Alberta suggestions

[BlaserR93]

Hi All,
Headed to Edmonton Alberta late November for a 7 day whitetail hunt.
Any recommendations or tips on what gear to bring and what to leave at home?
I will be hunt with an outfitter who will no doubt have a check list for me.
My plan is to bring rangefinder Binos, and my rifle / ammo with plenty of clothing.
Coming from Australia that time of year we will be around the 80 degrees F so bit of a shock to the system.
Cheers

 

[CapitalKing]

Lots of layers, if you are doing a hunt where you are just sitting and not expecting to hike around a bunch. I would recommend getting a pair of good extreme cold winter snow boots, and get them one size too big. That way you can add the 20 hour hand warmers into the toes (you may need to Google that coming from Aus).
For gloves, I’d also say to get gloves that are mittens that flip open to have your finger tips exposed, good for dexterity when making a shot. I usually wear a thin glove underneath so my fingertips aren’t cold when taking a shot. You can also have hand warmers in the part that flips.
Other than good winter outerwear, get a good quality balaclava or full face toque (winter hat).

 

[JasonT]

I will be heading up there the first week of Nov and curious what average temps are. When I look on line it says highs around 30F which surprised me. Any idea?

 

[CapitalKing]

I will be heading up there the first week of Nov and curious what average temps are. When I look on line it says highs around 30F which surprised me. Any idea?

It depends, last year the first week of November was probably a high of in the 20’s but really windy. Then a couple weeks of around 30… Then it got fairly cold the last bit. Also reply depends where you’re going, this was for central AB from my bad memory haha.

 

[dr.mooseknuckles]

I've never hunted in Canada, but have recommended this product to some who did and they said it was a lifesaver.

Celestron Firecel+. Rechargeable handwarmer. I use it when deer hunting late season in Alabama and duck hunting late season in Northeast Arkansas when temperatures can be pretty chilly. Has worked well for me.

 

[WCB]

If you are sitting in a blind get a heater body suit or something similar. You won't have to wear bulky amounts of clothing but can tuck into it and stay toasty warm. I sat 6 days -20F to -30F all day with no heater and it was fantastic. Grab some down booties or boot covers for cold weather. Take your boots off and just put your feet in those with a couple handwarmer heat packs.

Make sure you have some sort of wind breaking layer on also. You can get by with less clothing if you can cut the wind. This would obviously be for more active hunting.

 

[CapitalKing]

I’ve never messed with electric heaters inside my clothing, I imagine charging it up could be a problem. I’ve only ever found my hands and feet get cold. Using the one day hand warmers makes me able to grind out all day sits no problem.
A long sleeve shirt and a hoodie underneath a good winter jacket is more than enough to keep you warm. For bottoms Thermal long johns, a pair of sweat pants and a pair of camo winter outerwear is good.

 

[Pk_in_Dallas]

I’ve been going up to Alberta for the past ten years. I would recommend buying a IWOM or a heater body suit. I have spent thousands on traditional hunting clothes like Sitka, King Of The Mountain, Cabelas, etc and nothing compares to sitting inside a sleeping bag configuration to keep you warm. I also recommend buying Muklucks. Get Cabelas Saskatchewan pack boots if you can’t get ahold of a pair of Muklucks. Make sure & buy them *two* sizes too big with the thickest wool socks you can find when trying the on. I’ve been up there when it’s warm in the 30 to 40 degree weather all the way down to -20 below F.

Pack a extra pair of socks and also bring boot blankets if it is really cold because those will keep your feet from freezing by putting them over your boots.


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[NorthCountryAB]

I will be heading up there the first week of Nov and curious what average temps are. When I look on line it says highs around 30F which surprised me. Any idea?

I would plan for much colder than that. In our November seasons we regularly see -30 C.

 

[JasonT]

That doesn't sound very fun!!

 

[naternate]

For a gun hunt its heater body suit for the win.


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[Dennis]

I’ve been going up to Alberta for the past ten years. I would recommend buying a IWOM or a heater body suit. I have spent thousands on traditional hunting clothes like Sitka, King Of The Mountain, Cabelas, etc and nothing compares to sitting inside a sleeping bag configuration to keep you warm. I also recommend buying Muklucks. Get Cabelas Saskatchewan pack boots if you can’t get ahold of a pair of Muklucks. Make sure & buy them *two* sizes too big with the thickest wool socks you can find when trying the on. I’ve been up there when it’s warm in the 30 to 40 degree weather all the way down to -20 below F.

Pack a extra pair of socks and also bring boot blankets if it is really cold because those will keep your feet from freezing by putting them over your boots.


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I agree with what PK_in_Dallas says and expect cold weather and I wear similar stuff. I too tried lots of different clothing setups. I have hunted late November on and off for about 20 years. It has been a learning curve. About half my trips were from tree stands and the other half from portable ground blinds. My Outfitter never used heated or permanent blinds which yours might. My basic setup was silk long underwear, followed by three layers of long underwear (medium, heavy and polar weights). I did cut the heavy and polar weight underwear sleeves off below the elbows, and bottoms off below knees to cut down bulk. With these three layers I could mix and match depending on actual weather conditions. Next I wore a light weight Marmot windproof jacket followed by Sitka Jetstream hat, jacket and similar pants. This was my layers for in the truck, walking or hiking to the blinds or stands. I would adjust insulation over this with synthetic vests and jackets. Lastly I would don a set of older Cabela's Standhunter insulated coveralls at the blind which were windproof with hood and hand muff. Body suits are somewhat similar and probably better other than mobility. I wore Saskatchewan pack boots with Thermacell Bluetooth heated insoles and also had Thermacell Bluetooth hand and body warmers along with a few chemical warmers. I used Sitka Incinerator beanie, muff, and neck gaiter and similar mittens, but wore light wool gloves most of the time with hands in the muff. Other items I found useful were in blinds were trigger sticks, 4' of quarter inch rope to hold rifle up in a shooting position, a pee bottle, GPS, and a stylist pen for my phone.

 

[coachbombay]

I will be heading up there the first week of Nov and curious what average temps are. When I look on line it says highs around 30F which surprised me. Any idea?

That's about right for early November, but keep in mind a 30 average high could mean 0 one day and 60 the next. Alberta weather is pretty volatile. Prepare for -20 lows but don't be surprised if it stays above freezing.