Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Seeking tips for surviving long sits on stand

Let us know how you made out. I am headed to Alberta next Nov and have many of the same questions as you. Good luck.

I use a muff with 600 grams of thinsulate when I bow hunt in extreme cold weather. I wear no gloves or thin gloves and put a Zippo hand warmer in the muff. Keeps my hands very warm and works well for up to 12 hours. The muff is comfortable and out of the way of my bow even when at full draw.

I wear some Irish Setter pac boots that have 2000 grams of thinsulate and some kind of gel in the soles that creates a barrier to prevent the cold from ice or a frozen steel tree stand from penetrating into your boots. I use merino wool sock liners with Danner extreme cold weather socks. And the boots are loose-fitting as was previously suggested. Very important.

I alternate between a full face ski mask and a toque with a thick fleece neck gaiter. My cold weather bib style suit has a great hood on the parka. Sometimes I pull the neck gaiter over the ski mask but usually that's too constrictive and I feel like I'm wearing a neck brace. I like the idea about keeping an extra vest in the pack. I literally got up and went in my bedroom and dug up an old fleece vest I got from a machine shop I used to work at and tossed it in a bin with some hunting gear. I'll need to wash it in scent-free laundry soap, but that will work really well. Good tip!

I use polar tech extreme cold weather base layer and I stick the large pad body heaters on my kidneys. When I am in the tree stand and lean back I can feel them warming my back, right over my kidneys so as the blood flows through it gets warmed up and carries the warmth throughout my body. I stick them onto the outside of my base layer shirt rather than my skin and they stay put well that way.

I found the best hunting seat pad ever somewhere and I can't remember where I got it. It's a camo zippered pouch with an inner tube from a wheelbarrow-sized wheel inside. Like a heavy duty hemorrhoid cushion! Sounds funny, but that thing is so comfortable. I never even fidget the slightest bit when I'm sitting on that and it gets your butt up and away from a cold seat. It's one of my number one most important pieces of hunting gear, it is worth its weight in gold. I can sit longer, more comfortably, more still and warmer when I have it.

I always make peanut butter and bacon sandwiches on toast to take hunting. I usually only eat half of one while I'm out sitting all day, but that is a great source of fat and energy your body can use to turn into heat. It's very tasty and filling too.

I think I saw that Sauer rifles offer heated grips. Now that is bougie!

Heater Body Suit made in Wisconsin they work great, take a portable tripod with ,bring a lunch box with food and drinks ,bring a working Buddy heater just in case. i hunt in Northern Minnesota by the border i do a lot of all day sits in a stand . i have been using a Ruger #1 there is a reason for this too its 4 inches shorter in length than a bolt action with same barrel length and the Ruger #1 pokes out of the blind window easier and faster because its shorter . there is a little advantage using a more powerful cartridge too so i use a 257 Weatherby mag. recoil is not to bad as a bigger cartridge / bullet this rifle kicks / recoil less than a 30-06 . because i am going overseas on a hunt next spring and will need a bigger bullet like a 180 gr. 30 caliber and will take a Model 70 30-06 , so i will deer hunt this year with a model 70 30-06 with 130 gr Barnes bullets hopefully fast enough to kill a buck quickly with one shot even with this longer length rifle ? i wish you great luck , stay safe and warm you will never forget these types of hunts,Pete53

I went to a Melissa Bachman seminar and she recomended back hip belts with chemical hand warmers. Place this above the kidneys.
She also recomended artic shiled booties too.


Now I need to find a thermal belt before MN season next week.

Chemical hand and toe warmers.

I've been up there a few times.
I spent the money on this stuff.
https://kingofthemountain.com/.
Nuttie price but I've never regretted it.
It kept me outside .
When the only chance of getting a deer is to sit in that crap all day.
You gotten lots of good advice here.
Couple of things I'll add.
Wool with the right underwear can keep you out if you sweat up.
If you sweat up and your outfit doesn't vent.
Your screwed.
Feet.
I used Canadian military mukluks.
Not that great for walking.
You cinch them up as tight as you can for walking.
For sitting you pop the laces.
They kept me on stand when nothing else would.
Hands.
I used the hand system from KOM.
With the muff.
Add the hand warmer as needed.
A stand sack or a sleeping bag even a cheep one with a cloth exterior will work wonders.
As much of a PITA as it is it helps to take your boots off.
Add hand warmers as needed.
I always like to sit in the sleeping bag with my arms out and hands in the muff.
Your ready to go this way.
When it -30 or more your never going to be comfortable.
As long as your hurting.
Your good.
When it stops hurting.
Get up and go for a walk.
Get your rifle degreased.
Seen lots of frozen guns up there.
Good luck.
Dave

L A Y E R S. of breathable clothing with an outer cover that repels moisture. Don't put all your clothes for walking in. Stay dry and stay mobile and leave before you start to freeze up.

The heater body suit is a game changer, it’s a must have. Thermacare back wraps are also a game changer they last all day and keep your low back or what ever body part warm. Booties are good too I think I use the artic shield brand. Take some thing to sit on as well to keep your back side from getting cold from the chair. Take snack and a thermos of coffee/tea/hot chocolate. I listen to audio book or podcasts when sitting especially during mid day to stay awake.

I hunted Saskatchewan a couple of times 20 years ago. The first year it was cold. The second year it was very cold. Lots of good advice here. Have plans to keep your head and feet warm. Degrease your rifle bolt.

Eating snacks on the stand is enjoyable and helps keep you warm, but makes it more likely you will have to pee or heaven forbid poop under those extreme conditions.

You will need a small, soft sided cooler with a hand warmer inside it to keep your lunch and drink from freezing.

Have some tissue or a cloth handy to scrub the frozen condensation off your glasses, scope, or binoculars when you accidentally breathe on the lenses.

The stands we were in did not have heaters and had openings all the way around where the wind blew through. I had a piece of plastic I tried to put over the upwind side to stop it, but I didn’t have any push pins, and it was so cold that duct tape wouldn’t work.

We had good hunts and killed big bucks. Good luck to you and give us a report when you return.

Best post ever about what could and does happen lol.

Lip balm/ petroleum jelly ( for lips and ~1"+ past lips on skin, even nostrils). Frigid dry air chaps skin fast, especially when you lick your lips.

Ski goggles. Keeps dry frigid breeze off eyes. Minimizes exposed skin to reduce risk of frostbite. Retains heat.

Foam on eyeglass arms over ears: If you wear glasses, particularly metal frames/arms, cover arms with foam to reduce heat loss where they contact head (highly vascular ear/temple area). Rolls of thin adhesive foam tape (judge color) can be purchased at your local stores in the first aid section.

The lip balm is one I hadn’t thought of. Need to track down a couple sizeable foam pads for butt & floor as well. Flying into ND for a couple days chasing pheasants and helping my nephew find a buck. Should have time to track down a few last items there so I don’t have to fly with them. Have the brake cleaner ready to go to clean the bolts and triggers on the two rifles I’m bringing up.

If I get cold in the gear I’m bringing then I’m just not cut out for Sask hunting.

Look at the bright side, at least the beer won't get warm on your hunting trip.

The coldest I ever went hunting was on boxing day in the early to mid 60s. it was 50 below F. We lasted about half an hour in a sleigh behind Dads Alpine MSV. The moose got a pass that day.

I remember a weekend one December, it was so cold (-38*C ambient), that I couldn't light my propane heater !

Made for very short hunts.

Since then, I always have a couple of 1lbers at home, that I can carry in, under my coat.

I’m back from the not so frozen North. Temps were barely below freezing so I didn’t really get to test the massive amount of stuff I paid to drag up North! I appreciate all the input and plan to go back next year when hopefully the weather will be a little more wintery.

One of my go-to's is putting those hand warmer packets in my -40 rated boots right under my toes, when they start cooling off, I replace then right quick. Warm is essential during long sit hunts, if you are hunting from a blind.

Thanks again for all the cold weather tips. They weren’t needed due to the balmy temps last week but will be put to use on future trips.

Here is the write up on my hunt:

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/18945848#Post18945848

Great buck you have there!

i always bring a adjustable tri-pod in a ground blind or above ground deer stand now days