What is appropriate clothing for deer hunting season??

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All my experience outdoors in the colder months has usually involved a great deal of physical exertion so that does not really help me for trying to figure out what to wear when I am sitting for hours in November New England weather (I live in MA but will be going North eventually).

I won a First Lite Sanctuary jacket (their warmest jacket) in ASAT camo at an auction for an incredible price but do not know if it is overkill/too warm and that I should sell it and get their Woodbury jacket with 40% less insulation?

Other than that I was going to go with wool base layer but beyond there I do not know as I do not have the experience. Help!
 
First, a bullet proof vest( if hunting in MA.) secondly, layers that can be stripped off and placed in an empty pack and put back on when you stop moving.
Loose Layers is the key.
 
Layers
Depends if you are sitting for long periods of time that jacket would be fine.
I put my jacket wool hat gloves a fleece in a pack and hike into a stand with just light layers on.
You want to avoid sweating at all costs .
If you are going to be putting on the miles which is a more likely option in mass in Nov if you want to see deer I just wear light wicking shirt and a zip up fleece .
 
1) November isn't that cold up north but there will be snow, depending on how far up you are
2) Layers
3) 500 sq. in. of something orange
4) Scent Blocker soap and deodorant
5) Boots that are quiet, waterproof, and warm and that can fit two layers of socks
 
First, a bullet proof vest( if hunting in MA.) secondly, layers that can be stripped off and placed in an empty pack and put back on when you stop moving.
Loose Layers is the key.
I just crunched the numbers and came up with the following:

NH averages 7.14 hunting accidents per 100,000 participants annually

Ma averages 7.25 hunting accidents per 100,000 participants annually

Sounds like they are equal with respect to hunting related accidents and safety

Numbers were gleaned using average number of accidents per year compared to total licensed hunters to make it fair.

I couldn't find any data on average accidents per year in maine so couldn't run that states numbers. However in 2017 a hunter was killed in Maine by a fellow hunter. NH has had 5 fatal hunting accidents in the last 15 years. Massachusetts last fatal hunting accident as far as my research tells me was 1992!



I will say that I was hunting snow shoe hare in Maine with a guide 2 weeks ago.....day before we arrived the guide had to medivac out one of his hunters......a 12 year old boy shot his dad in the face when a hare ran between them and his boy fired......ricochet off the ice came up and put about 9 pellets into his face......one entered his eye. This was in Maine....and the hunters were from new Hampshire. Just sayin
 
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All my experience outdoors in the colder months has usually involved a great deal of physical exertion so that does not really help me for trying to figure out what to wear when I am sitting for hours in November New England weather (I live in MA but will be going North eventually).

I won a First Lite Sanctuary jacket (their warmest jacket) in ASAT camo at an auction for an incredible price but do not know if it is overkill/too warm and that I should sell it and get their Woodbury jacket with 40% less insulation?

Other than that I was going to go with wool base layer but beyond there I do not know as I do not have the experience. Help!
Like others have said

Long walk to your stand.....heavy coat in backpack......put it when you get in the stand.

Short walk to stand wear the heavy coat but walk slow and avoid sweating

If your doing deer drives and walking.....layers so you can adjust between sitting and driving.

Nothing wrong with a very heavy insulated coat just make sure it's packable in a backpack
 
Don't get anything "waterproof" unless is proven, high quality gear. The cheap waterproof gear doesn't breathe, and that's no good.

More and more I'm appreciating the quietness, warmth and light weight of fleece-type garments.
 
I will say that I was hunting snow shoe hare in Maine with a guide 2 weeks ago.....day before we arrived the guide had to medivac out one of his hunters......a 12 year old boy shot his dad in the face when a hare ran between them and his boy fired......ricochet off the ice came up and put about 9 pellets into his face......one entered his eye. This was in Maine....and the hunters were from new Hampshire. Just sayin

Hampsterholes! LOL


You can pick up the US.mil knockoffs at Cabela's/BPS I believe. The AIWCX or EWOOKS or whatever system. I'd use an Under Armor winter base, then the waffle-weave and zip-up military stuff. That tufted waffle-weave stuff is SCARY warm. Like, you better be drinking a TON of water or you'll dehydrate in it. You might even find authentic stuff at the local A/N store or Ebay or something. ECWCS Level II. Scary warm stuff.

I've got a coat I THINK I got at Cabela's about a decade ago. Worn once. LOL. It's splotchy camo pattern. But the jacket is fuzzy. Like an old 70's fake "fur" coat. It seems to make it warmer by trapping more air PLUS it's pretty damned quiet. Not good for wet weather, tho.

My concern is always fingers and toes, personally. I've never found an effective way, outside of a heat source, to keep either warm enough for my liking.
 
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I had the Amish build me an insulated hooch and I added a heater and the camo paint. I use Kuiu Attack Pants and a light pullover. This way I don't get a chill when I slide the window open to yell at my Nephew not to f*** up while he field dresses my deer.
 
Hampsterholes! LOL


You can pick up the US.mil knockoffs at Cabela's/BPS I believe. The AIWCX or EWOOKS or whatever system. I'd use an Under Armor winter base, then the waffle-weave and zip-up military stuff. That tufted waffle-weave stuff is SCARY warm. Like, you better be drinking a TON of water or you'll dehydrate in it. You might even find authentic stuff at the local A/N store or Ebay or something. ECWCS Level II. Scary warm stuff.

I've got a coat I THINK I got at Cabela's about a decade ago. Worn once. LOL. It's splotchy camo pattern. But the jacket is fuzzy. Like an old 70's fake "fur" coat. It seems to make it warmer by trapping more air PLUS it's pretty damned quiet. Not good for wet weather, tho.

My concern is always fingers and toes, personally. I've never found an effective way, outside of a heat source, to keep either warm enough for my liking.


Cabellas use to have leather gloves, with Gore Tex and 200 grams of Thinsulate. They are great. I've hunted bunnies, in some pretty nasty weather. Gloves may get wet outside, but inside they are toasty. Today, they still have the the gloves, but with 150 grams of Thinsulate, rather than 200 grams. Honestly, the best hunting gloves I've ever had. The price is about $ 50.00. Your hands with thank you.
 
If you are hunting from a blind in the cold, one of the most difficult things is to avoid overheating on the walk in. If you break out in a sweat on the walk in, you will get really cold when you stop moving.

For footwear, if it is really cold nothing beats felt lined boots. You won’t want to walk far in them, but cold feet sucks.

Long underwear top and bottom. A zip up mock turtleneck. Fleece sweater. Get a big box of chemical handwarmers. I would put one in each sock above my ankles, one in each front pant pocket, one in each chest pocket.

Also get an orange balaclava — they are vital on cold windy days.

You will want specialized hunting outerwear top and bottom. You want breathable waterproof, but it has to have a soft surface or it will be too noisy. A typical Gortex shell is outrageously noisy when walking through the woods.
 
I have a lot of first lite stuff. I find it to not be very durable. Actually quite poor.

Additionally you didn't mention the game you would be chasing. That makes a difference as to what pattern you may want.

I don't like asat for anything myself. I like camo that has a mix of some solids and camo patterns. Like the stuff from legendary whitetail. Consider this... paint a drum solid brown and one in n asat. Now put them both out at 50 yards in some cover in the woods. Now spin the drum. Which are you more likely to see... The asat or the solid color? The solid you won't be able to tell it's moving, but the asat would jump out like a beacon. Now this is kind of a gross example but you get the point. When it comes to whitetail it's all about movement and minimizing their ability to detect it. Head to toe asat isn't the best way to do that IMHO.

Additionally you don't need top of the price chain gear to be effective. Woodsman ship is far more important than any piece of gear or camo. Good woodsmen kill lots of deer in flannels and jeans every year. You can't spend your way to success and you can't buy it. Spend your time scouting as opposed to working OT to pay for Sitka or First lite and you will be far more successful.

...and don't waste your loot on scent block BS. Of you think your fooling a deer's nose your only fooling yourself. At the risk of sounding like a broken record.... Woodsmanship is what matters. Learn how to play the wind, learn how deer use it to their advantage, andalearn how to predict that and you'll kill far more deer any anybody relying on a scent block suit.
 
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