Spending all day outside in extremely cold winter weather may not be the most attractive idea to a lot of people, but duck hunters know that these conditions can be some of the very best for bagging more ducks. After all, choosing to only go duck hunting in fair weather is a great way to catch absolutely nothing. On winter days, though, ducks tend to be more active before dawn and in the middle of the afternoon, so if you’re a dedicated hunter you might find yourself hunched down in your blind all day long.
But that doesn’t mean that you have to suffer. In fact, there are a few things that you can do to make any winter duck hunt a lot warmer and more comfortable.
Cover Your Neck and Face
We’re assuming that you already have a good hunting coat and pants that’ll keep moisture out and give you the insulation you need to maintain your body heat. However, even with a hat or a hood, you can lose a lot of heat and feel pretty miserable if your neck and face are exposed.
Fortunately, there’s a pretty great solution for this, and it’s actually pretty inexpensive, as well. Invest in a good neck gaiter. A gaiter is basically a tube made of insulating fabric that you slip over your head and tuck into your coat or shirt to cover your neck and keep it warm, and it’s long enough to pull over your nose and cover most of your face when you need a little extra warmth, too.
Wear a Thin Thermal Base Layer
While your coat and outer pants will help keep moisture out and will do a lot to keep you warm, the real key is to layer appropriately so that you’ll be prepared for an all-day duck hunt. You can get base layer shirts and long underwear, or you can get a one-piece base layer that covers your whole body. This latter option is going to be warmer, as it won’t have any potential gaps, but answering nature’s call can be a bit tricky if you go with a one-piece base layer.
Chemical Hand Warmers and a Hand Muff
Shooting with gloves on can be problematic, so a lot of duck hunters go without. At the same time, if it’s especially cold out, you could be courting a case of frostbite if you don’t tend to your hands. You can get a few chemical hand warmers at almost any outdoor sporting store. Slip them in your pockets or in a hand muff so that you can warm your hands up when you aren’t shooting. And, if your feet tend to get cold, you can slip those chemical warmers in your boots, too.
Follow these tips for your next cold weather duck hunting day. Most of the things we listed here are pretty cheap hunting gear, but they’re the kind of gear that could save your life and help you bag more ducks, too.
Try out some of the Duckr Winter Gear
