I love hunting in the snow and cant wait for the late season here in Pa. But I have trouble keeping my fingertips warm. I've tried various handwarmers, gloves, etc. With little success. So how do you guys keep your hands warm enough to shoot after sitting all day in the frigid cold?
When gloves are not enough, I use a hand warmer muff that fastens around my waist like a fanny pack with a large hand warmer pack inside. Slide both hands in and easy to get them out if a shot presents itself. I usually wear light jersey gloves with that set up.
I usually wear a light glove on one hand and my shooting glove on the other and put my hands in a hand warmer like the one David described. If it's really cold, I'll activate a Hot Hands pack and put it in there as well. The only problem is if it gets too warm your hands sweat and then they get really cold when you take them out.
When it's really cold I wear a pair of army surplus wool glove liners, and a pair of the fingerless mitten gloves with a mitten top that flips back, over them.
Well...1st I wear good enough layers to keep my whole body warm....if your core cools the blood will be sucked out of your extremities.
...Tied for 1st..Wear a darn good hat...gotta plug the chimney vent.
I normally don't wear any gloves...messes up my shooting. I only wear a thin pair while walking in and out of the woods.
While hunting I normally put my hands in pockets that are close to my body to catch some body heat.
In those pockets I may have 1-2 chem packs and or a zippo type warmer.
I found the zippo type hand warmers work just fine with methanol as fuel.
They don't burn quite as long...but at least they don't stink.
For long hunts I bring a little bottle of methanol along to refill.
Also...they get a heck of a lot hotter than the chem packs.
I can be sweating because of core warmth and still have cold hands if my hands are in the wind at all - just I guess. My father was one of the "no gloves" guys and even when he's admittedly cold on stand, his hands are warm to the touch. I didn't get that gift.
I use a hand muff (fleece lined) and put the hand warmers in there and keep my hands in it when it's cold, and especially if it's windy. I'm rarely cold when hunting in terms of my feet, my body, or my head - but my hands will be cold often if I don't take these extra precautions. The muff and the hand warmer combination are the ticket for me. I do most of my cold weather hunting in WV - not cold by some standards, but many an all day sit in the teens, 20's, and low 30's.
Quote from: David Mitchell on November 28, 2018, 10:27:11 AM
When gloves are not enough, I use a hand warmer muff that fastens around my waist like a fanny pack with a large hand warmer pack inside. Slide both hands in and easy to get them out if a shot presents itself. I usually wear light jersey gloves with that set up.
This
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I've been thinking about the old school army surplus trigger finger mittens. I shoot split fingers with a Damascus glove so it might work as an alternative to a
Regular glove, maybe? :dunno:
Another one for using a waist attached hand muff with the hot packs that you activate by shaking.
I've had really good luck with the glommitt. .. the fingerless glove with the mitten that folds over the back. Keeps my hands toasty warm.
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A pair of merino wool glove liners and chemical heat packs in pocket or waist muff as described if really cold. When the shot is presented I don't feel the cold until well after the shot.
Try sandwiching a chem heater between two gloves or wrist band- directly on your wrist below your palm. Same place you'd run cold water in the summer to combat heat exhaustion. Not directly on your skin though. This has worked well for me
Grey wolf makes a great muff, put a hand warmer or two inside and your hands will be toasty. There muff has a stretchy band that goes around your body and is always snug and quiet.
Fleece-lined muff with a Firecel+....rechargeable handwarmer/light/phone charger. Can turn it on or off as needed, and alot hotter than a chempack on high.
A muff with two heat pac's.
Anyone remember the wooly burger that Paul Brunner was producing?
Check out the Cabelas windstopper hand muff it's super warm.
I use a Asbell wool hand warmer with a hand warmer packet. Keeps my hands nice and warm.
I use layering just like the rest of my cold weather attire. I start with a Woolpower wrist gaiters 200 gram wool. Then a 400 gram Woolpower mitten on my bow hand and a wool glove on my string hand. Lastly I put a shooting glove on my string hand then a waterproof windproof mitten on my bow hand and I keep my string hand in the pocket of my wool pullover with a hand warmer or 2 in it.
Quote from: Bob Morrison on November 28, 2018, 09:37:19 PM
Anyone remember the wooly burger that Paul Brunner was producing?
I do. I wanted a set of them but was too cheap to spend the money back in the day.
I'm not doing anything innovative or superb to keep my hands warm. Heck...half the time they
aren't warm when hunting on cold days. My best strategy is a big thick muff and chemical warmers. I like to wear a pair of KUIU Peloton 200 gloves which protect my hands from instant cold when using binoculars, climbing, holding the bow, etc. I don't care a bit for thick gloves or mittens which must be removed or get in my way when action happens. The one little secret I own is a pair of Black Rock Foldback Mittens stuffed with 900 fp down. They are very warm and anatomically correct, plus allow quick use of fingers as needed.
Teresa Asbell makes a hand muff that is super effective and affordable. Because I am an idiot, I gave mine away. :knothead:
This has been the first year that my hands have bothered me, I must be getting older. Forever I have used just fingerless wool gloves in even the most cold weather.No more. I am contacting Teresa about another muff. That coupled with a handwarmer should be fine.
I still have my wooly booger's from Brunner and use them regularly when the temps dip.
Thanks for all the grew ideas! So what exactly are those wooly boogers? An overmitt? What are they made of/lined with? I'll have to give a muff a try. Always thought it would get in the way of drawing my bow but if I wear it low enough I should be ok.
Quote from: Bob Morrison on November 28, 2018, 09:37:19 PM
Anyone remember the wooly burger that Paul Brunner was producing?
I do. Sure wish I had some. I always thought about trying to make one and fasten it to my right leg on the stand. I shoot a glove and wear a good glove on the bow hand. If I had a wooly buger affixed to my leg, I could pull the shooting gloved hand out to shoot when the time came.
If you wear latex or nitrile gloves when you field dress your deer just buy some extras and try wearing them under your regular gloves.
Kind of like the old plastic bread bags in the shoes trick.
Muff with hand warmers inside!
If memory serves me, the Wooly Booger's are unshorn sheep hide sewn inside out to form a hand muff. They are attached together with a string and clip so that you can thread if through your belt loops so that they rest at your side. Just slide your hand in to keep warm. I use them with chemical warmers when it get real cold here. When it's time to make the shot just slide your hand out and you're good to go..
I've got big pockets in my hunting jacket that I can put my hands in, sort of like a one handed muff built into each side of the jacket. I don't like shooting with a glove on but rather like my bare hand on the handle. I've hunted in my stand at -20 F and still had warm hands. Now once I'm ready to leave the stand the gloves are back on.
Muff w/hand warmers. Keeps your hands free for glassing, wind checking etc.
I don't wear gloves I just keep my hands in a muff
bought rechargeable hand warmers off Amazon best investment I've made for warm hands, they were like 34.00 apiece charge them up put one in each coat or muff pocket and on low they last 9-10 hrs. and high 7-8.. So far have only used them on low, plus they have a built in phone charger in case your phone gets low and a flashlight.
These and rechargeable heated socks and can finally hunt in really cold weather and be comfortable.
Do they get very hot?
Wondering the same thing....
If nothing else they look like good C'mas gifts...lol
Yupper, Thanks John.
Send me two:)
:saywhat:
I used them one morning here when it got down to 17 and high of 24 and only had them on low and my hands were comfortable. They have little velvet cases to put them in so your hand is not on warmer directly.
I have a parka that has double pockets one above the other and I put warmer in top pocket and my hands in the bottom and head radiates to my hands and keeps them nice and warm.
They are very nice hand warmers well worth the money if you suffer cold hands, plus you can go without gloves.
Quote from: Roy from Pa on November 30, 2018, 11:34:42 AM
Do they get very hot?
My outer garment I usually a heavy wool vest that has lined pockets. I wear a thin liner glove with a thicker glove over it. I keep my bow across my lap and my gloved hands tucked in my pockets grasping some chemical hand warmers. It's not fool proof but it works well enough in our late season.
I can't shoot with gloves on so I use a muff with a chemical hand warmer I keep a pair of mechcanics gloves in the muff so they stay warm until I put them on to carry things out of the woods
Interesting thread, lots of ideas.
I don't wear gloves on stand. I might wear them walking in or climbing but take them off. On cold days I use the Sitka Gear waist muff with a chemical hand warmer like some above. I know that I'm not instantly ready with my bow hanging and my hands in this thing. But, it hasn't cost me a shot yet.
I'm a kangaroo front pouch or hand muff guy with handwarmer as necessary. I wear a light glove on bow hand, and just shooting glove. I put my cell phone in the same pocket as a warm phone holds it's battery way better than a cold one...
Of course I make sure the rest of my core is warm too. The only problem is if you have a stare down with a mature Iowa whitetail for several minutes at crunch time with hands exposed :knothead:, but thankfully I endured.... :goldtooth:
Move to Mississippi 😆
I also have issues with cold hands. I'm not a hunter, but our 3D season in SE Mass starts the first week in January and we'll have a few really cold shoots each year. I use a combination of what's already been said here.
For my bow hand, I use a glove liner under an insulated leather work glove with a chemical hand warmer between the two. For my string hand I use the around the waist pouch (just like Tom Brady!) with several chemical hand warmers stuffed inside. For me, the most important thing is to buy large amounts of cheep hand warmers so that I'm not tempted to skimp when I'm reaching for them before going out. I'll use at least 3 down into the mid 20s and 4 or even 5 as it gets colder. It would be too much heat if I kept my hand in there all the time, but I keep it comfortable by going back and forth into the pouch. It makes a big difference to be able to really heat up your string hand right before a shot.
another vote for the around the waist hand muff. It's the only way in real cold weather! We've hunted in -30 Celsius (-22 F) in Saskatchewan and my hands are terrible in the cold, but with a hand muff with a hand warmer inside and some fingerless gloves I'm good.
Sorreal glove liners and military wool (green) insert gloves
Large muff + thermacell with no repellent pad.... fire that baby up and stuff it in the muff when your hands get cold and they'll be warm quickly
I like to wear thin-ish fingerless wool gloves in combination with a muff and hand warmers. The gloves are nice when you take you hands out and need to do something or grabbing a cold riser and being fingerless they still have great dexterity and let me feel the string
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I hate wearing gloves when I shoot, I have one of the old heavy duty hand mufflers that ties around the waist and my Dad's old Jon-E hand warmers that I put inside it. I've never had cold hands with that combination. When on the move I have an old pair of Ragg Wool fleece lined mittens that I have had since 1975.
Try taping chemical hand warmers to your wrists if you have hunted where it is really cold the hands are about the hardest thing to keep warm warmers on you wrists help warm the blood . Mittens are warmer than gloves, glo mitts are the coldest of any thing . A stare down at half draw when it is below zero is tough .
Lots of good info here...one thing a dr friend told me years ago that sounds simple but is very important with staying warm is hydration...Most of us do not drink enough water in our daily lives...I'm not talking about drinking a lot when you're in the woods, but in days leading up to a hunt, hydrate yourself! It helps the body move blood easier and will help make all the other techniques here work better. The body just works better when you actually drink he amount of water you're supposed to (per body weight) and almost nobody really drinks enough water.
A good muff, chemical hand warmers, thin merino gloves and I started to use Tabs instead of shooting gloves. If you use the right bow you can use heavier glove and still not torque the bow...with tabs
Taking it down one step from wool gloves and heater packs, I have done a small but useful upgrade from an otherwise bare glove hand: by wearing a silk or synthetic very thin glove liner, under a standard leather shooting glove that was a little on the big size and which then fits perfectly over the liner