13 replies to this topic

[FLTaxidermist]

I am going on a hog hunt with a few friends at the end of this month -- only problem is, I am very prone to heat exhaustion (even when I am working in the yard wearing shorts and a light t-shirt!) so I'm afraid if I go into the woods wearing full camo, that might not go too well.
It kind of works to take a glucose tablet when I start to feel out of it, (and I will bring some of these with me on the hunt + plenty of water of course)
but I would also like to get some better hunting clothes that'll help keep me cooler. Right now I just have this cheap cotton outfit I got at Wal-Mart for my first hunt last year, but I think I would just get too hot wearing that.

Any suggestions? I'm a lady by the way so I'd need to be able to find something in the right size, too!

[youngdon]

Other than shopping at cabelas or the like I don't know where to find womens clothes in camo. You might try google and see if you can get some sites that carry them or a Military surplus store, the military would certainly have womens sizes. As for the heat you need to start drinking water several days in advance to hydrate yourself adequetly. Also some sort of snack(containing salt) will help your body to absorb the water you drink both before hand and while on stand. I prefer homemade jerky, it's a little salty and a good source of protein.

Make sure your hat has plenty of ventilation holes and your clothes are not to tight fitting. I found a shirt last year at sports authority that has a lot of little holes in it, it works really well in warm weather. If you are in a ground blind carry a small cooler with extra cold water if you don't have a pack with a hydration bladder.

[FLTaxidermist]

Thanks for the tips. We don't have a Cabelas store anywhere nearby, but I can look online and see what they've got. Somebody told me Bass Pro has a good selection, too.
And I have looked in our Dick's Sporting Goods store as well, but they didn't really have anything that fit me right. Although, they usually get in a better stock closer to the fall, so I may look again later. And strangely, our local Sports Authority carries no hunting supplies at all!

I will definitely bring snacks with me too, and enough water. I am not sure whether I will be in a stand or a ground blind (they have both on the property and our places will be decided once we get there) so I need to be prepared for either.

[Chris Miller]

How about just some camo body paint?

[CO204yoter]

go hit up the stores that carry heat gear by underarmor i have a bunch of it and when you put it on you will literally be cold for a bit and even though it is long sleeve stuff i can be out in 100 plus temps and never really get hot

[knapper]

If glucose tablets help may be you are hypoglymic (spelling). I have a point were I get to the end of the energy and kind of hit the wall. Glucose does it for me, short term and then I need something to eat or I will get pretty rough felling. I am not a doctor. Water is extremely important too. I carry almonds which have a lot of protien and eat a few at different intervals plus lots of fluids. Just my situation and how I have come to terms with it.

[TexAgBQ81]

Camo is probably the best to wear but not an absolute necessity, i have harvested hogs in white T shirts before. Try looking for your natural woods colors. The big things are movement and scent(wind).  BIGPIG~1.JPG   185.14K   19 downloadsthis is what i was wearing (20 lbs and 15 years ago) when i harvested this one.

[catcapper]

Hey Taxi---If you go with Chris's idea be sure to take lots of pics.------------of the Hogs that is.LOL. I can't remember who makes them, but some of the bigger construction sales centers carry a horseshoe shaped water blatter that fits around a persons neck. It's filled with cold water and cools your body for quite some time.

[On a call]

Good idea Cat !

If I were you I would be wearing olive drab tee shirt with mesh type camo, mosquitoes are no problem and heat is not retained. !!!

[JTKillough]

Use a ground blind, nice and shady, take a cooler of cold frosty drinks (water) with you. If not, She Camo has warm weather shirts with vents, better than the hot stuff by a little. Wicking type shirts work good, but you still get hot. There is also a Cool-danna, like a camo bandanna with gel inside, once soaked with water it provides coolness to the neck thus cooling the blood, I guess it works but never really tried it??? Cabelas has mesh hunting shirts...Super Mesh, I use that and it's not bad, but still get hot. Best thing you can do is stay hydrated, keep the fluids in. Obviously you've had heat related problems before and sadly, once you've had that, it makes you very susceptible. Hunt early and take a break when it gets hot and remember to keep in the water.

[ebbs]

One thing that I've found while hunting in either hot or cold weather, is that if I can control the temperature of the back of my neck and my lower back, I'll almost always stay warm or cool. I call those areas the thermostat of the human body. The neck is a mystery to me, probably some scientific biological jargon about more sensitive skin and sensory type nerves in that area that help regulate our body temperature.

BUT... I do know that your lower back area is where your kidneys are. This is important in that these serve as the filtration system for your blood removing crap and toxins. They're located on the back side just below your ribcage. In extreme cold, I like to get some of those 8 hour heat patches for back pain and put it right over them. Same for my neck, I'll always keep a fleece neck gator with me in those cool weather temps. The same should go for hot weather. Find a way to keep a cool press on each of those areas and it'll beat any type of hot weather clothing you can find.

[youngdon]

I agree with that ebbs although I will add that for those of us with hair keeping the sun off in summer and a hat on in winter makes a lot of difference,80+% of the bodys heat escapes through the head (probably includes the neck) as there is a lot of blood in close proximity to the surface of the skin.

[ebbs]

youngdon said:

I agree with that ebbs although I will add that for those of us with hair keeping the sun off in summer and a hat on in winter makes a lot of difference,80+% of the bodys heat escapes through the head (probably includes the neck) as there is a lot of blood in close proximity to the surface of the skin.

LOL. That's a NO BRAINER, Don! Get it?!

[FLTaxidermist]

Thanks for the info, everyone. I managed to get some clothes from a friend of mine, and the weather was actually pretty nice, so I didn't get too hot.
I have the story of my hog hunt posted here: www.predatortalk.com/big-game-hunting/1245-well-i-lost-my-first-hog.html

(For some reason it got posted 3 times but I did not mean to do that!)