Shooting a bow in cold weather

[triggersandbows]

Before talking to the guys in the archery department here at Triggers and Bows I was sure that once nasty weather set in bow hunting would have to end. With this cold wet winter starting so early into November it really got me thinking about it.
The guys gave me their tips and tricks for keeping a bow in good condition during the winter, and things to remember while shooting out in the cold!

https://www.triggersandbows.com/tips-winter-archery/

What sort of experiences have you had shooting in cold weather?

 

[bigrack]

I have bow hunted many times over the years up till the end of December here in the ottawa area, very hard to stay warm no matter what gear you wear at -20c, clothing very important must be warm and soft absolutely no noise. Big bucks will hear the softest noise and disappear instantly. My bows are browning from decades ago but work great, not a fan of dual cam, so I keep them in good repair, little snot bow string wax and whisker biscuit keeps things quiet. Had a monster come in about mid noon many years ago I was in a wooden stand but had to do a turn to the left stand creaked and he was gone. I've taken my best wall hangers long after rifle season in the miserable cold of december,lol

 

[hisnibs]

Can't speak to hunting but I used to go to traditional archery shoots all winter long back in the 90s. February can be challenging but don't remember any equipment damage due to the cold. Stick bows mind you, no bells or whistles to freeze up.

 

[CzyHorse]

When the snow comes down the Lynx comes out.

Excalibur Mattrix 380 Lynx c/w Zeiss XB75.

I've had no issues with my recurve bows in cold snowy weather, the Lynx has a 280lb draw weight. I just give the deck a wipe if the snows starts to build up. I think hunters and recurve bows have more problems with heat.
So don't over heat and work up a sweat on way to stand. It's less 'work' walking on top of a foot of snow, than trudging thru it. Use real Snowshoes not the noisy POS metal things they commonly sell now. I have 2 wooden sets, 1 - 3ft synthetic gut set for wet & 1 - 5ft real gut set for dry snow.

I dress as warm as I can. Lots of layers, starting with a quality base layer to breath & wick moisture. I use hand warmers inside my gloves. When it gets really cold, I'll put a handwarmer in my shirt pocket over heart and add one to each boot. I 'fire' the handwarmers up and put in knapsack pocket before I leave truck, I put them in place after I cool down but before I get cold at the stand/blind/hide. Quiet camo at this time of the year is a must, if yr cheap like me, a hooded white terry cloth bath robe works awesome. You look like an idiot but it is very, very quiet. Your stand/blind/hide should be out of the wind, exposed skin will develop frost bite quickly.

 

[Fyn]

The challenges I've found in the last few seasons is finding clothing that will keep you warm throughout the late season, as well as be quiet. Hunting into December, if you hunt anywhere that is pressured, the deer have already likely experienced 2 months of other hunters through archery and gun seasons, which typically makes them extra spooky. Drawing a bow after sitting still in the cold for several hours, in bulky clothes, from a seated position, with possibly some buck fever thrown in, can definitely be challenging. Practicing through the summer and fall, my draw weights feel great, but trying to draw on a deer late in the season is often a totally different experience.

Late season can be pretty awesome though, a lot of guys either hang it up or have filled a tag by then, so you can have some pretty awesome experiences.

 

[verminaard]

The challenges I've found in the last few seasons is finding clothing that will keep you warm throughout the late season, as well as be quiet. Hunting into December, if you hunt anywhere that is pressured, the deer have already likely experienced 2 months of other hunters through archery and gun seasons, which typically makes them extra spooky. Drawing a bow after sitting still in the cold for several hours, in bulky clothes, from a seated position, with possibly some buck fever thrown in, can definitely be challenging. Practicing through the summer and fall, my draw weights feel great, but trying to draw on a deer late in the season is often a totally different experience.

Late season can be pretty awesome though, a lot of guys either hang it up or have filled a tag by then, so you can have some pretty awesome experiences.

Yeah, I was busted by a pair of does this season because my jacket made a slight ‘whoosh’. I heard em coming, but I was expecting them to pop up in front of me. They popped up to my right, sooner than expected, got within 15yds. Tried to twist my torso to get a shot... cold jacket rubbed on my stand... ears went up... surrender flags back into the scrub.

I wear it all the time for yotes in the cold, but never really paid attention to how loud the material would get. Great for warmth, sucky for quiet.

 

[hunter148]

A trick I used to stay warm on the bitter cold days was a inner shirt with chest pockets and first pinned then sewed a couple pockets in the back about kidney level. Heat paks in the pockets are your friend and if out for the day a couple down the boots don't hurt. At the end of the day it is the best $6 you will spend.
When shooting a compound never have a bow you can't pull after a couple hours in the cold. Watched a buddy blow a chance on a true monster as he couldn't manage to roll over his 70lb bow after sitting for a couple hours in what could only be called bitter weather.

 

[hawk-i]

A crossbow isn't really bow hunting in a true sense, is it?

 

[Thunderhog]

A crossbow isn't really bow hunting in a true sense, is it?

In BC, crossbows are allowed during the archery season. Some provinces place them in the muzzle-loader/primitive weapons season.

There is some discussion that could go on and on about crossbows being archery equipment. I have bow hunted with a compound bow for 39 years, most recently my wife and I have sold our bows due to shoulder injuries. We bought a Ravin R26 compact crossbow. It is very easy to ####, is lightweight and is extremely accurate. A little pricey, but what isn't nowadays.

With our current disability, we are both happy to be able to start crossbow hunting here in the Kootneys of BC for Whitetail Deer. At 400-425 feet per second there may be less chance of deer jumping the string, but who knows for sure. Whitetails can be cagey and very fast as well.

Our archery career has produced moose, deer ( WT & Mule ), elk, black bear, grouse, small game and gophers over the 39 years we bow hunted. It's sad we are older and now unable to draw our bows.

Crossbows with practice are efficient and effective tools for harvesting big game of all kinds, we hope the crossbow stays in the archery season here in BC. The whole idea of any hunting is a quick clean kill of your quarry, our Ravin crossbow will assist us in this task!......

In close, yes, crossbows are another style of archery equipment. They shoot a bolt not an arrow, but are still somewhat similar.

Long bows, re-curve bows, compound bows and crossbows are all a different type of archery equipment. The more we can get young people involved in archery hunting, the better chance we have at keeping our archery seasons open and maybe even offer more opportunities for new hunters to join this amazing and challenging sport.

 

[Thunderhog]

When the snow comes down the Lynx comes out.

Excalibur Mattrix 380 Lynx c/w Zeiss XB75.

I've had no issues with my recurve bows in cold snowy weather, the Lynx has a 280lb draw weight. I just give the deck a wipe if the snows starts to build up. I think hunters and recurve bows have more problems with heat.
So don't over heat and work up a sweat on way to stand. It's less 'work' walking on top of a foot of snow, than trudging thru it. Use real Snowshoes not the noisy POS metal things they commonly sell now. I have 2 wooden sets, 1 - 3ft synthetic gut set for wet & 1 - 5ft real gut set for dry snow.

I dress as warm as I can. Lots of layers, starting with a quality base layer to breath & wick moisture. I use hand warmers inside my gloves. When it gets really cold, I'll put a handwarmer in my shirt pocket over heart and add one to each boot. I 'fire' the handwarmers up and put in knapsack pocket before I leave truck, I put them in place after I cool down but before I get cold at the stand/blind/hide. Quiet camo at this time of the year is a must, if yr cheap like me, a hooded white terry cloth bath robe works awesome. You look like an idiot but it is very, very quiet. Your stand/blind/hide should be out of the wind, exposed skin will develop frost bite quickly.

Gorgeous looking snow camo crossbow!..... Good luck hunting this fall my friend. My wife and I just became crossbow hunters after 39 years of compound bow hunting.

 

[verminaard]

We bought a Ravin R26 compact crossbow. It is very easy to ####, is lightweight and is extremely accurate. A little pricey, but what isn't nowadays.

With our current disability, we are both happy to be able to start crossbow hunting here in the Kootneys of BC for Whitetail Deer. At 400-425 feet per second there may be less chance of deer jumping the string, but who knows for sure. Whitetails can be cagey and very fast as well

Those Ravin’s are nice bows. A buddy got one a couple of years ago. Hella-fast. We have to double up the heavy duty crossbow target blocks if he wants to practice with his hunting broadheads. In reality, for the number that punch through both and into the backing behind, we should have a 3rd.
I keep telling him he needs to make sure he has an additional tag if he sees two deer, one behind the other. He is going to shoot through both of them.

 

[triggersandbows]

When the snow comes down the Lynx comes out.

Excalibur Mattrix 380 Lynx c/w Zeiss XB75.

I've had no issues with my recurve bows in cold snowy weather, the Lynx has a 280lb draw weight. I just give the deck a wipe if the snows starts to build up. I think hunters and recurve bows have more problems with heat.
So don't over heat and work up a sweat on way to stand. It's less 'work' walking on top of a foot of snow, than trudging thru it. Use real Snowshoes not the noisy POS metal things they commonly sell now. I have 2 wooden sets, 1 - 3ft synthetic gut set for wet & 1 - 5ft real gut set for dry snow.

I dress as warm as I can. Lots of layers, starting with a quality base layer to breath & wick moisture. I use hand warmers inside my gloves. When it gets really cold, I'll put a handwarmer in my shirt pocket over heart and add one to each boot. I 'fire' the handwarmers up and put in knapsack pocket before I leave truck, I put them in place after I cool down but before I get cold at the stand/blind/hide. Quiet camo at this time of the year is a must, if yr cheap like me, a hooded white terry cloth bath robe works awesome. You look like an idiot but it is very, very quiet. Your stand/blind/hide should be out of the wind, exposed skin will develop frost bite quickly.

Great tips!! I love the idea of the terry cloth robe, and who says bathrobes cant be stylish!

 

[rifleman338]

A crossbow isn't really bow hunting in a true sense, is it?

I don't want to change the subject of what the OP started, but I have to disagree with your comment. Some people have no other option than to hunt with a crossbow (age, health and physical capabilities). This is kinda like a guy that shoots only clays saying that there is no reason to have AR's. We are all in this together so we should all support each other in the sport. They'll come a time in a bowhunters life where a crossbow will mean the difference of either staying home or getting out in the woods. Just sayin.

 

[Longstud]

I don't want to change the subject of what the OP started, but I have to disagree with your comment. Some people have no other option than to hunt with a crossbow (age, health and physical capabilities). This is kinda like a guy that shoots only clays saying that there is no reason to have AR's. We are all in this together so we should all support each other in the sport. They'll come a time in a bowhunters life where a crossbow will mean the difference of either staying home or getting out in the woods. Just sayin.

The most logical thing Ive seen posted in many years. I couldnt agree more and hope others will learn thru ur wisdom. Rifleman338, ur the kindah CGNer we need more of. Most just dont get it,but you certainly do. KUDOS FRIEND