And - how about gloves for a very cold pheasant hunt?

[roosterdown]

Got some great advice on my firearm in the cold - next issue: Handwear.

Might be time for me to spend some $ on good cold-weather shooting gloves, and looking for some ideas.

Windproof is a must, probably water-resistant. Mostly these would be used for Dakotas hunts (Pheasants & Sharpies, occasional Hun) in the late season, temps in the 0 - 20 range and ever-present wind.

So need insulation, windproof fabric...and still need to be able to operate a shotgun. I've got some bulkier cold-weather gloves that are unfortunately too thick to load and easily shoot (especially getting the finger into the trigger guard). If it matters, I wear medium gloves.

Any suggestions? I have a Kuiu gift card burning a hole in my pocket and was looking at their Guide X gloves...but I am sure there are other options.

 

[WoodDuck]

I recently went through this exercise for my wife and I. We did not go down the path of high end/expensive shooting gloves, but below is what worked for us this year in temps to -17F (real temp, not wind chill).

Non trigger hand: wear a mitten. The chopper style leather ones that can be had for ~$25 from fleet farm work well. We wear these ice fishing too, and hands simply do not get gold in them.

Trigger hand: layer two gloves. I wore a very thin merino liner glove under a thin fleece hunting glove (tons of cheaper options out there). Still have plenty of dexterity to handle e-collar remotes, load shells, or shoot. My wife wore a fleece glove under a heavier fingerless glove with the same results. Bottom line is layering works for hands too, and you can probably get by with mostly what you already have.

This combo will get you down into COLD temps without issue.

 

[jmez]

Late season tour hands get cold pheasant hunting they don't make a glove that will keep your hands warm. I use a glommit on my left hand, keep it in mitten mode most of the time. I wear an insulated Mechanix glove on the right hand. Like was mentioned, I need to be able to run dog controls as well as shoot.

When the right hand starts to get cold I put it in my shell pocket. Just live with it.

Sent from my moto g power 5G - 2024 using Tapatalk

 

[Nickziegler]

I hunt birds in single digits and prefer to just use my regular leather gloves. Your hands will be cold for the first bit but after walking and moving some they warm up

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[TSAMP]

X2 on the glommet. I can shoot with mine. I haven't even used them this year though. Thinsulate lined leather gloves get me into the low teens.

 

[RWT]

I use this hog hunting with an AR in the winter

Milwaukee Large Red Latex Level 1 Cut Resistant Insulated Winter Dipped Work Gloves 48-22-8912 - The Home Depot

MILWAUKEE cut resistant winter work gloves feature latex dipped palms, dual thermal liner, and 15 gauge nylon outer liner with high-dexterity fingertips.

www.homedepot.com

Less than $10 and keep hand warm enough to function.

 

[justinspicher]

I like my hand warmer sleeve. I have one made fhf gear and it wraps around my waist. I like to wear gloves liners inside a trigger finger mitten when moving, if I’m static, I can put my hands in my warming sleeve. I’ve also stuck hot hands in the little pocket of the warming sleeve to keep them warm.

MOLLE-Muff | FHF Gear

This hand-muff, originally designed specifically for tactical operators, is made from Cordura, to blend with a uniform and attach to external armor or be worn with a belt. Designed to quickly attach/detach below armor without taking up valuable space. Multiple attachment options for tactical or...

www.fhfgear.com

 

[CHWine]

I had a pair of Bob Allen insulated shooting gloves for 30 years. Never used them for work or other tasks. I could still operate a shotgun just fine. My new dog chewed them up a few months ago. They're about $75 now

 

[Clovis]

I got a pair of orvis cold weather hunting gloves for Christmas this year and have had them out in the low 20s. It is a good compromise between warmth and dexterity. First time out, I was comfortable and shot well with them on the whole time. They were iffy on the Garmin screen but not a total bust. They are spendy so maybe try WoodDuck's idea first? Before I got these as a gift I used a pair of synthetic knit gloves that my kid got for running a 5k on my trigger finger hand an that worked ok too, but not windproof. A bit of walking seems almost as important as what you have on your hands in keeping your hands warm in my experience.

 

[2ski]

I recently went through this exercise for my wife and I. We did not go down the path of high end/expensive shooting gloves, but below is what worked for us this year in temps to -17F (real temp, not wind chill).

Non trigger hand: wear a mitten. The chopper style leather ones that can be had for ~$25 from fleet farm work well. We wear these ice fishing too, and hands simply do not get gold in them.

Trigger hand: layer two gloves. I wore a very thin merino liner glove under a thin fleece hunting glove (tons of cheaper options out there). Still have plenty of dexterity to handle e-collar remotes, load shells, or shoot. My wife wore a fleece glove under a heavier fingerless glove with the same results. Bottom line is layering works for hands too, and you can probably get by with mostly what you already have.

This combo will get you down into COLD temps without issue.

What's too cold to run your dogs? Some guy told me about 5 above is his tolerance, as I was getting into having a dog, and I've kind of stuck with that.

I use a pair of free mechanics style gloves that I got as a sample(my job gets me many free samples of things like gloves) on a win I used them to hunt one day. They are insulated just enough and I'm moving anyways. But really I like how the material helps grip my shotgun without slipping.

I couldn't do a mitten on my non trigger hand because of how I learned to shoot. My index finger points down the barrel so I'm pointing at what I want to shoot.

 

[Milestone522]

I wear the Sealskinz shooting glove for 90% of my fall/winter hunting. Deer, ducks, pheasant, etc. Magnets hold back the cloth back for your trigger and thumb if you need to have them out of the glove. Otherwise they are windproof, waterproof, and breathable. They run a bit snug before breaking in, so if you are between sizes order one size up.

Stanford

A modern-day, waterproof shooting glove with three-layer Aquasealz™ technology. A Goatskin suede palm provides optimal grip, ensuring gun does not slip in wet conditions, while a fold-back finger and thumb offers added dexterity when needed. A polyester and COOLMAX® lining is insulative and...

www.sealskinzusa.com

Otherwise, if it is really cold and nasty with snow i wear the Outdoor Research Swoop gloves liners and mittens. Very warm and designed for shooting, but hard to find these days except on Ebay.

 

[WoodDuck]

I think “too cold” is entirely dependent on the breed and specific dog. I have a small female lab, and she showed no signs of slowing down or losing body temp on those cold days chasing pheasants (excessive shivering, laying down, whining and not hunting). I have seen these things with her waterfowl hunting and immediately called the hunt.

Read your dog and let them tell you what is too cold.

To get back on track, no matter what you choose for your main glove, I would absolutely have a pair of thin liner gloves underneath. Makes a world of difference and they can fit under most anything.

 

[Dennis]

I like is to wear whatever glove works best for gun grip and windproof then add a chemical (hot hands) or whatever to the back of my hand. It doesn't affect my grip and keeps the blood warm on the back of my hand which seems to transfer warm blood to my fingers.

 

[KurtR]

I just wear my thin sitka gloves and do shorter walks if i get cold. the blockers generally have a pick up waiting on the other side of the field so maybe out a half hour at most.

 

[GSPHUNTER]

I always like the wool ones without finger tips. I'm able to tuck my finger tips in if they get to cold.

 

[jmez]

My cold tolerance for my dogs, if I go they go. I run GSP in South Dakota. They have hunted many times in sub zero temps and windchills. I have not had an issue with cold. I don't put boots or jackects on them. They do fine. Dogs are far more tolerant than people think.

Mine have never quit or showed any ill affects from the weather. They always jump out excited when I open the box. If they didn't come out on their own I would leave them . One of my buddies dogs quit one day last season. Sub zero temps and about 30mph wind, it was brutal. Last field we were walking, had hunted all day, he went in behind some trees and laid down. He was ready to go the next day.

 

[yfarm]

Century Leather Products deerskin 3 finger thinsulate shooting mitts, fit like gloves, pull the trigger finger into the mitt if it gets cold. Used well below zero pheasant and deer hunting in the midwest. $40. Made in Owatonna Mn and will use your hides if you want. Currently having some gloves made out of a bighorn sheep hide. They also do hair on tanning of your hides, have a variety of rugs done by them. Elk,deer- whitetail and Axis, Nilgai and Oryx.

Century Leather Products

By Uber 308 Adams Ave Owatonna, MN 55060 Est. 1904

clpuber.com

 

[Macintosh]

My dog passed recently so havent been out much this year, but have always hunted in winter. Our partridge season went through end of february growing up so we’d hunt in single digits routinely. I was going to suggest the belt-mounted handwarmer muff mentioned above—I have a different one, but those are great to stuff a gloved hand in at times to rewarm it.
If you wear your mitten large enough you can still align your finger along the barrel. A mitten is warmer than a glove, so this is the warmest you can get. I prefer leather insulated gloves. I dont like cloth gloves, they pick up burrs, they usually arent as windproof,they are slippery, and I trash them much faster. I dont use them for anything other than hunting so a good pair should last me a full season or three, so I dont mind spending a few $ on a pair that fits well. Its always worth getting a couple pairs if you find something that fits you well. Fit is important, has to be nimble enough to operate safety and trigger, but tight=cold.

Depending on how fast youre moving and what kind of dog you might have a different approach. A really good pointer might hold birds longer than most people think…my pointer buddies like to saunter in the direction of a point, stop and take pictures of their glorious bird dog and its 12oclock tail against the stark backdrop of a winter landscape, marvel at the athleticism, discuss whose point it is, load their gun and close it…perhaps ready their now-gloved hand…and then walk in. Im really not kidding very much. If youre like me and hunt over a flushing dog or a less than perfectly steady pointing dog, that might not work…in which case a lightly insulated leather glove, with the ability to stuff it in a handwarmer, is my preference.

Re temps for the dog-my labs would break ice to swim in sub-zero weather, get out and roll in the snow, jump in to swim again, and be happy as a pig in mud covered in frozen fur…then lie down 3 inches from the woodstove steaming as the ice melted. Cold weather conditioning is important, but barring a skinny pointer that isnt conditioned, the dog will probably be better in the cold than you.

 

[Throwin Darts]

I’ve been trying to figure this out for years. This year I did Under Armour Men’s Storm liners ($25 on Amazon) with First Lite Fingerless wool gloves on top. That was the ticket and illl stick with that going forward.