Cold Weather Hunting Clothing for Late Season Whitetail

Let's talk about late-season whitetail hunting and staying warm. We're going to go over what I would say would be five essential pieces of cold weather hunting clothing that you would want to consider staying warm in the later season for whitetail hunting. When you're thinking about late-season whitetail hunting, you need to consider the fact that you're sitting still most of the time.

Whitetail deer hunting is a lot different from spot and stalk or walk and glassing types of hunting, which are both sitting for shorter periods. With whitetail hunting, you have to be able to sit for longer periods of time in order to be successful. So the way you gear up for whitetail deer hunting is different in that regard and, in my opinion, there are two ways to do it.

Cold Weather Hunting Gear for Long Distance

The first way to prep yourself for your late-season hunt would be to choose a layering system so that you allow those different layers to complement each other, and work in a performance way to keep you comfortable. This is going to be what I would recommend for the whitetail hunter that's more maybe DIY, a public land guy, someone who does more mobility and is a little bit more exposed to the elements in that way. 

Our Ptarmigan series is a goose-down, 850-gram, supreme insulator. It's very, very warm and it's also very, very lightweight. It packs up in these little sacks or stuff bags. So you can pack it up, take it in with you, and get dressed at the stand. That way you can avoid the potential issues of getting hot, overheated, sweating, and all that stuff on your walk in. You can just put it on at the stand when you need it.

This really is a great cold-weather gear option for those hunters that are more mobile in their hunting style. We have the Ptarmigan jacket and the Ptarmigan pants. The jacket's extremely lightweight. And even though it is lightweight, it's very, very warm at the same time. You could even wear an all-season shell jacket, like the Hardscrabble, on your walk in and when you get to the stand, take the Ptarmigan out, and put it over the top and it becomes a supreme insulator.

You also have the pants which have a full leg zip - similar to the Nebo rain gear - a reinforced seat, and reinforced knees. 

Cold Weather Hunting Gear for Short Distance

The second way to prep yourself for your late-season hunt would be to top load the outer layer to keep the elements out. I think of this in the same way you would use a blanket, a comforter, or a quilt if you're laying around the house. You put something over the top of you to block the elements out and keep yourself warm.

We have another new product that just came out. Our Guardian bib and jacket series. You don't have the packability and the lightweight features that come with the Ptarmigan series, but you have a lot of performance and a lot thicker, warmer cold weather hunting clothing. You have a lot of design features from the hood to the zips, to the insulation to everything to really keep the elements out.

The Guardian series would be your supreme outer layer type of option, where you don't mind a little extra weight and bulk. If you've ever hunted with a bib as opposed to a pant, you know how great they are at keeping out the cold. It comes all the way up, so it really seals off that waist area where a lot of cold air can get in under a jacket-pant type of combo. You could carry these in and dress before you get in the stand, but it's a bigger, bulkier, heavier garment. It would be a lot to carry, but if you're a whitetail hunter that's going to make a long sit and you're not having to walk that far, this would be a great option for really cold weather. 

So those are my top and bottom suggestions for both your more mobile cold weather hunting clothing and your more standard, long sit cold weather hunting clothing.

Last Piece of Cold Weather Hunting Gear

The fifth item that I'm going to call essential is a beanie. If you're anything like me, you can't get away with wearing a ball cap when it's really cold outside. In my opinion, once the heat starts to leave your body through the top of your head and your head gets cold, the rest of you tends to follow suit.

SKRE offers a standard knit-style beanie and also a merino wool beanie. If it's really cold, a lot of times I wear the merino beanie next to my skin and put another knit cap over the top of that. I think that a beanie is an essential piece of cold weather hunting clothing. 

SUMMARY

In summary, our Ptarmigan series is very packable, very lightweight, but still very warm. Our new Guardian bib and jacket is a heavier option and would be a great option for someone who's not having to be extremely mobile to get in and out of their hunting area, but is still making long sits. When you're gearing up for late-season whitetail hunting, consider these five pieces of gear as essential pieces of cold weather hunting clothing that you need to make those long sits that it takes to be successful.

Make sure to check out our late-season whitetail bundle to ensure you stay warm during your whitetail hunt. On sale for a limited time!