Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Ask The Gunwriters Favorite hunting hat

I know you said no ball caps but this one has been with me to kill most of my deer and just fits the way a cap should. Its an American Eagle hat I got on sale and it just fits like a hat should. Last year my wife had me wash it before season, I think I washed the mojo out of it. I saw deer every trip but just couldn't get a shot off even when they were 50 yards from me. I took a kid hunting and he got his first deer that put the mojo back into the hat and I was good from there. I will never wash this thing again.

A cut down British desert bush hat.

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And a Filson oiled canvas.

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I'll be using my Rifle Looney hat more.

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Hunting on the "wetside" of the Pacific Northwest, I have found a great waterproof cowboy style hat (Drizabone Rainier) that keeps the rain off the head, from running down your neck, or getting on the glasses. It is crushable, has a wire in the rim for shaping, and has been waterproof with no care for over 15 years.

Just a plain leather waterproof hat, don't know what to call the style, think I bought it at Red Wing a loong time ago



If I need a blaze orange, Cabelas has a hat that has a flip top to be blaze orange or camo

Usually an old battered grey wool felt fedora from the 40's, if I'm wearing an orange vest and it's not too cold. Too much Jack O'Connor as a kid I guess.

Orange "Mad Bomber" style when it gets really cold.

I like my Tilly, wore out the first one, on my second now...



Seem to have good luck with it, too.

Orange Filson with ear flaps.

Did the same for several years. The store bought camo hat is too stiff for my preference.
Hung the painted versions outside for several days to let the smells go away.

Now I have a smaller felt that needs some camo!

stumpy

This old camo cotton hat is awfully worn and sweat-stained. I also wear a wool felt crusher when it gets colder or rains. I go through a crusher about every 3 or 4 years. They get sweat-stained or smelly or just plain ugly. Once in a while they fall out of a pocket while tracking or bumming around in the woods. If it is warm out and I need orange to comply with the law, I'll break out a lightweight baseball cap. Otherwise, baseball caps look too "Billy-Bob-ish" for my taste.



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Kromer, eh der!

No baseball hats, so will wear one similar to this on opening day.

I hope yer not pheasant or grouse hunting!

The older issued G.I. cap & the Jones style is pretty hard to beat,The original Jungle cap is good in warm weather, but the replicas are too big, but for me - Give Me the Elmer Fudd. You can't hunt brush with a wide brim.Put the brim on for the pictures.

Turkey hunting (April in CA):

Mesh back Realtree Extra Brown ball cap. If it gets cold I wear a camo bandana under it. Once I have a turkey I clip the ball cap on my vest and wear a blaze bandana.

Deer hunting (August/September in CA):

Mesh back blaze ball cap. If it gets cold I wear a blaze bandana under it.

Elk hunting (Oct/Nov in CO):

Solid blaze ball cap. If it gets cold I wear a blaze knit cap. If it gets really cold I wear the ball cap with the knit cap over it.

I forgot to mention what I wear while hunting with my longbow. A brim of any sort gets in the way of the bowstring on a 70-inch longbow. For this event I usually wear nothing on my head. Actually, the temp has to be pretty cool for me to be comfortable with any hat on my head.

I have a bill cap I wear only in extreme cold weather. It is styled sort-of like the Stormy Kromer, but it is superior to the Kromer in every way. The Kromer is a lightweight compared to this! It has Gore-Tex and Thinsulate, and a red plaid heavy wool outer layer. It has smaller ear flaps that fold down from underneath the cap, plus in REALLY cold weather I can untie the two large outer flaps and tie them under my chin for super-warm comfort. About the only time I do this is when ice fishing without a shanty when the wind is blowing. I don't recall the name on this hat but my wife got it for me for Christmas. It has to be really cold to put this baby on.

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Am I the only one who thinks "Stormy Kromer" would make a better name for a stripper than headgear?

Best thing on my head is a real wool (not acrylic or polypropylene) watch cap like the Navy gave me a lot of years ago. If it's drizzling and cold I have an insulated filson oiled canvas bill cap with a pull-down, around the back, wool ear flap. Unless it's pretty close to freezing out I prefer no hat at all.

Warmer and dryer weather: a boonie hat or baseball cap of appropriate color, camo or blaze depending on season open.
Cold, or wet weather: wool felt brimmed hat or Kromer style wool hat, of appropriate color.
Really, Really Really, cold: wool balaclava, of appropriate color.

Sorry, didn't notice the "no ball cap" rule.

Don't wear it much hunting (see above) but I do wear it outdoors in cold weather:
Filson insulated packer

Warm, waterproof, has fold down wool earflaps. Great winter hat.

I've got one of these for warmer weather.

I usually wear an orange jones hat. It's kind of seen better days, so I've had my eye out for a new one.