Boonie Hat Question....

[Nala]

Hey all,

I have been wearing a Boonie hat when hunting and I have been a bit aggravated with it.  I bought it at my local Army-Navy store and it's a Tiger Stripe pattern.
The problem I have with it is that the brim is too wide.  When I draw my bow the string hits the brim and I don't like that.  I have been looking around at local shops and in some of my BIG Catalogs from the BIG SHOPS and haven't found anything that looks different from what I have now.  I would like a Boonie hat that has a brim that doesn't get in the way when I draw.  I did get some suggestions to use some scissors and cut it back a bit or to wash it a few times in the washing machine.  If I don't find a suitable one soon I am going to follow that advice and make it right.

Can you all recommend a Boonie or Bucket hat that has a narrower brim that I should check out?  If you have recommendations for other hat styles I'd like to hear those as well.  I also like Jones style hats and am thinking of getting a Stormy Kromer short brim or regular brim hat.  Maybe a nice hunting style Fedora is in my future as well.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks for your time.

Nala

[OzarkRamblr]

I usually wear a boonie of one type or another when I'm hunting.  

I do a couple of things to mine. I roll the sides up so they are basically tight against the hat, I use the chin strap to keep them in place until they develop a set. Once they develop a set or you sweat in it enough to help it along they'll stay that way.  

The other thing I do is when I think I'm going to get a shot opportunity, I'll reach up & mash the front part of the brim back till it's flat against my forehead.  It effectively removes the brim from interfering with my string.  

If you don't like hunting in a boonie I doubt you'll like a fedora.  The brims on most fedoras are much stiffer than a boonie, even the soft crushable ones.  I never could get the hang of hunting in a fedora.  I always had to take it off or cock it way back on my head to keep it from interfering. I don't like my bow string to contact my hat in any way.

If I wasn't at work right now, I'd post a picture of how silly I look in my boonie so you'd have a better idea of what I mean.

[Squirrel Bait]

Nala , Day One Camo makes a short brimmed hat ,you might like.

[Stone Knife]

You could install a snap on the brim with the other half on the hat, then you could snap the brim up out of the way. I have seen this done on other hats.

[adkmountainken]

like Stone Knife said, if you have a favorite pin ( the deer pin you get with the TBM subscription is perfect ) you can pin the front brim back while hunting and it works perfect. the brim on a bonnie should just move out of the way when the string hits it but if that does bother you just pin it.

[Whip]

Check out Gray Wolf Woolens(sponsor).  I was a boonie guy until I found their short brim crusher hat. It has a brim all the way around, is soft and comfortable, sheds rain, and you can stuff it in a pocket.  My quest for the perfect bowhunting hat is over.

[Fletcher]

I wore a KOM boonie for many years, but finally had to give it up for treestand hunting when I started wearing a harness.  The back of the brim was constantly rubbing on the harness strap.  I don't know if the deer would hear it, but I sure did.  Now I'm mostly wearing a knit "radar" type hat unless its cold enuf for my bomber.  I'll have to look into the gray wolf.  Some kind of brim is needed to help hide our eyes from the sun and deer eyes.

[mike g]

I use the USMC Boonie and a Fedora style....The string dose not bother me...

[String Tracker]

I too wear a fedora type hat.  its nice felt and the string just pushes the brim out of the way when i draw

[Dave2old]

Wash it and wash it until it gets soft enuf that the string easily pushes it out of the way. My complaint with boonies is not string contact, but that unless I keep the sides rolled up, it messes with my hearing. So I, like Ozark Rambler and others, use the chinstrap to hold the sides up ... unless comes a rain, then I let 'em down. At least the front of a boonie is soft, while the fronts of standard "baseball" style caps are hard as hell and refuse to let the string come back. Once you get it figgered out, please let us know. Dave

[Dave2old]

P.S. You can also examine your anchor point and move a bit forward as necessary.

[tomh]

I go with the idea of cutting the brim shorter all the way around. Then wash it a few times and the edge will get nice and fuzzy, like an old pair of cutoff jeans.

[Bowmania]

I don't think you can beat the Day One hat.  There's enough brim to protect your eyes when an animal comes in close, plus it's not too long that your string will hit it.  

I have a couple.  One is an early season very light pile and the others are thick for cold weather and late season.

Bowmania

[PICKNGRIN]

I had my wife sew a small square of velcro on top of the brim and the other side of the velcro on the front of the hat.  This way I can make use of the brim to shade my eyes or flip the brim up to be held in place by the velcro and not interfere with my bowstring when I draw.

[redfish]

I have used the snaps, but recently folded the brim down (kind of in half) and sewed it to the underside in one place. Folding it down allows the rest of the brim to be pulled down close to the ears. Folding it up doesn't work as well.
If I need more shade, I just rotate it a bit.
This is the best option I have found for boonies. I have several that I wear according to the conditions.

[JBiorn]

We would just flip up the front of the brim when the hat was new and wear it to death that way. After a while the hat will just want to be that way.
 This is how we would break them in when we were spending a lot of time looking through a scope downrange. Salt water and wear it dry a few times. Thats the NSW way.