Elk Hunting Guide by Tom Airhart

Author:Tom Airhart
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780811749732
Publisher: Stackpole Books
Published: 2013-03-22T04:00:00+00:00

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Cold

It has always amazed me how folks who show so much fear and respect for cougars, wolves, and bears can be absolutely indifferent to the most effective and consistent killer lurking in the mountains: cold. Hypothermia poses a danger that most hunters seem to be aware of, even if they aren’t particularly well informed on how to deal with it. In plain terms, the experts say that the name of the game is keeping your body heat in your body by not allowing it to escape. The first line of defense is to insulate yourself from the surrounding cold air. That’s done with what you wear. The main problem that I’ve observed is that hunters show up with clothes, well insulated if they’re dry, that become poor insulators of heat when they are wet through, which often becomes the case. That usually translates to using garments that insulate with wool rather than down. You need to carefully select your clothing to make sure that what you’re wearing will keep you warm in wind and rain as well as snow and cold. More on this in Chapter 15.

The best solution for keeping warm if things get serious is to make a fire. You don’t want to be reduced to a personal struggle with hypothermia and the clouded judgment that accompanies it. If you’re suddenly caught in such a situation by accident, through an unexpected downpour or by falling into a cold creek, bravely resist the impulse to settle down and relax and wait for what usually comes next (death). Move around, using your energy reserves to stay warm, visualize the impulse to rest as a physical danger, and fight back with your mind and body.

Frostbite is less of a mortal danger than hypothermia. Extensive damage from frostbite such as loss of limbs is often associated with extreme extended exposure to cold and a near brush with death due to hypothermia. Exposure to cold and wind much less severe than life-threatening conditions, with minor discomfort that may go unnoticed at the time, won’t result in severe damage such as the loss of a limb or appendage, but can still lead to long-term, nagging tingling and aching of ears, fingers, and anything else that is small, has limited circulation, and sticks out from under cover. As with hypothermia, the first defense against frostbite is also proper clothing. Keep all of those little parts covered and warm. As an example, you’ll use split deerhide leather shooting gloves to wear under most hunting conditions, but if it gets really cold, you’ll want some serious mittens or thick gloves more on the order of what you would use for riding a snowmobile. Keeping the rest of the snowmobile suit in your vehicle is a good idea if you’ll be in an area where a snowstorm can strike without warning.

A related condition, commonly called trench foot (from the situations where it becomes a major problem), occurs at temperatures well above freezing when feet are cold and wet for extended periods of time.

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