Hunting in the brutally cold weather of late season can be tough. After months of hunting hard, it’s both a mental and physical challenge to keep after it day after day. However, much of the grind simply comes down to your ability to handle hunting in the cold weather. Don’t let the frigid late-season weather keep you out of the deer woods. Here’s a look at some of the best gear for cold weather hunting during the late season.
Scentlok BE:1 Fortress Parka & Bib ($299.99 each)
As the name implies, the Fortress is purpose-built to help you handle harsh late-season hunting while also helping contain your scent. The BE:1 (Bowhunter Elite 1) bibs and parka are both waterproof and windproof which is a must in any true late-season garments. The Fortress is super quiet, thanks to its soft and flexible fleece fabric. Ample pockets throughout give you all the room you need for stashing gear and gadgets. The BE:1 series was built for bowhunters and the Fortress garments are tailored for optimum bowhunting performance in the nastiest conditions, featuring full articulation, compression and sculpting with minimal bulk, courtesy of body-mapped Thinsulate insulation.
Scentlok Fortress
Sitka Fanatic Jacket & Bib ($449/jacket – $439/Bib)
The Fanatic system from Sitka was built to keep you warm and quiet as you prepare for the shot. The company took things to the scientific level when it comes to minimizing noise throughout a hunting garment. It’s built with an enhanced high-loft Berber fleece face paired with an ultra-quiet GORE-TEX Infinium with WindStopper. The Fanatic system is super quiet, super comfortable and built to last.
Sitka Fanatic Jacket
Mobile Warming Summit Vest ($219.99)
Mobile Warming’s Bluetooth-enabled 12volt Summit Duck Down Heated Vest delivers heat to keep your core warm and toasty for long sits in the stand. It features a light-weight, 100% nylon outer shell with ultra-warm 500-fill 85/10 duck down core, allowing you for ample warmth without restriction and binding. The vest is powered by a rechargeable 12volt lithium-ion battery with large heat zones designed to keep you warm for hours. The Summit allows you to change the temperature on-the-fly wirelessly, as well as check battery levels. Available in Black, Navy or Mossy Oak camo.
Mobile Warming Summit Vest
Ororo Heated Vest ($169.99)
The Ororo Heated Vest is another piece designed to keep you warm and help you ride out those long sits in the treestand or deer blind in the winter months. It’s a puffy heated vest that’s water and wind-resistant and features heated elements across the left and right-hand pockets, as well as the collar back heating areas. It has Low, Medium and High settings for warmth lasting up to 10 hours on low heat setting. It has an included battery with a USB port that also allows you to charge a smartphone or other device. The Ororo heated vest is machine washable, includes a battery with purchase and comes with a 3 year limited warranty.
Ororo Heated Vest
Heybo Timbers Vest ($109.99)
The key to staying warm in the late season is to keep your core well insulated. That’s why we’ve featured a number of vests in this list. Another great option is the new Heybo Timbers Vest. It’s fleece lined and super comfortable with its windproof and waterproof design. It’s got beefy YKK zippers and a magnetic pocket on the left chest. The vest works equally well as a stand alone piece or as an insulator under a heavier jacket or parka. This is a super-comfortable vest to keep your core warm and toasty in the late season, whether you’re chasing bucks, ducks, or just hanging out around camp.
Heybo Timbers Vest
Minus 33 Midweight Merino Wool Shirt ($74.99)
The first step towards staying warm during cold weather hunts is having good base layers. Over the years, Merino Wool has proven itself to be one of the most effective materials for keeping you warm and dry. Merino wool naturally wicks moisture away from your body, which makes it the perfect base layer for late season hunts where you may get sweaty on your walk to the stand. Minus33 produces a variety of merino wool garments in various styles and thicknesses. The midweight Chocorua shirt serves as a great multi-purpose base layer from mid-season all the way until the bitter end.
Prois Callaid Down Hunting Jacket for Women ($209.99)
The crew at Prois have gone to great lengths to make sure women have quality hunting apparel for their adventures in the field. Their Callaid Down Jacket is one piece that was built for the ultimate comfort in the late season. It’s built with a 100% polyester ripstop fabric and DWR treatment for water resistance. It’s the ultimate insulator garment with 800 Gray Goose water-resistant down and deep hand and chest pockets to keep your hands warm too.
Prois Callaid Down Jacket
LaCrosse Alpha Agility 1200G Boots ($150)
The Alpha Agility boot from LaCrosse is about as comfortable of a rubber hunting boot as you’ll ever find. It’s like a tennis shoe built into a knee-boot, designed to keep you dry and comfortable. Even better, they’re available in a 1200 gram insulated version to keep your feet warm and toasty, even on your cold weather, late-season hunts.
LaCrosse Alpha Agility
Danner Pronghorn 1200G ($260)
Another incredibly comfortable boot that packs the warm is the 5th generation Danner Pronghorn 1200G. These boots are the culmination of many years of Pronghorn history and cutting-edge footwear technology from Danner. The boots are built on Danner’s Terra Force Next platform, for the all-day comfort and stability Danner boots are known for. You’ll find full-grain leather that’s tough as nails in a design that has passed rigorous testing and development. These boots were designed to keep you in the hunt no matter what the elements throw your way, with a GORE-TEX waterproof liner that keeps moisture out and lets your feet breathe. And to keep your feet warm on those cold, late-season hunts, these Pronghorns are built with PrimaLoft insulation.
Danner Pronghorn 1200G
Arctic Shield Boot Insulating Covers ($64.99)
Warm, high-quality socks and insulated boots are great tools for keeping your feet warm on cold hunts. But for some of us, they just aren’t enough. If your feet seem to get cold no matter what you do, give these boot covers from Arctic Shield a serious look. The polyester outer shell is windproof and water-resistant, and their Retain heat retention technology locks the heat in to keep your toes nice and toasty. Pro Tip: for added heat, you can throw a set of Hot Hands into your covers before you zip them up.
HSS Heated Muff-Pak ($59.99)
The popular Muff-Pak from Hunter Safety System got a big upgrade when the company introduced its all-new Heated Muff-Pak. It’s a super cozy hand muff that’s built with heated coils inside to deliver heat to your hands for up to 5 hours, depending on the USB battery supply you use. It heats up in just a couple minutes and provides the perfect place to hide your hands while you wait on the action to unfold. It also has several pockets built into it, allowing you to stash your gear and gadgets. It’s almost like a heated fanny pack!
The HSS Heated Muff-Pak does not include a battery, however, the company recommends the use of a 10,000 mAh battery unit which will buy you 5-6 hours of toasty hands during your cold-weather hunts.
Heated Muff-Pak
Hot Hands
No late season hunt would be complete without a set (or several sets) of Hot Hands disposable hand warmers. Most of the bowhunters we know buy these by the case each fall and rely on them to keep not just their hands warm, but also their feet, neck, head, core and anywhere else you can stash them when the temps start to drop. Pro Tip: The Supersize Body Warmers have adhesive backing on them which can stick to your clothing. Put one or two on your lower back, over your base layer, but under your insulating layer, and you’ll be warm for hours.
Scentlok Thermal Boot Sock ($14.49)
Good cold weather hunting socks are the foundation for keeping your feet warm. So spend the extra money to get the good stuff. Scentlok’s Thermal Boot Sock is the perfect solution to keeping your feet dry and comfortable. As mentioned above, if your feet are sweating, you’ll soon be suffering from cold feet. You need socks designed to wick away that moisture to keep your feet dry and comfortable. The cushioned sole, heel and ankle on these socks ensure all-day comfort, helping you stay in the game day after day.
Scentlok Thermal Boot Sock
Camp Chef Stryker Stove ($130)
A compact stove is a nice addition to any deer blind or shooting house to warm things up, as well as prep food or drink for the long haul. I like a compact stove that allows me to cook a hot meal, make coffee, or warm up hot chocolate for the kids when setting up for all-day sits. The Camp Chef Stryker 200 is the perfect option for making it happen in the late season. It’s a multi-fuel stove that is super compact and weighs in at just 19 ounces. It sets up really quick and can have water boiling in less than 2 minutes.
Camp Chef Stryker
Blizzard Buddy ($359)
When things get really cold, and you find yourself wishing you were tucked down in a warm sleeping bag, you may consider the next best thing – the Blizzard Buddy hunting suit. This cold weather suit was designed to give ultimate comfort and maximum functionality to bow and gun hunters. It’s not restricting, as it features conveniently placed arm holes and a special quiet-zipper design. It features a combination of a fleece lining and Thinsulate Ultra insulation to keep you warm in almost any temperature. Sizes range from X-Small for Youth/Women, all the way up to XL/Wide.
Blizzard Buddy
