Getting close to nature makes a huge part of what you love about hunting as a sport. However, despite hardcore outdoor enthusiasts, there are times you’ve to keep nature’s cold wrath away.
To stay warm in a tree stand waiting for your prey: eat right, dress in cold protective gear as well as insulated boots, insulate your hunting platform, set up your tree stand against the elements, fire up heat packs, recognize freezing signs, and keep warm by moisture wicking.
Depending on how cold it is, a prolonged tree stand stay may be comfortable or distractingly less so. The rest of the article goes into detail on ways to stay warm in a tree stand.
Fuel up with proper nutrition.
Take a substantial breakfast, before leaving home, and pack assorted snacks because your body needs to burn plenty of fuel to keep warm and fire the thrill of the hunt. Carbohydrates make a crucial component of what you need. Stuff like peanut butter toast sticks, cakes, and pancakes stick to your ribs, providing plenty of fuel.
Pack more significant portions of lunch and snacks than you think you require, focusing on high-fat foods and protein. Fat and protein provide steady energy doses while firing up your metabolisms. Bring whole grain sandwiches, jerky, nuts, sausage, and fruit too.
The moment you start feeling cold, tired, or mentally bored, take a small snack. Do not forget to drink your normal ratio of water. A hot beverage will lift your spirits when you get too cold.
Dress in cold protective gear.
You will be hanging out 20 feet above the ground in the wind. Seated on a tree stand in the elements, for long periods, is quite different from walking around in search of game. Walking around means your body generates plenty of heat. Seated or lying in your tree stand won’t.
As such, gearing up allows you to stay on your tree stand, where you must be to hit your quarry. Among the gear items you need to keep warm on your tree stand include the following;
- A warming pair of gloves. Your hands are critical for aiming and shooting. As you lie in wait, your hands get so cold, making it difficult to move them. The gloves keep your hands warm, ready for the quarry to hit your sights.
- Thermal socks. Cold feet will plague you, and once your feet start feeling like blocks of ice, your whole body will feel cold. Thermal socks, under warm boots, will keep your feet warm in icy weather.
- Base layers. Layering involves adding layers of clothing to enhance insulation and keep your body warm. A base layer is your first line of defense. Therefore, it needs to be both comfortable and warm.
Besides, your base layer wicks sweat moisture away from your skin. Lack of humidity keeps you dry and cold, which is preferable to wet and cold, a condition leading to hypothermia.
- Long-sleeved hunting shirt. This one goes over your base layer, keeping you comfortable and warm. Pick one fabricated in friendly material and one fitting loosely than the base layer. Looseness traps air between the layers, which is an excellent insulator.
If you suspect it will get icy, go for a turtleneck hunting shirt that will help keep your neck warm.
- Insulated hunting jacket. A hunting jacket tops off the other layers. In cold and wet weather, a water-resistant jacket keeps you dry. Go for a camouflage jacket when concealment is required or an orange outer jacket when the law so demands.
- Hunting pants. For inclement weather, insulated hunting pants come in handy and provide several pockets for hunting gear and snacks. To keep your butt and legs warm, you’ll need a bottom outer layer going over a base layer.
Ensure you wrap yourself up.
Mountain and plains Native Americans often appear on paintings and drawings wrapped up in big buffalo robes. You won’t need a buffalo robe, because a blanket can give you just as effective as a shield.
Think of a 6-by-9-foot canvas to wrap yourself. The canvas will keep you warm, but the icing on the cake is that it is made of soft material. It will not make any unnecessary noise that alerts the prey.
Wear insulated boots.
Nothing will ruin your hunt than cold feet. Little activity on a tree stand means you require enhanced insulation in your boots than you would need walking or working. Insulated boots place Thinsulate layers between your foot and the environment.
Go for boots with super-heavy insulation to help your feet withstand cold weather on your tree stand. Pick a size 2 to 3 sizes bigger that gives you dead air pockets near the toes and support your feet to keep warm.
Insulate your hunting platform.
Most tree stands in the market have wire mesh floors. Fabricators make them this way to stop snow and rain from collecting on the surface. A mesh floor works perfectly in avoiding water collection. However, you’ll fall prey to icy cold winds, since your tree stand lacks insulation.
Insulate your tree stand by bringing a carpet up the tree, placing a rug beneath your feet blocks out the cold, stopping it from burrowing up the sole of your boots.
Set up your tree stand against the elements.
There is that perfect time of the day when you can pick out your prey. Set up your tree stand with this time window of opportunity. As a result, the sun will be on you, and the prevailing wind will not pound your head.
Fire up heat packs.
On those bitterly cold hunting stints, fire up several disposable body warmers. Focus on your kidneys, hands, toes, and neck. Purchase lots of air-activated heat packs as you shop for the rest of your supplies.
Single-use packs fire up once you open its packaging, exposing them to air. Heat packs will keep hot effectively for nearly 18 hours. Hold them in un-gloved hands or place them inside your gloves.
You have to expose your package to air at least 15 to 30 minutes before settling. This is how long they usually take to attain maximum warmth.
Recognize freezing signs.
Shivering is one of the first signs of the severe cold effects on your body. Trembling means your cold protection mechanisms aren’t doing the trick. Your body automatically protects your vital organs by directing blood flow away from hands and feet, leading to frostbite.
Hypothermia will hit you if you get wet in a cold environment without adequate protection. Hypothermia is dangerous and sets in faster than you may suspect
Keep warm by moisture wicking.
Fabric with moisture wicking traits keeps water away from your skin by drawing moisture away to the surface. This trait keeps you dry, which is crucial to staying warm in cold environments. Snow, rain, or sweat moisture cooling on your skin draws heat away from your body, critical within a cold climate. As such, moisture-wicking fabric garments are essential in the fight against cold.
In a nutshell
Bitterly cold weather is tough on both animals and people. No one and nothing likes being wretchedly cold. However, sporting activities from a tree stand become successful ventures if you can protect yourself against the cold. The above tips go a long way in allowing you to survive the most frigid conditions and thrive in them.
Jake is a freelance writer from Pennsylvania who enjoys writing about science and sports. When he’s not writing for Temperature Master, he can be found watching the NFL or playing basketball with his friends.