Ok, what do all you northern guys wear on your hands, specifically your drawing hand, to keep those fingers warm when hunting? I shoot with a finger glove and have been keeping my hand in my pocket to keep it from freezing, but there has got to be another way.
John
I use the chemical hand warmers. On my glove hand I place the heater on the back of my hand. It feels better and there are a lot of blood vessels on the back of you hand to conduct the heat to your fingers. John
I shoot with a tab and in cold weather I use the glove/mitten combo. The mitten part folds back out of the way, and I have no trouble shooting with them on. I do have to trim the finger hole back so that my tab fits properly.
When it is really cold I also add a chemical hand warmer.
I bought some military surplus wool gloves...one pair with fingers and one pair fingerless. They fit either hand, so I take one glove from each pair and PRESTO, I have one glove with fingers for my bow hand and one fingerless for my string hand (I shoot a tab), plus I have an extra pair. I bought both pair for ten bucks at a Wisconsin hardware store. With those on, my hands have been warm and comfortable down to 25 degrees (coldest I've used them in). If the fingers on my string hand get a little chilly, I just put my hand in the pocket of my wool coat or vest.
May not be the best option out there, but it's the best I've found since I started shooting a tab. Not to mention, the price is right.
chemical hand warmers and 1 of the muff-style handwoarmers. Very easie to remove your hands and does not interfere with bowstring.....More comfortable than jamming hands inot pockets, at least IMO..... :coffee:
Chemical warmer.
Give the Sitka hand muff a look, it is priced kind of high; but just ask your self what is warm and comfortable hands worth.
I wear wool gloves and shoot with a Cordovan tab, but when it's real cold I wear an insulated muffler I got from Cabela's that I keep hand warmers in and switch hands now and then.
My hands go numb from operating a chainsaw for almost 30 years, plus the doctor's have me on a powerful blood thinner!
Kustom King, one of the sponsers here, sells a "Black" glove with a thin fleece lining that ive been using this year when the temps have been in the teens and has worked very well. I cut the three fingers off a ragwool glove and put it on over my shooting glove, works great!
Steve
What Ben said...............
I don't live up north but i use light gloves and a hand muff like NFL quarterbacks use. it keeps my hands very warm.
Bisch
I use a wool glove with the fingers cut shorter for my shooting glove. When it gets colder, I also use a muff attached around my waist and put my hands in it until I need to shoot. Much more comfortable than pockets. If it gets really cold, I add a chemical hand warmer inside the muff.
I use the glove/mitten like Whip but I shoot a three finger glove and I also add a muffler around my waist with a few chemical hand warmers added. Be sure you get a muffler that has big openings to allow you to quietly get your hands out.
Also be sure you practice with this set up before you hunt. That way you will know what it takes to be quiet and shoot effectively. On calm days those critters can detect the slightest noise.
Good luck !!
I shoot with a glove. I took an old buckskin glove and cut off the finger tips so I could wear both the shooting glove and what's left of the buckskin glove together. I wear a heavier glove on my bow hand, usually insulated buckskin. I keep my hands in a muff, throw in a chemical heater when it's really cold.
I still use my old Wooly boogers that I got from Sceaming Eagle. Hands down the best ever made.
I use a hand muff like the NFL quarterbacks wear. I have also tried using the mitten gloves that some have mentioned. I think I might try the wool cut-off gloves that someone mentioned too. By the way I use a shooting glove. The one drawback I have had with this is that the velcro closure of the glove likes to catch on the edge of the muff.
When it's COLD, I wear warmest mitten I have on my bow hand; $4.99 pr(German?)Surplus OD canvas and leather, with a synthetic pile lining. Add a chem pack.
This year, my bow hand has had a thin warm weather US Flight glove all season - works great as a shooting glove and is a little warm. Aadd a heat pack at the wrist, and stick it in my pocket, or play Napolean (in my shirt), till needed to shoot.
I do what Whip does - glommits are awesome and work great with my tab. If I have to shoot it is easy to flip back the mitten part with my shooting hand and shoot. Gloves never keep me warm while still hunting in the cold but the glommits do.
I only wear gloves if it's real cold, and then I only wear the el cheapo, thin knit finger gloves with the little rubber stipples on the palms and fingers. I cut off the thumb and first two fingers of my string hand glove for my tab. I keep my hands in the pockets of my coat. If it's truly cold, I'll put heat packs in them. I've found that my own body heat from my pockets is far better than individually wrapping my hands in gloves. I should add that I'm primarily treestand hunting in which I always hang my bow next to me, and never sit there with bow in hand until something comes in.
No matter what you put on your hands don't forget to not restrict bloodflow with tight sleeves,cuffs etc. Sometimes I fut handwarmers on the inside of my wrists and it seems to "preheat" the blood going to my fingers.
Again, what Ben said and practice with your glove on if you wear one.
I wear oven mitts over my shooting glove and bow hand. I can slide them off easily and quietly, and they are warm because of their insulating abilities.
I can also sniff them occasionally for the apple pie juice that spilled over... :bigsmyl:
I really have a battle cold fingers here in Northern Mi in Dec, although this year Dec has been not to bad, AMs are really cold, I have been using ragg wool glove w fingers cut out, I have been putting the thin toe warmers with the adhesiveside on my palms! They are very thin and last about 3 hrs!I also modified a wool mitten w a slit on the palm that works well when it REALLY gets cold!The key is to practice shooting with what ever hand setup you use!
What Ben said , it works better than anything especially if you put 2 of the big hand warmers in there. I dont even have to were gloves with this system.
I've hunted in some really cold weather in ND and the best thing is the muffler like others have mentioned .If very cold you can use the chemical hand warmers inside and I use a thin glove for when it comes time to shoot . Mine has a small pocket on the front, I use it to carry my knife and a couple of other things. No disrespect but the glomitts were the coldest thing I ever wore .
A buckle-on hand muff and a heat pack. I can't shoot in gloves.
Tim - I am gonna make me some of those one day! I remember seeing them in one of Paul's videos. I know just where to get the sheepskin for them.
I use army surplus wool gloves with fingerless rag wool gloves. I cut the fingers for my glove on the shooting hand. COuple of hand warmers in the pocket and i am good to go. Below zero weather, i will add a hand warmer to the back of my hand under the rag wool glove. Do they still make the wooly boogers? I remember seeing them a long time ago and liked the looks.
Insulated waterproof gloves for getting in to stand, thin merino wool gloves for on stand, and a muff with a chemical heat pack if it is super cold.
Chemical warmer pouch
Magnet not velcro for the mitten cover
Works with my tab
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v628/LostArrow/MZF012-2.jpg)
I hunt in Northern Wisconsin.
When it's below 30, I use a muff, and keep some hot hands packets in them as well.
I use a tab, and on my bow hand, wear a light glove. Been doing that since '95.
Works for me.
I usually wear some lightweight liner gloves that I can shoot with (I use a tab).
I can dry these easily, and often have an extra pair in my pack.
Sometimes, I also wear waterproofed insulated leather mittens over the gloves, as well as over my tab folded back onto my palm. I take the mitten off of my right (drawing) hand to shoot, and let it hang from a homemade leash.
I made a 6 foot cord mitten leash that goes inside my jacket and comes out each sleeve. This length is my wingspan.I used fishing snaps on each end of the cord, and tied some small loops on the cuffs of the mittens to snap into.
This way I can slip off the mittens and let them dangle, and they don't get lost or fall in the snow/water/mud. They are right there to put back on, so it is easy to take them on and off. I do not find them to be in the way for shooting.
The leash system is handy for me as sometimes I need the mittens on and sometimes need them off, depending on what I am doing, how hard the wind blows, etc. This way I don't have to take off my pack to stow or get out the mittens, so I can switch back and forth as needed.
Once rigged up, I can leave the mittens attached to the jacket by the leash going through the sleeves, ready for use on the next outing, and not liable to be forgotten.