How to stay warm and find elk in late season?

[mtwarden]

three hood morning this morning

everything was good but my feet, but I had an epiphany I'm going to work on

 

[justinspicher]

I always thought I could handle the cold, then I moved to Kansas and learned to sit in a tree in December and January. I quickly realized I'm not that tough.

I've learned that if I don't start out the morning right, I'll be miserable all day. I need to eat in the morning, not some skimpy bullshit meal either, a full on breakfast. That helps get the body going to get warm, like fuel for my truck. I try to prepare this the night before and throw it in a tortilla so it can be microwaved the following morning.

Secondly, I run the heater much warmer than I need to and have my extra layers out off and exposed. It also continues to warm me. Once I get to where I'm hunting I'll put my warm layers on an have a next to skin dry shirt in my pack. It's a pain in the ass to change back and forth, but it sucks worse to freeze.

I'll sit on a foam pad when I glass. I also take my boots off and put my down booties on. Boots go in my pack.

I also eat quite a bit and drink lots of warm beverages.

This is my system when I'm not lazy and decide I don't feel like just walking all day.

 

[castandblast]

Another thing that helps me is to run my tripod at full height with my 15's on it so I can stand instead of sitting. Seems like I compress less of my puffy clothing and have better blood flow to my toes when I stand. Finding a place with a natural windbreak without sacrificing the view is really helpful.

Two weeks ago I went late season elk hunting and was all prepared to need all these tips to stay warm. Last time I hunted that season it was zero in the morning rising to a high of 7F in the afternoon. This trip it was mid forties for the low and mid fifties for the high. What a let down!!!!!!

 

[WonkyWapiti]

A week ago I was hunting whitetail on A mountain in Idaho. I would ride an ATV for a half hour from the cabin up to my area then hike in to my spot for another half hour then I would sit and wait all damn day long. It rained first couple days then temps dropped and we had snow rest of the week. Sitting at the base of a tree from dark to dark took alot of patience and I'll share how I stayed warm. I had a foam pad to sit on and I would loosen my boots for better circulation after I had hiked into my spot. When I did this I also added toe warmers to my socks. I ate small portions throughout the day to keep fueling my body.

Once I was sitting I donned a down vest and down jacket under my outer shell during the rain. On the days it snowed I used a fleece parka instead of a rain jacket. I had a jetboil that I would use to heat up liquids throughout the day and that would re-energize me. I won't claim at times it still didn't get miserable but I wanted a whitetail (which I had never hunted before as it's always elk, muleys, or black tail for me). I had warm gloves and liners and a warm hat as well as a ski mask when it got really cold.

One day the wind was so bad I had to move slightly off the ridge I was on to shelter from the pain train. I had the time of my life just relaxing up there that week and got a nice 5by5. For me the toe warmers and the warm liquids were what kept me mentally in the game.

 

[5MilesBack]

This is my system when I'm not lazy and decide I don't feel like just walking all day.

My problem is.......besides absolutely hating being cold.......is I also can't stand sitting or standing in one place for more than 5 minutes. There have been times on horseback hunts where I got off and walked the horse up.

 

[Larry Bartlett]

in the North we modify our packing list to include an insulated thermarest pad folded over as double insulated seat. A pair of down booties will help tremendously when you're stationary. And wind protection beyond three layers. A small tarp and paracord performs a lot of basic survival functions.

It's all about body heat retention and maintaining blood flow to the distal capillaries. Reducing habits like chewing and smoking helps more than you realize.

Last item is WOOL everything. Mittens will help in a huge way.

Subtle tips that add up to basic warmth and tolerance. The species is coincidental to its environment....

 

[Jimbob]

Hey Matt
Hotmocs

I bought a pair of these this summer and so far they have worked great. Uninsulated rubber boots, -10 celsius, 35 km sustained winds, 11 hours in the treestand, hotsmocs + chemical warmer and my toes were toasty. They are not bulky and weigh very little, about the size of a pair of insulated gloves. Also a small piece of foam under the feet helps a bunch as well.

 

[Mad Mountain Mike]

Matt I'm by no means an expert on late season elk but I do know that by this time of year in Alberta most legal elk have seen some hunting pressure. Unless you have found a honey hole deep in the mountains that nobody else knows about the odds of glassing a nice bull in the light of day are slim. I spent the last half dozen days out west and the elk were there but they were deep in the dark timber long before the sun came up and they stayed there till well after dark. With the rut being long over I have no idea what the answer is other than time in the field and alot of luck. To which I wish you the best.

 

[pods8 (Rugged Stitching)]

The rest of my body I can layer up pretty easily (a marshmallow down jacket will always get your upper body cooking if needed and as long as you aren't sitting on the direct snow and have some so-so leg layers your core will keep the legs warmed).

My feet are what have caused me issues because I also wear insulated boots for the hiking done as well. Initially I was going on a late hunt this year and my plan was to buy or make some packable overboots for glassing. I ended up doing an earlier hunt so that is tabled. Basically a insulated boot that is sized to fit over your boot and the rear is just a folded over flap with a buckle so its easy to stuff you boot in/out. Put a little chemical warmer pocket on the top of the toe area. I figure knock the snow off boots, shove them into that and shortly your boot will be enclosed in a warm environment which will stop the cold exterior effect your feet have to try and warm against. In theory seem like it'd work to me but haven't put it to the test yet.

 

[outdoor_matt]

Thanks for all the helpful info fellas. I know this will certainly help when I get a chance again next fall. Too bad the season is over already, but next year should be better! So it sounds like generally people spot and stalk, or still hunt through the thick timber in the late season. I guess my idea of waiting over a game trail comes from my whitetail hunting, sounds like its not the best option for finding elk. And as for glassing, I think I might get some hotmocs for my boots, and that would cover it, thanks for the heads up buddy. I might still consider a woobie or doobie but thatll have to be a purchase for next year. Overall, I'll need to move more in the snow I think. Love all the advice and experience on this board.