Plan For Cold Morning Hunts
Don’t wait until the night before to plan for a cold morning hunt. Have you ever saw something really awesome and thought, “I could really use one of those!” Then you think, “I have plenty of time before I will need it. I’ll get it later.” If you’re anything like me, you may have a tendency to procrastinate from time to time. I’ll tell you more about that later...
As an avid outdoorsman living in Michigan, I am constantly on the hunt for products that would allow me to hunt longer and improve my chances of being successful out in the field. With Michigan’s unpredictable weather changes, one day you could be hunting in a t-shirt and the next day you might be sitting in 6” of snow with freezing temperatures. So, the search for cold weather gear is always one of my top priorities.
A few years ago I met a man at the Deer & Turkey Expo in Lansing, Michigan that changed the way that I would prepare for my hunting seasons. He was showcasing a couple great products that I have never seen before. The man was Randy Stoppenhagen, his company was called, Better The Hunt and the products were called the Insulated Bow Mitt and the Multi-Mitt. I had never seen anything like them before and instantly thought to myself, “I could really use one of those!” Randy proceeded to tell me all about his Bow/Multi-Mitts and I quickly saw the benefits of them.
True to my procrastinating nature, I did not purchase a Bow or Multi-Mitt that day. In fact, it wasn’t until the following year that I finally got my hand in my very own mitts. Once I got my mitts, I couldn’t have been happier with them. They were super easy to attach and went on in seconds. The bow mitt attached to the riser on my bow and the multi-mitt attached to the wrist of my shooting hand. They were fully adjustable and allowed me to have full contact between my hand and the riser and they did not interfere with any of my shooting mechanics. It didn’t have to wait long before the cold weather showed up and I was able to put my new bow mitt to use.
On one particular whitetail hunt, it was an unseasonably cool October evening. There was a slight, but steady, cool breeze moving through the woods and the temp was hovering just above the freezing mark. That was a sharp contrast from the recent 60 plus degree days that we had been used to.
I had already been on stand for about four hours and the chill had set in three hours and 45 minutes ago. With only about 30 minutes of daylight left, I finally caught movement coming down the trail. Two mature does were making their way towards me. I slipped my hand into my bow mitt, stood up and readied for the shot that I knew was only seconds away. Well, the deer did not read the script. One doe knew something wasn’t quite right. It was nearly 15 minutes before I was able to get an opportunity for my shot.
"Because of the Insulated Bow Mitt and Multi-Mitts, my hands were warm and I was ready when the moment arrived."
I have been using my bow and multi-mitts for over two years now and I no longer have to worry about keeping my hands warm when I go out, no matter what the season. I have used the mitts while taking a wide variety of wild game. I regularly use them while shooting several 3-D archery tournaments as well.
Since the debut of the Insulated Bow Mitt, Better The Hunt has made several design enhancements and has expanded its product line to fit the needs of all hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Better The Hunt now offers insulated mitts for everyone. The new product lines include: the Shotgun Mitt, Rifle Mitt and the Crossbow Mitt. The Crossbow Mitt will not only keep your hand warm, but it maintains a great safety feature for the shooter as well! You can check them out by going to www.betterthehunt.com. I recommend that you don’t wait until the night before to plan for a cold morning hunt! Good luck this season!
Pro Staff: Ray Stier