

Thanks for the chuckle and putting a name to a very real situation!

Since I grew up in that environment, most times it wasn't an insurmountable problem, but still it's wise to take precautions.

Anymore I can still do quite well until it's about -20° or so, but below that is just outside my comfort level somehow.

When I was a kid I lived for a few years about as far north as Edmonton - but in Saskatchewan - and I recall a couple days where it was -44° or perhaps a tad less. It was brisk for sure Sitka and even the snow machines started having parts break in that weather.

Thanks again for the laugh and all the best to you all.

Dwayne

I've hunted in Saskatchewan a handful of times and all outfits operate pretty much the same way; you'll do little walking, getting dropped off on a quad or pickup, so you're not likely to be sweated up.

Each time I hunted, I just brought an insulated jacket and pants with some basic layers beneath - and my heater body suit.

The heater suit works really, really well for containing all of you - and your body heat. And after a few outings, I just took my boots off (in the blind), added another sock, threw a couple of chemical packs in each foot area - presto, good for the day.

I loathe running a heater in the blind due to condensation so not being bundled up like the Michelin Man or severely constricted in movement is a blessing (with the heater suit) .

Your head is still exposed so make sure that is well insulated (also important if you're getting chauffeured in an open quad too). Throw a chemical heater in your headgear above the base of the neck for added warmth.

I didn't see it mentioned yet, BUT by doing some isometric exercises while sitting in a tree stand, or ground blind, will help get your heart rate up and blood flowing, and help keep a person warm as a result. It's something that I do when sitting for long periods and getting a chill. Works.

Copy on the isometrics - I do those as well to increase circulation and sometimes just to stay awake when there’s limited action.

About the rifle lubrication. It really is possible to have your rifle fail to fire if you have petroleum lubricants in the bolt body / firing mechanism. Especially likely if you have old, cruddy petroleum lubricants that have oxidized and become thick. I have only had one experience of a misfire at -40, but once was enough.
I keep my rifles clean and lubricated, but avoid using regular oil for lubrication. 3 in 1 household oil and most automotive oils and such are very bad choices for cold weather use. I'm not of the belief that eliminating all oil and replacing with graphite or teflon powder is the best solution. That gives you no rust protection when condensation forms on the metal when your rifle warms up, and it will warm up sometime. So I just strip and clean my rifles that will be used in extreme cold with a spray degreaser, and then lubricate the inside of the bolt and the safety and trigger mechanisms very lightly with a good SYNTHETIC lubricant. There are many good ones on the market. Remington CLP, Outers, and possibly the best - and the one I use the most, G-96. Whatever you use, it must remain liquid at extreme low temperatures. You can replace grease on your locking lugs and action rails with the light synthetic oil too, but it's much less important there.