Coldest temps you have hunted?

[John3]

The cold threads made me wonder??

The coldest temps I've ever bowhunted were -2 degrees with a gusty NW wind.  I made it just under three hours.

How cold and how long could you last in it?

John III

[ChuckC]

Not bow hunting, but I went out with a friend and our dogs chasing pheasant at -4o something with a reported wind chill of -73 F.  That   was stupid, but we do silly things when we are younger.  Birds got up in front of my buddy and he was too cold to shoot.  Dogs couldn't smel the birds, had to track them in the snow to the clump they were hiding in and boot them up.

Brrrr
When I bow hunt in the cold, like yesterday, I prefer to be on the ground.
ChuckC

[bshunter]

Around 5 degrees with wind chill, hunt close to the truck and try and make it about 2 1/2 hours between coffee breaks. Never seen much until the temps climb up in the teens or better, I see most of my deer between 10 and 2 when it is really cold.

[smoke1953]

As I recollect it was -8F when we got to the 1st annual Wisconsin bunny hunt last year. I think we let it warm a few degrees before venturing out.

[Jmgcurve]

This is not going to compare to some of the temperatures you guys up North hunt in, but in Texas....

Back in the mid 80's we had several days in a row with single digit temps--maybe 7 or 8 degrees. Two of those mornings I was up a tree. Made it about two hours. It helped to be young, but man was that stupid.

[bentpole]

Back in the 80's when I was Young and dumb I did -5 a couple times. That was up in a portable tree stand.I always said if you can make it to 9:00 you can make it to 12:00. That's provided the sun is shining and there's no wind. I was a little heavier back then too.  Last year the Tri State Trad Gangers did our usual January Winter Bow  Deer drives. One Saturday Morning we had a State Trooper stop and ask Mikey Bamboo "Hey what are you guys doing?" Mikey said said we're Bow Hunting. The Trooper said "You Guys Are XXXXin NUTS!" It's 5 below zero." That was putting drives on though. Tuffer  for the standers.

[Jock Whisky]

About -15 F in a tree stand. Three hours and I was ready to leave for warmer suroundings.

JW

[lpcjon2]

I cant say I was hunting but I was in a cold weather battalion in the Marine Corps and we had to swim a mountain river in the mountains of (middle of winter and Ice on the rocks of the river) Bridgeport Cali.in our skivies.At that point if I could have stopped shaking long enough to load my rifle I would have hunted my lieutenant...LOL      :mad:

[joe ashton]

Mid Dec this year I spent an evening in a tree stand and it was 3 degrees. The next morning it was clear up to 9.  I think mornings are a lot harder to tolerate than cold evenings... Joe

[ishoot4thrills]

Originally posted by Jock Whisky:
About -15 F in a tree stand. Three hours and I was ready to leave for warmer suroundings.

JW

Now that, to me, is impressive in a tree stand. Heck, 3 hours at +15 F is good for me, much less -15 F. Of course it depends on what you're wearing compared to others. Also, it depends on how many deer you're seeing while hunting out of a tree in extreme cold too. If I'm seeing deer like every half hour or so, I can stay there much longer than when I'm not seeing any deer at all. Also, i can stay in a pop-up blind much longer than I can stay up in a tree.

[Shaun]

I've hunted a tree stand in which I got too cold to draw my bow and was barely able to climb down. That's too cold. Wait for nice days of at least +30 to bow hunt in a tree. Now a Dbbl bull with a Mr Heater, that's different.

[buckeye_hunter]

Today was a cold hunt at 16 degrees.

[Ralph Renfro]

I've hunted at -10 to -15, but in Kansas we always seem to have some serious wind issues. I hunted a couple of times this season with windchills below -20. If I can find a protected area, I can last a couple of hours. When I was younger I could take the cold for longer.

[katie]

Yesterday it was 5 when I headed out.

[chinook907]

More times than I'd care to think when its like this to about 10 degrees colder.  Always moving though.

[Hot Hap]

Years ago-about -4 if I remember right.
Hap

[Jack Whitmire Jr]

Killed a buck one morning back in the 90's and the therometer on my pack zipper said 11 degrees at 9;15 when I shot him . Can't take the cold as well as I used to  

[Bowferd]

I was out today and the temps were around 4 above. Only a slight wind and light snow. I was looking for bunny sign but they all seemed to be hold up. No fresh tracks. I spent 45-60 minutes and could have walked longer but the hot chocolate was only 5-10 min walk away. Any activity and I could have stayed out another hour or more.

[Lefty]

I deer hunted in -10 below with a wind chill more that -40 below.  My Dad was suppose to go out with me that day, but he said it was way to cold and tried to talk me out of going, but I when out alone anyways.  Walked back busting through drifts nearly waist deep till I got to the timber and tip toed about 100 yards into the woods.  Was standing between two draws trying to decide which way to move and as I looked around I started to spot deer.  First one and then more ended up close to twenty deer bedded there in one draw out of the wind and they didn't want to move.  I edged a little close and shot the closest one, filling my antlerless tag.  Took me longer to get the deer out the I actually spent hunting.  My wife and Dad, both thought I was crazy for even going out, but you just got to go with that gut feeling and my gut was telling me I would be lucky.

[JGoemaat]

I have a sleeping bag I turn inside out (the inside is off white) and I spent morning till evening Tuesday and Weds in the woods in the low single digits.  I was still focused on staying warm but a sleeping bag goes a long way to extending your hunt. Both days I had deer moving past me each hour.  When its this cold I think the deer will move to food even during the afternoon. Its a fun way to get out when everyone else stays home...