Cold temps

[TxAg]

What's the coldest temperature you've hunted in?


What did you wear?


Kill anything?

[dnovo]

Went deer hunting a few years ago in late Dec., camped in a tent with the wind chill at -50. hunted a few times at 0 - 5 degrees. Never killed anything. The boys up north can beat that easy.

[Ken Taylor]

Stationary: Whitetail deer in Saskatchewan, from a portable tree stand for more than 10 hours straight... -31 degrees F (not counting wind chill). After freezing in that extreme cold front for about ten days and with only one day and fifteen minutes remaining in the season, I decided to shoot a deer for meat and then left for home.

On snowshoes: Caribou near where I live in Quebec, -42 degrees F (not counting wind chill). The caribou seemed happy, there were no bugs! LOL! But I was worried about my longbow breaking!

I hunted ptarmigan in colder weather than that years ago but my eyelashes kept freezing from the wind so I had to quit.

As a side note, I am incredibly tough to the cold but can't take the heat... I've suffered heatstroke twice to the point of vomiting and passing out... and that's up here (but being active on exceptionally hot days).

[knobby]

Coldest actual temperature was probably in the minus 10 range. Coldest windchill was minus 25.  It was pretty brutal, but I was a lot tougher back then. The wind was a real howler that November morning, but I managed to tag a small 10 point about an hour into the hunt. I immediately got down from the stand and went to where the buck was when the arrow struck. In a matter of maybe five minutes, the blood trail had already frozen pink. It honestly hurt exposing my hands to the cold during the field dressing.  But it was worth it!
   Wear as many layers as possible, as long as you can still shoot an arrow. I had a number of layers inside a set of insulated coveralls that morning. Heavy facemask, a couple of warm caps, good insulated boots and chemical handwarmers in each pocket. And don't walk to your stand wearing all these layers, carry some in.
   On really cold mornings, I'll also get to the stand at pink light, rather than a half hour or so, early.

[TxAg]

You guys have me beat. That kinda cold terrifies me for long periods of time  


My coldest is low teens with a stiff wind...say 20 mph.  Didn't shoot anything, but in TX not much moves when it's that cold.

[Orion]

20-20-20.  It was about 20 years ago, maybe a little more, 20 below and 20 mile an hour winds.  Don't know what the wind chill was, but it was bad.  Hunted from a crotch in a tree for an hour and a half.  Got so cold I couldn't bend my fingers and barely move my arms.  Almost fell on the way out of the tree and I was only 8 feet off the ground.  Barely made it to my truck and had a helluva time getting my keys out of my pocket and my truck unlocked.  Think I came close to dying that day.  Now, if it gets below zero, I think twice before going out, and if I do I stay on the ground and move when I start to get numb.

[David Yukon]

up here, caribou hunting, light camping tents(since then, I have a wall tent with a stove...) one night( we staid only 2 nights) it went down to below-60... it was real cold! We had about 4 inches of hoar frost inside the tent, every time you would touch the tent, you got a snow storm inside the tent....

Didn't see any thing on that trip. Have done a few hunts at 40 below. As long as you are moving and dress properly, it's fun!!

[centaur]

Elk hunting a while back; it was about 30 below with 15-20mph wind. I didn't stay out long. it was absolutely brutal.
Recently, I have been dumb enough to hunt in 10 below. My hat is off to those Canadians and Alaskans that go out in some of their brutal weather, but I won't be joining them.
It hasn't been above freezing here since the first week of November; my Texas hog hunt is looking better all the time!

[Jerry Jeffer]

NJ winter bow -20, I didn't wear enough and after 3/4 of the day my buddy talked me into sitting in the jeep with the heat cranking where I began to shake uncontrollably for a while. Saw nothing that day but have see deer on other days out in those same temps. No shots though.

[joevan125]

- 30 and the wind could almost blow you down. Im from Alabama and let me tell ya it was cold. !0 hours on stand and i kept my face buried up against my chest with a full face tobogen and my browning jackets head cover tightened. I had about a half of an in hole to look out of every few minutes

I did manage to kill a 130in 10 pointer on the 6th day with 30 minutes left in the hunt, biggest deer i saw all week.

[gringol]

Yeah...We had a pretty cold snap here in Florida this year.  It was about 34F for an hour while I was in the tree. brrrr.    By 10am it was 70F

[Pepper]

Man you guys are tough.
Had to light a fire just reading about this.
Much below freezing and this old man goes to the house, or doesn't leave in the first place.
Can't handle the cold like I used to.

[bowtough]

-60 below wind chill.So cold the trees were popping. After about three hours decided I had better get down as I couldn't feel my feet anylonger and had started to shake from shivering.Good thing I got down when I did bercause I had a hard time getting my body to function esp. my arms and legs.Didn't see anything that morn.squirrls,birds or deer.I don't own enough clothes to hunt in those temps.again,too old now anyway.And I hope a lot wiser,lol.

[Zradix]

Dang guys!
That's cold!

Coldest I've hunted is -11 with a little wind strong ( 15-20 mph) not sure of the wind chill.

No luck hunting that day.

Coldest hunt with a bloody arrow was -5, snowing 3-4"/hr....I was afraid the snow would beat my arrow to the ground before it got to the deer...lol

The fun began when it was time to drive down the old winding steep up and down two track to get out of the woods...lol

Actually started tracking the deer a little sooner than normal as the tracks and blood were being covered pretty quick.

Deer didn't go far, thankfully.

[Rob DiStefano]

i don't do well in the "cold", which to me is anything below 50F.  if the hunt venue is *really* cold, i layer on the clothing with at least 5 body layers, thermal full suit undies, thermal rated boots and sox, layered beanie caps, mittens with a "sneak slit flap" to poke out the string hand when shooting.  oh yeah, gotta practice shooting a bunch in that get up!  also gotta practice bodily function relief clothing strategies!     :D

[Ragnarok Forge]

-18 in a rare extreme cold snap in eastern WA.  Layered up with wool thermals,  wool army surplus pants, and wool under and overshirts under a wool coat.  I had to drop layers when moving.   I had to build a rock reflector and base and keep a fire going near the tent to be warm enough to sleep.   I woke up every hour and a half to throw wood on the fire.  This is the only time I have seen anchor ice in a river.  The weather was clear and sunny and I shot a fat whitetail doe on the third day of the hunt.   I did not get an elk that week.

[Ric O'Shay]

Originally posted by Pepper:
Man you guys are tough.

My dad told me several times when growing up, "If you're gonna be stupid, you gotta be tough".

Most of those mentioned are killin' temps. I'm throwing another log on the fire and pouring another cup of hot coffee.

Danny

[Coiloil37]

I've called coyotes a lot in -45 to -50 without the wind factored in. I wear normal street clothes and my arctic shield jacket and bibs. On my feet I wear a set of bama booties and a pair of dunlop rubber boots, raw wool mitts with leather outers and a balaclava. With that amount of clothing I'm good for a few hours of sitting in a snow bank, to much walking and I'll over heat.

[twitchstick]

The coldest I have hunted in was around -30 with low humidity. Most years I get in several days between 0 to -15 in the morning warming up into the 20's by afternoon. I wear good wool socks 400 gram insulated boots,a moisture wicking base layer,a thick fleece or wool second layer followed buy a windproof/waterproof outer layer. I wear a good wool or fleece gloves and hat that cover my ears and one to two neck gators. If I'm ambush hunting I add one more base layers.

[TRAD101]

In my old age I draw the line at single digits.