Too Cold to Hunt? When to Stay Home

Planned to Hunt

Sunday marked the final day of the 2015-16 archery season here in Illinois. As you may or may not know, I had planned on hitting the woods that afternoon to try and fill my final tag. I arrived home from the hunt the previous evening almost frozen to the bone. I left all my equipment in the truck knowing that I would need it right away the next afternoon and headed in to thaw out with some family time before the kids went to bed. When I woke up Sunday morning, we were already under a wind chill advisory. According to the news, -20 degree wind chills all day. It was at that point that I pretty much had to make a decision. Is that too cold to hunt?

The Proper Equipment

Unfortunately, I do not own a Heater Body Suit which is said to be the single best way to stay warm while sitting in a treestand during cold weather. They have great testimonials and reviews on Amazon and I’ve even put it at the top of my list for equipment needed before the beginning of the 2016-17 archery season. I’m also not fortunate enough to own a box blind. If I were to own either piece of equipment, I would say that there would be no doubt about me being in the woods no matter how cold the temps are supposed to be.

Too Cold to Hunt Conclusion

However, because I do not own either piece of equipment, it would be irresponsible and unsafe for me to be out there. In the long run I have to think about my safety first. No matter how passionate I am about being out in the woods enjoying nature and going after whitetail deer, I cannot justify putting myself at risk since I do not have the proper equipment to help keep me safe and in this case, warm.  Happy (and safe) Hunting!