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

Congratulations, that is a fine, fine buck !

Great write up and congratulations on a great buck.
Dave

Some good tips here! My go-to is taking a sleeping bag with me to the blind/stand. Boots may or may not come off also. There’s always a cut-off piece of closed cell foam under my feet. Those milsurp 3 part bags work well for this; I usually opt for the big green bag. Bag stays up to my shoulders and I ease it down when needed. If it’s cold I always cover my head/neck/face well. And like Sitka said, never hike in wearing too much. If hiking in is not chilly-to-cold, you’re wearing too much. Stuff everything in a roomy backpack. It’s difficult, but I have donned many layers sitting in a tree stand😊
These days I frequently hunt in pop-up blinds. Much easier then, and wind resistant. I have not done it, but would not hesitate to run a small heater if that’s what it took to make the hunt work. I’ve found that getting older reduces my cold tolerance, too.

Good sitting!

There is a downside to all those layers of clothes. Year ago, we went deer hunting as a group in Iowa. I was just posting. One of the walkers was a big, strong, strapping fellow. Came to us from walking a creek at the end.

Walking real funny. Asked if he fell and hurt a leg? NO< I s h i t myself and could not get those layers off fast enough! LOL...another buddy and I cracked up laughing, much to his dismay. He got lucky, one of our group owned the ground and lived across the gravel road, so he could get cleaned up.

SG offers a sleeping bag with sleeves. Maybe worth checking out for stand/post hunting.

Very interesting thread. I've never experienced that kind of cold

I don't think anyone mentioned using vapor barrier socks. I used them for the first time this year and they worked - my boots weren't wet inside from perspiration. I didn't do much walking as I got to my stand with an ATV. I have owned vapor barrier socks for years, but was afraid to use them because I thought they would make my feet sweat too much. They didn't. I don't know what would have happened if I did a lot of walking.

Many years ago I operated heavy equipment and wore Sorel pack boots with wool felt liners. I wasn't doing any walking, but did use my feet to control the machine. My feet sweated a lot, and the felt boot liners were soaked. My feet were very cold. I wish I had tried vapor barrier socks - or even plastic bags - over my socks back then. Of course, I didn't have a boot dryer at home, either.

When I hunted Colorado over 30 years ago I used liner socks under medium weight socks. We hiked a lot, and my feet were sweaty. I changed socks at least once a day. We hunted out of tents, so drying clothes became an issue.

Yes, our Peet boot dryer is in constant use, once the cold hits !

Dress warm, not bundled up tight. You need a little space between layers.

Snacks, your body produces heat as you digest.

Those new to me reflective socks are a very welcome addition.

Wolf puppies...

I was on stand at 13 degrees, daylight coming in, freezing my arse off, when a few hundred yards behind me, on a lake, there was a sudden outburst of agitated duck quacking, followed by high pitched frustrated wolf puppie barking.

Warmed me right up, I was laughing so hard, picturing it.

I have only been to Saskatchewan once. I usually do not hunt in extremally cold weather. So I do not own a lot of the items mentioned here. The sleeping bag worked out very well for me. My hunting buddy has a big commercial sewing machine. he sewed a single shoulder strap on the sleeping bag to keep it up on my left shoulder. Its easy to slide it off your shoulder to make a shot. It kept me plenty warm and I didn't spend a lot of $$$ on cold weather gear.

However, If I lived and hunted in extreme temps I would certainly own the proper equipment.

Nothing to do with the cold but about sitting for a long time in the stand. As I got older I lost some padding on my backside and I learned while duck hunting sitting in a boat on a hard seat you need something to sit on, a boad cussion gets as hard as the seat after a while . My buddy and I bought innertubes for for lawn tractor rear wheels. They work well bit only inflate them to the point that the top and bottom does not touch, takes some trial and error but when you get it right it allows a longer sit between standing up.