Mountain Hunting Clothing

[BAR BAR 2]

Am I the only one here who wears a loin cloth and coonskin cap?

Amateurs !




Tex

[Bon Plott]

Did when I was younger but now my balls drag in the snow

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[david]

Brett, that really makes a believer out of you when you see a buddy suffering terribly while you are comfortable and cozy. I mean you can so clearly see how much difference the right pair of pants can make. Such a simple thing. Such a profound difference.

"There is no such thing as poor weather, only poor clothing" ... An Inuit proverb.

[david]

Am I the only one here who wears a loin cloth and coonskin cap?

Amateurs !




Tex

Tex that is just for you tribes in the Deep South like Wyoming.

[Fireman03]

I've been thinking about something along these lines

[Fireman03]

Different colors for different dogs?

[Fireman03]

I don't think she agrees with me

[rockytrails]

The Thermax l long john's in medium weight are a wool blend and they do dry out. I itch with the wool so I prefer a heavy silk long John. Cabelas Dri Plus pants and jacket. Except they quit making the ones I wear. Looking into Kuiu. Over silk torso. A shirt, fleece vest with the Dri plus jacket. Gators also helpful. Schnees pack boots. Thorlo socks. Don't forget the silk wild rag. Your favorite hat. Survival stuff always

[horshur]

layer with a waterproof shell as conditions demand...you can use long underwear and just the shell..just sayin It is better to be a bit cold then too warm and then catch a chill.

[Mike Leonard]

I have used a lot of products over the years and I believe if I was walking all the time I would probably choose Kuiu . they make an excellent product and over time it is worth the extra money. Light weight and tuff.
For some reason I keep going back to wool outer garments they just work for me.

In warmer winter weather I wear silk unders and lighter weight whipcord wool pants Pendleton wool shirts, and a Woolrich wool vest. On my feet Smart Wool liners and socks, and Kenetrek Bridger boots.

Colder weather same unders and socks but I go with heavier Filson wool pants and a Filson vest, and switch to either my Kenetrk cowboy packs if I am horseback or Schnees Outfitter II boots with air bob soles if I am doing a lot of walking in deep snow. I use the Kenetrek gators and have found them very good.


A little story to illustrate why I am a believer in wool.

Some years back I was called to hunt down a lion that was killing rancher's colts. This was deep in the winter and the area where the cats was hanging was high elevation with deep snow with a lot of crust. There had been some new snowfall on the old base and it was around noon when we finally cut the lion's track and it was snowed in but still visible under the trees. I put 2 of my older lion dogs on the track and they could smell it good and opened right away and took off on it. Well there was no way to get any closer with the truck so we leashed a few younger dogs and headed off down the trail. I had a younger hunting friend and an Animal Depredation Control Officer with me. We expected the dogs would jump the lion soon and it would be a short walk to the tree. Wrong!

The lion's trail led the hounds deep into the rugged mountains and the snow was 2-3 feet deep in many places. the crust on it made for difficult walking as you would step on it and then break thru very miserable. I could hear the two dogs a long way off and the younger dogs could hear them two so we set them free to joint the older dogs, and we trudged on. I was wearing my cold weather combination and the exertion was making us work up a pretty good sweat. My younger companion had on good hunting clothes but they were not designed for the deep snow and soon he was wet from perspiration and his clothes did not breath well. The ADC guy had on insulated Carharts over his regular clothing and no gaiters just pack boots. Finally late ion the afternoon we climbed a ridge and were rewarded with the sound of the dogs treed right on the edge of a massive canyon. It was tuff going but we finally made it down to the dogs that had a tom treed about 50 yards from the edge of the canyon. The ADC Officer dispatched the lion and we took a breather. It would be dark soon, and we were a good long ways from the road and the truck. The Officer suggested we just hang the lion in the tree where they could come back in later with a helicopter and retrieve it. sounded good to me and we leashed the hounds and started back out cutting in what we thought was a more direct line to where we had left the truck. I was breaking trail and these 2 fellows were coming behind me. Darkness found us still struggling thru the snow and now the temperature had dropped and the wind came up blowing the snow around us. Before long I saw my colleagues falling further and further behind. I waited for them and encouraged them to keep trying. I did this a few times and I could tell cramps and hypo thermia were setting into them. They had got wet from the snow and the exertion, and they were moving at a snail's pace. Soon they began to suggest we build a fire and just set the night out. In all that snow and wet I knew this was not a good avenue to take we had to get out of there!
Soon they were saying I just want to lay down for awhile and sleep and get rested. Boy I knew then we were up $hit creek! My outer wool had gotten wet some from falling in the snow but even wet wool hold good insulation and it lets your body breath and dries out the wicked perspiration. I had to get stern wit them and almost drag them along. They finally followed me out to the bladed road. We then realized we had made a pretty big detour and we were still several miles from the truck.
I told them to wait there and to stay on their feet and move around and keep each other from stiffening out and laying down. I took off going as fast as I could with the dogs following me. I made it about a mile and thank goodness a man who was running a blade on the main roads came along and gave me a lift to my truck. I got the dogs loaded and sped back to the other guys. They were still up but not in very good shape. I got them in and got some water and ibuprofen into them to help with the cramping, and in a few days they were fine.

I am convinced had it not been for my wool clothing, proper footwear and gaiters we might have lost big time on that deal. When I finally made it back home at 2PM in the morning I made a vow to never let anybody follow me out on one of those deals when I wasn't sure they were dressed and prepared for the worst.

Spend the extra money, you are worth it!!

[mark]

I would of built a fire of biblical proportions at the tree and waited for the helicopter. Lmao

[dhostetler]

Last winter I treed a lion for a friend. This friend has lived his whole life in Montana does a lot of hunting and very woods wise. We had a snowmobile breakdown. I hiked the 1.5 miles from the bottom to the tree and he went back to the truck to get his 15 year old son and I directed him to sled a couple extra miles around with his son to come in from the top which was 1/2 the distance to the tree then the bottem was. The snow was 1.5 feet deep and wet. I waited at the tree 1.5 hours for the shooter to show up. I was never so cold in my life. We skinned the cat at the tree I and I packed the skin out plus it took a lot of encouragement to keep my entourage moving.

Lesson #1 try at all costs not ever have non hound hunters tag along.
Lesson #2 if you end up with non hound hunters tagging along never let them out of your sight, unless like Mike did to go get the truck.

Most people have no idea how hard hunting with hounds can be. Yes you can walk 20 miles a day elk hunting but you choose your route. In hound hunting you have no choice where you go you have to go to the hounds. It is important to have the correct equipment but I believe in tough situations it comes down a lot to the mental abilities to overcome problems. In hound hunting everything revolves around the hounds. If you see a bull a 1/2 mile away in tough country an elk hunter can decide its not worth it to go after him. If Dogs are treed at the same place a hound hunter will not even consider not going.

[Fireman03]

I agree a 100%. They go hand in hand. Mental stability is huge in outdoor sports. Not being prepared for the worst situations can hinder your mental abilities. When Hypothermia sets in there isn't alot you can do no matter how strong mentally you are, this is where good gear comes in. I don't hunt with many people but when I do they are the type that i could rely on to get me out of a shitty situation if it came to it.

[406hound]

Marino wool against your skin is key in my opinion. Hell with any cotton. I avoid cammo clothing like the plague and won't spend the money on Sitka or Kuiu just for the name and cammo when other companies (Marmot, OR, Mammut) make just as good afternoon gear for way less. When it comes to the Marino wool look no further than Duckworth. Bozeman MT company. Wool is raised in MT, processes at textile mill in NC I believe (no textile mills in MT), never leaves the country. They make a loose filled wool hooded jacket that looks like a puffy down Jacket that I will put up against any insulation layer jacket I know of. Still warm as hell when wet unlike down.

[rockytrails]

A couple thoughts. Carry extra strength Tums and eat 4 or 5 of them when you get cramps. Amazing how fast they go away. Hypothermia, had it once. Asked a doctor best first aid, he recommended , after drying out and building a fire to melt snow to boiling and inhale the steam to warm inside the body. When I got it, was chasing dogs and went shortest way straight up a northface with deep snow. My buddy had circled to the west face with little snow. Don't need to take shortest way there. Not always fastest. I don't think KUIU is overly expensive because of the name. It serves its purpose. Sitka is way expensive in my opinion but I know some who swear by it. We're just not so willing to try that stuff. I am now, kinda like the light weight weather resistant stuff now.