I've been hunting late season and have no problem staying warm. The temps have been from the low teens to mid 20's and I haven't even needed to put my jacket on while in stand. For my hands I wear a thin fleece glove on my bow hand and keep hand warmers in either my muff or vest pockets. I have been perfectly warm and have had no problems with my hands. when a deer walks in I grab my bow and within a few minutes take the shot. last weekend I had 8 does come in, as they got in range they started browsing behind my tree and I couldn't get a shot. Finally one stepped out at 20yds. I had been holding my bow at the ready for over 30 minutes. On my string hand I usually touch my thumb and pinky together, I had real trouble doing that and when I hit my anchor and went to release I couldn't get my fingers to let the string slip. I finally forced them open and the arrow came out with the worst arrow flight I have seen. I was lucky that I shot just over her, because the arrow was in the ground at a 45 degree angle. I'd rather miss than wound.

Anyone have any tricks to keep your string hand warm? I was thinking of taking a pair of wool gloves and cutting the tips off my 3 middle fingers and wearing my shooting glove under it.

Put your hand inside your pants. INSIDE your pants. A little taboo but I don't think the deer mind and it works wonders.

I have a belt pouch lined with fleece (synthetic shearling, I guess) that Winona used to sell.  I can shoot with a merino wool fingerless liner inside of a Thinsulate "Glomitt" type mitten.  Works pretty well.

 

 

Thats what I was thinking of doing with the gloves! Thanks.

I have no problem keeping my hands warm on stand, just when keeping my bow at the ready for extended periods of time when game is in range

Just as you said, take a glove and cut the middle three finger and wear you glove under. Another option is to buy the fingerless mittens with the flap that pulls over them, and keep a hand warmer in that top flap. When its time to shoot, uncover your fingers.

Also, Always practice with your winter gear so that there isnt any surprises.

I always wear wool gloves but I use a tab. I use hand warmers also. I have noticed using hand warmers is great but once you pull your hand out of your pockets it doesn't take long for them to start getting cold.  

Holding a bow at ready for 30 minutes in cold weather is going to make them cold. You might try using the heavy mittens that the finger tips fold over and velcro out of the way.

You might do a search for woolie buggers. They have a string that goes down the sleeve of your coat and hangs there once you pull your hand out for the shot. They are very warm. I would mention the brand but don't think they are a sponsor.

I just read an article on fly fishing in winter and the author sugested using mittens in which the finger and thumb sections fold back to convert to fingrless gloves . Then use four disposable hndwarmers , one stuck in the mitten part of each glove and one positioned on each wrist . He says the ones on the wrist are the most important .  

I wear polypropylene glove liners under my shooting glove.And a fleece glove with the fingers cut out.and for the bow arm a wool glove liner and a leather glove(all military surplus) and have no problems.

QuoteOriginally posted by Duker:
I just read an article on fly fishing in winter and the author sugested using mittens in which the finger and thumb sections fold back to convert to fingrless gloves . Then use four disposable hndwarmers , one stuck in the mitten part of each glove and one positioned on each wrist . He says the ones on the wrist are the most important .      

Probably helps keep the blood vessels coming into the hand dialated.

captainkirk

On stand I use a hand warmer pouch and throw a few handwarmers in it when it's really cold. I wear a glove on my bow hand only. They are pretty easy to find in Minnesota, even has mossy oak camo on it.

i use a mitten type glove with the flap that folds up. only i messed with it and changed it a little. i first got rid or that awful velcrow. i used some round magnets instead, sewn ito the place the velcrow was. i then put a little pocket in the fold in the front so i can slide a heat pack right down in it. when i ggrad my string just conect the magnets and release.


steven

Those are what we call "Glomitts" hereabouts.  Fingerless gloves with a mitten hood that folds over.  You just can't see the hood well in my images.

these work really well especially deep down inside my vest pockets....

 

I use a wool glove with thinsulate on my bow hand and I have a talon shooting glove that covers most of my hand. I keep a hand warmer in my coat pocket on my right for the shooting hand and only use it sparingly. I don't keep my hand in the pocket all the time, gets to used to the warmer. If it is really cold, then I put the hand warmer in the wrap of the glove on my wrist. sends warmed blood into the hand.

I'm missing a couple of fingers on my bow (left) hand and they are real sensitive to the cold, so I keep that hand in one of the Cabela's Canadian Stand Hunter mittens:

   

I shoot with a tab so I keep my right hand in a pocket with one of those HotHands warmers.

...unless I'm doing an 18th c. period style hunt... then it's just a handmade wool mitten on the left hand.

I use a muff similar to what you see quarterbacks wear with a HotHands pack inside.  No worries about having a glove in the way of my shooting, and having my hands exposed for 5-10 minutes to make a shot isn't any big deal.

I use a light or mid-weight glove with 3 fingers cut out on my drawing hand. I am a HUGE fan of the hand-warmer muffs!!!!      

Skip:  Lots of good advice for keeping your hands warm until the shot.  However, if you have a bare hand, or part of a bare hand/finger, etc., out in the cold for 30 minutes, it's going to get cold, real cold, period.  You just got unlucky that the critters milled about for 30 minutes before presenting a shot.  Stuff happens.  

Under Armour gloves.....a hand muff...and, occasionally, hot hands warmers.

Set!

Not sure how trad it is but I've been using a Gander Mountain Thinsulate muff thingy this year and most of last and have yet to need a pair of gloves.  It helps, I suspect, that I'm also keeping my core nice and warm with lots of wool.

As long as it doesn't snag the bush or get in the way of drawing my Hill, I'm happy with it. So far so good!