Staying warm on the stand

At 70+ years of age, it's time to stay on the ground, even a short fall can kill you or paralyze you.

You're going to have to give up your car keys one day, too. The trick is to know when to do things like this before you seriously hurt yourself or others.
 
Beware of frostbite. I believe I had frostbite in my big toes, while the temperature was -6 degrees Fahrenheit in Virginia; while operating a survey instrument.
 
Here is one that works quite well. Buy a few of the Therma rest back pain relief wraps. Once activated it will provide a very nice warmth right over your kidneys for several hours. Extremeties will still get cold. I often put a chemical handwarmer under my toes ant secure it Wil electrical tape. (Outside my socks). And either wear rubber boots or lose laced boot. But if you have to walk far you would have to wait until you got to your stand. Eating well and often helps also.
 
Be careful with Jon-E type hand warmers. Here is a quick and true story. When my father was an infantry officer in Korea, he had one of these warmers. One night, he lit it then tossed it in his sleeping bag. It worked its way onto his stomach where is gave him a mild burn in the shape of the warmer. I guess it was such a slow burn, he didn't notice it until it was too late. It didn't stop him from using it after that.

SeaBuck, here is another suggestion. You'll still contend with the cold in a ground blind. Take a down sleeping bag with you. Toss one of the Jon-E type warmers in the bottom. I guarantee your feet will be toasty warm and so will the rest of you.
 
All those warming ideas work but with decreasing effect as you age. Moving helps you to stay warm so I changed to still hunting almost exclusively when I was in my late 60s. In my 70s I found myself not so enthusiastic and finally almost stopped hunting around the age of 75. Sometimes on a nice day I will go after grouse. The advantage of hunting grouse is that I can get them out of the woods. Were I to down a deer, I wouldn't be able to get it out of the woods.

I have decided at the age of 79 it's not a good idea to be wandering around the woods alone, so I rarely hunt now. I do miss it.
 
A little voice asked me, "How old do you think you are?" And one very rude question about what I was doing. snicker.
Staying warm anywhere outside is about staying dry. Mind you, exactly where you are matters too. Has nothing whatever to do with age though.
Leather and wool with a cotton t-shirt or anything with thinsulate and sufficient food(carbs and protein mostly) are your friend.
The one absolute necessity is a hat. An acrylic or wool watch cap will do more than any number of sleeping bags you have to carry in and out.
A build the blind out of the prevailing wind.
"...I believe I had frostbite..." If ever had frost bite, you'd know.
-6 degrees Fahrenheit isn't terribly cold. -40 is cold. The two scales meet at -40. Tomatoes become rocks. Naphtha evaporates. 5 gallon bags of milk starts to freeze 3 feet from a roaring fire.
"Mickey mouse boots" are rubber boots just like galoshes. Useless in extreme cold. Only rated to -20F. The Bunny Boot is rated to -65F. Goes to less than that in the Arctic. -100 isn't unusual.
 
What do you (I) do to stay warm on the stand?

Residing in MN. Only the well insulated kind's of guys & young fellers sit in & on open air stands & scaffolds.

I on the other hand being Blessed to own my own hunting property. I decided 10 years ago "no more cold will I deal with during my last deer hunting years." So being retired and having a few blue collar skills. I designed and built 2 enclosed, heated, & insulated roof to floor, stick & plywood stands. One for me, the other used by my son. Only the two noticeable difference's between the two stands. Mine has a 2' square trap door in its floor with its climbing ladder directly underneath the floor so not to be exposed to the weather (no ice & snow to deal with on its steps). The son's stand has a large back door with a climbing ladder that is exposed to the weather. But this Grandpa's stand is also sided with over lapped 5" cedar dog eared fencing boards which naturally blends in with our forest color in late Fall unlike the son's who's stand is camo painted.
Mine too has a new update recently plumbed & installed._ Humphrey L/P Light._Which I can turn on after sunset if needed.
Both 6X6 stands are supported by green treated 4X4 yellow pine legs 10 ft above ground level and heated with Coleman Big Buddy heaters hooked to 20 lb LP tanks.

This year I'll probably spend more time in camp Sea Buck. I'm a better cook than a hunter these days. Son likes and shoots my 25-06 pretty good and now prefers to leave his early built 243 Ruger Round Top cased. So this year I'll probably have him harvest one for his old Gipper also"_ :)
 
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hood/balaclava

What works for me, and I don't have the temps described by some, is the disposable hand/pocket warmers, and a HOOD, either on my coat, or on a layering garment beneath the coat. Depending on the combination, the hood can go over my headwear, or the other way around.

Yeah, I can't hear as well from it, and my vision gets a little impaired sometimes too, but the hood, even just draped over my head, uncinched, seems to make a huge difference in fighting the chills.

The other item is a light, thin, balaclava, that covers my nose and mouth. I can breath through the thing of course, but it seems to help pre-warm the air, which I reason, does not cool down my core as much (lungs/chest).

I've also become a fan of the old watch cap, wool preferred. The watch cap,'clava, and a hood.....I'm pretty good in our coldest weather.
 
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