During a late season elk hunt, you’ll spend long periods of time in the rain or snow, often standing still. Staying warm boils down to managing moisture from perspiration as well as from the elements. Evaporating moisture from your body accelerates heat loss by a factor of five to eight.
So, if you can stay dry for as long as possible and dry off quickly when you get wet, you’re going to be able to spend a lot more time out in the field. Here are some small but essential things that will help you stay warm enough to glass
all day.
Save your socks—Wait until you get to the trailhead to change out of your camp shoes, put on a
fresh pair of socks and lace up your hunting boots. That way
you don’t start perspiring in
your hunting boots and socks
until you start hiking. When you finish hiking to your glassing spot and your feet are damp, pull a fresh pair of socks out of your pack. Let your boots air out a little if you have time, so built-up moisture can evaporate.
Dry your boots—Starting out the next morning with a damp boot from the day before gives your feet zero chance to stay warm. At night, make sure to pull out your boot inserts and let them dry. Even if you don’t have a stove, drop a pair of handwarmers down into the toes of your boots. The warm air will rise out of your boots and carry moisture with it.
Grab some gaiters—You’re going to want gaiters to keep snow out of your boots and off the cuff of your pants. A wet cuff becomes a conduit for water to work its way into your sock and down into
your boot.
Wear mittens—a hand in a mitten means less surface area exposed to the cold. A closed hand inside a mitten will stay warmer longer than extended fingers in a glove, and it’s easier to use handwarmers in a mitten. Find a good pair of mittens with a replaceable liner to help manage moisture from sweat. Some of you will say, “but Randy, I can’t shoot with mittens on.” Nope, neither can I. But I also
can’t shoot wearing gloves that
are wrapped around frozen fingers. However, I can shoot
with warm fingers that I’ve quickly withdrawn from my toasty warm mittens.
Be smart about layers—during cold season hunting, staying warm is all about proper layering for your activity level and the environmental conditions. You will exert yourself getting to your glassing spot before long periods of inactivity while you glass. The key is to have three basic layers: a base layer, an insulation layer to create air pockets that trap warmth and an outer/environmental layer that protects the insulation and base layers from snow and rain.
Example Scenario:
Let’s say it’s November in Montana, and the temperature is 10 degrees Fahrenheit. When I leave the truck, I wear just my base layer on top and my environmental layer on the bottom. But I need a whole lot in my pack.
When I get to the glassing spot, I’m usually sweating. I replace my sweaty base layer with a dry base layer from my pack. Then I add the insulation layers. Lastly, I throw my environmental layer on over everything. All I need from there is a good hat to keep my head warm, and I’m ready to glass for a migrating bull.