Cold weather shooting tips?

[mmgrode]

Hey Gang,
   I managed to miss a doe tonight.  As she was coming in I took my gloves off to get ready to shoot.  Well, she managed to not present a shot for close to 10 minutes, during which my hands became numb(10 degrees)...except for an unpleasant tingly burning sensation. I tried to quickly stick my hands in my pockets to warm them, but needed to be ready when she moved. When she finally did present a shot I flubbed it and shot right in front of her brisket.  Whoo, my fingers stung then!  Yikes!  
   I'm curious what everyone who hunts cold weather does to keep the shooting fingers icicle free for when the moment of truth presents itself.  Any tips would be great!(pun intended;)  Thanks guys, Matt

PS Still a couple days left to get one!

[Ybuck]

Air activated handwarmer packs work very well

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

I wear a hand muff that goes around my waist with a  strap, inside I keep the hand warmers that are air activated just like YBUCK said above. As a deer approaches as you know it may take a while, I put my drawing hand with my tab on in this muff if it is cold outside. When the deer gets closer I just need to barely move to get in position to shoot. On the bow hand I have a glove with the little rubber dots on it. If a deer is not in sight I hang my bow on a limb and keep my hands in the muff with the hand warmers in it.This system works for me here but anything below about 15 degrees is tooooo cold for me period.


Jack

[KSdan]

Also- a chem warmer on the BACK of your shooting hand can help when you get stuck with your hand out of the muff. I tuck one under the back of my shooting glove in the coldest situations.  Keeps the blood warm.

[sdpeb1]

I keep my shooting hand in and mean in my pants.

[LKH]

Was talking w/bowyer today about shooting in our current cold snap.  -26 today and -30 yesterday.  He said that as things shrink, the superglue does not shrink at the same degree as the woods, etc.  Said it wouldn't likely be a problem unless it got real cold.  I'm not shooting outside in this anyway.  

I made a muff from RM goat hair and it was unbelieveably warm.

[bmfer]

Friday night right after I walked out from my treestand, the thermometer in my truck said 15 degrees, not too cold by Alaska standards, but pretty cold to me. I wear glommits made of wool and thinsulate with a handwarmer tucked inside.

[DelSnavely]

This year I wore my shooting glove under fingerless mittens and kept a chemical hand warmer in the mitten part. If I got a shot I would tuck the mitten back and shoot. If I got a shot...lol

[wapitimike1]

Buy thin leather gloves and put them inside fleece glommits.

[saywhat?]

Lately I have been wearing a thin Jersey glove or rag wool glove and ditching the tab.  As others have said, hand warmers and big coat pockets help.

[wharvey]

It doesn't get that cold in S. Indiana, at least compared to the temps stated above.  I wear thinsulate glove and just shoot using them.  For the few shots hunting presents my fingers get adequate protection. (I did double serve my string when I served my nocking point on.) Keep my hands in my pocket when not expecting to shoot.

[wapitimike1]

Also being on the down ward slope of my youth. When I first see the deer I start a doing isometrics to warm my muscles for the shot. I had a friend of mine mess up a shot on a monster 8 with stickers. He had sat on stand for 8 hours when the deer showed and he did a short draw on it. It warms every thing including toes fingers etc.  Hope that helps, Good Luck

[mmgrode]

Some great ideas, fellas.  Thanks!  I'm going to have to start looking around for wool glove liners.  I'd bet they'd work slick.  Cheers, Matt

[Fletcher]

I wear a light or med wool glove and slip my tab on over it.  It shoots just like without the glove, but my hand stays lots warmer.  The green surplus GI glove liners work great and don't cost much.  Reversible for either hand, too.

[fisherick]

I wear thin Endura Skin gloves with fleece or wool half finger gloves over and Hot Hands in the pockets. This setup is good to 15 - 20 degrees for me.
Be sure to pratice with this combo.

[Orion]

Matt:  Not much you can do if you have to keep your bare hand out for 10 minutes or so in extreme cold.  It's going to get cold and numb.  It happens.  As others have suggeted, to keep it toasty until then, a muff and hand warmer of some sort will do the trick.