I use a climber sometimes and my routine really doesn't change that much. I just stand around and cool down for a minute or two longer before putting my clothes on, then get in the climber and go up. But like I said, this is Mississippi... most days I don't even put the heavy clothes on. You should try getting in a lock on stand that has a shooting rail and is attached to a crooked tree. With heavy clothes on... it was interesting. I've started believing in a restraint system with that thing.
I have boots with 500 gram insulation and (depending on how cold it is) wear heavy wool or fleece socks with nylon dress socks as liners. When it's below freezing I wear polypropylene long underwear for active hunts like upland birds, and fleece long underwear with an extra wool sweater/fleece jacket or two on top for stand hunting. One thing I have been doing for stand hunts is bring a camo-pattern foam canoe cushion up into the stand. It can be a pain in the ass to carry around but will keep your butt well insulated and much more comfortable when you have to sit still for hours and hours. Spoiler Side note, this is also the most comfortable stand I've ever sat in.
I always start with wool socks and Ice Armor[similiar to Under Armor] insulated top and bottom under garments. I wear boots that are 2 sizes bigger than my street shoes. Then a warm jacket with a hood that wraps around my face, a hoodie, jeans and insulated bibs. I actually just insulated my portable ice house today. I use a propane heater. I won't usually stand outside much if it's below about 15 degrees, not because I get cold but because fishing line and drilled holes freeze up fast.
Wool socks and over-sized boots are essential to keeping your feet warm. When I'm ice fishing, the only part of me that usually gets cold is my feet if I'm fishing in my portable because they're in direct contact with the ice. A small piece of carpet helps that, too. I also rarely wear a jacket on my day-to-day routine unless it gets below 0. I'm fine in a t-shirt and jeans. That way, when I get out on the ice, I'm rarely cold.
Duofold puts out a good product for 'long john' uppers and lowers. Hot Chili's too. For my feet, which used to always freeze, I've learned a trick this Fall. Wear nylon sport socks with an adhesive warming pad that sticks on the nylon sock under your toes, covered with a thick wool sock and put in insulate winter boots that are a least a size too big. Doesn't matter if you're moving around or sitting still, your toes won't get cold. I know this because I have the most bitchass feet in cold weather and I haven't been cold all fall or winter with this strategy. And this method isn't too bulky if you're doing a lot of walking around either. Also excited to try out my new neck warmer/face liner with nose vent on those really cold days:
<a class="postlink" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhJObpfsf3Q" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhJObpfsf3Q</a> I've tried everything to get this to post. What am I doing wrong? Anyways this is a must see
I caught a 7-8lb northern pike today. Not a huge pike but it was pretty damn exciting on a panfish rod with 2lb test line in 30ft of water. Made several long runs, got it to the hole 3 times I think but it didn't come up at the right angle so it would get stuck and take off again. It's the biggest pike I've caught on panfish tackle. Now it's a couple of fillets.
So I thought my Elmer Fudd day of the season was yesterday when I got out late, forgot my climber cables and had to go back to my car, then grunting too early with a set of does which ended up scaring them off. I think today tops it. Everything during my hunt went rather smoothly. I think it was the same set of does caught wind of me pretty quick because it was blowing hard right in their direction. So they ended up moving off before a shot opened up. Then as usual I sat there and debated how long I should stay up in the tree. I rarely, like never, see anything past 10 am. So at 10:30 I ended up getting down. Get back to my car and drive up to my grandpas house. Not two minutes after Im in the kitchen talking with him he points and says "hey look there's four or five of them now." I pick up my binoculars and see 4 or 5 BUCKS crossing the field into the woods right where I was sitting. Fucking A. I am really questioning my dismissal of all this "sent lock" clothes.
I'm pretty sure that it was here people were talking about knives, and specifically the sharpening of them. I came across this over the weekend and thought it was a really cool idea for someone who, like me, has a hard time getting sharpening angles right. Link
<a class="postlink" href="http://vimeo.com/56612188" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://vimeo.com/56612188</a> Great hunting video. One of the best collections of different sports Vimeo, not youtube
So anyone dry age their deer? The last one I got the temps out were n the mid 50s. I got one last night and the forcast is looking like teens to mid 30's for the foreseeable future, I think my garage will fill in nicely for a meat locker. Ive heard leaving the skin on is one thing to help protect against bacteria. Anyone ever do this? Tips?
When cold enough, we hang them for a couple days... skin off. Congrats on the deer. Looks like I'm going 0 for this year.
When it's cold enough to do so, we hang our deer, with the skin on, outside--high enough that various critters can't easily get to them. The longest they'll hang is probably Saturday to Monday night, when we'll butcher everything that we've killed in one go.
Ducks everywhere. Had the chance to hunt with a new friend yesterday. He's on a 1,000 acre lease with flooded bottoms. Walking in, we heard Canadas, Pintails, Mallards, Teal, Wood Ducks all over the place, and saw a few Gadwalls. Sadly, we were set up in the wrong spot- more open water with the wind straight in our face. I would have done some things differently, but I'm the guest and not going to tell a host what he's doing wrong. I did get the once-per-season cigarette in the mouth, one armed oh shit shot. For folks who are hunting late season, scattered ducks are pairing up fast. If you're hunting brush or timber, put out a pair, a hen, and a pair on a jerk string and call it a day. Spread those fuckers out, too. And don't call much. Holy shit are they skittish. However, a buddy also hunted yesterday and today and swears to 50,000+ on a flooded bean field. Private, of course. Brush? Fields? Bottoms? Arkansas? Tennessee? I predict 500 miles and zero sleep this weekend, but I swear I'll have twelve ducks by Sunday afternoon.
I'm fortunate enough that the hunt club has a meat locker similar to one where you dry age beef, we keep the temp between 35 and 37 with the humidity around 85%, skin on, hang for about six to eight days. I have to say it vastly improves the flavor of the meat, if I am unable to hang the deer in the locker, I generally process that deer strictly for ground meat.
We saw about 10,000 mallards pour out of the woods Saturday morning and not a one on Sunday. It was fucking weird. Feathers everywhere, duck poop all over logs and the water's edge and not a duck to be seen. Shot a few on Saturday. A turkey lit about ten feet above us and revisited two or three times while we sat around not doing anything because all of the ducks up and left.
Cabo never disappoints, my buddies camera does so he used his blackberry, we did a number on yellowtail and dorado yesterday, windy and choppy but we stuck it out and caught 25 fish, with the smaller ones released. I have 2 more days to see what kind of damage I can do
Serious question since Ive never been duck hunting. How does shooting them actually work? You just sit in a blind and shoot them as they come in or take off? Just blast them out of the water? Flush them with dogs?