Hunting Clothes

Selecting the correct hunting clothes can make your hunt more enjoyable and perhaps more successful. With the development of new clothing materials, your choices of hunting clothes has increased in recent years. The traditional wool pants and wool shirts worn in the colder climates are definitely a favorite among hunters, but lighter more breathable clothes now give you more options.

There are many things you should consider when selecting hunting clothes. These include when and where you are going to be hunting, comfort, weight, quietness, warmth, weather resistance, durability, cost, and in some cases the type of camouflage. One of the most important things to remember is to layer, layer, layer. Layering of your hunting clothes gives you a lot of options to adapt to the weather.

A lot of the hunting that occurs in North America takes place either in the spring, fall, or winter months. The time of the year when the weather is usually cool or rainy. In the northern and mountainous areas hunting conditions usually involves cold weather, snow and ice. Being prepared for the harshest weather conditions just makes good sense. If you can't sit in your tree stand for long hours because your jacket is too thin, or hunt in wet marshy areas because you don't have the right boots you won't be able to be an effective hunter.

Good hunting boots are essential, so we have devoted a separate page to selecting hunting boots. Let's start with your feet and discuss hunting socks.

Hunting Socks are important for keeping your feet comfortable, warm, and dry. A good suggestion is to wear two pairs of socks. Remember layering. A thin, lightweight, breathable pair of polypropelene socks next to your skin will pull sweat off of your foot. A thicker pair of outer socks will absorb the moisture, provide more of a cushion, and be heavy enough to keep your feet warm. The Smart Wool socks or another type of wool blend or thermo sock works well. Wearing two pairs of socks will also reduce the friction between your boot and your foot which will reduce the chance of blisters and sore feet.

Long Underwear is an important consideration if you are going to be hunting in cold conditions. While some hunters still wear the old wool blend long johns, they can itch! Also, when they get wet from your sweat, they don't keep you that warm. There is light weight thermal long underwear made of polypropelene that pulls moisture away from your body. The best choice is to get separate tops and bottoms that way you can mix and match as the weather dictates.

Outer Hunting Pants is where you want hunting clothes that are quiet, weather resistant, and warm if necessary. The worst choice you can make is to wear jeans, denim, or cotton if it is wet or cold. When jeans get wet and cold, they freeze. Frozen jeans are not comfortable.

Consider wool pant, polar fleece, or chamois pants that are water resistant. One of the best places to find inexpensive wool pants is at the Army Navy surplus stores. There are alot of different surplus wool pants from different countries like Germany and Sweden. Look for wool pants with reinforced knees with plastic between the reinforced knees. The plastic will keep your knees dry if you have to kneel in snow or on wet ground, and yes, they are quiet.

Wool, chamois and polar fleece are very quiet when you are moving through the brush. Most wool pants are green or gray in color and blend in well with the surroundings. Polar fleece and chamois hunting pants tend to come in several different camo patterns and colors. Make sure you select the right patterns and color for the area you will be hunting. Several styles of hunting pants also offer you the option of zipper sides for easy on off. You do need to remember that zippers may not work well when they get wet and freeze, so you might want to avoid pants that zipper up the side in cold  and wet conditions.

If you are hunting in areas with poisonous snakes, cactus, or thorns, you might want to consider a pair of chaps to wear over your hunting pants. Protective chaps may be noisy, but it might be more important to have the additional protection.

Hunting Shirts alone should be able to keep you warm and dry in cold, wet weather and cool in hot weather. Again, it is suggested that you layer your hunting clothes. In general, you want a hunting shirt to wear over thermal underwear or t-shirt. The hunting shirt can be taken off if you get too warm, or a jacket added if it gets cold. It is preferrable to wear a long-sleeved hunting shirt. You can always roll up your sleeves if it gets too warm. The long sleeves will protect your arms against the brush and bug bites. A wool blend, chamois, or fleece hunting shirt works great in a layered situation.

Hunting Jackets can be lightweight in warmer climates and insulated in colder climates. Think of your hunting jacket as an outer shell to protect you from the wind, rain, and snow. You will want your hunting jacket to be weather resistant but also quiet. A hunting jacket that can easily taken on and off depending on weather conditions is critical. Don't count on your hunting jacket to be totally weather proof. If you are doing any hiking at all, strenuous work in a hunting jacket that is waterproof will keep in your sweat and you will get cold when you stop. Breathable Gore-Tex softshell jackets are a great option. In heavy rain or snow, you should carry a gortex parka or weather proof rain gear.

Cold Weather Parkas made of synthetic water resistant materials is a necessity in cold, snowy hunting conditions. Insulated Gore-tex parkas are much better at keeping you dry and warm then down parkas, especially in wet situations. Once down gets wet, it is difficult to get dry. A parka with a hood is great especially when in snowy conditions. A hood will help keep snow from going down your back when you are moving through snow covered trees and brush.

Rain Gear is essential if you are going to be hunting in the rain. There is little worse than trying to hunt in a rainstorm and not being prepared by wearing rain gear. Try to select rain gear that isn't rubber. Rubber rain gear is heavy, doesn't breathe, and is noisy. Gore-Tex rain gear is an excellent option. Bottom line, be prepared and have your rain gear with you.

Hunting Hats serve several functions by keeping your head dry and warm, or keeping the sun out of your eyes. Camouflage Gore-Tex baseball caps work well in warm conditions and provide shade for your eyes. In cold conditions, you might want a wool cap or balaclava in extreme conditions. Hunting caps with ear flaps come in handy when the weather turns cold suddenly, or you are sittiing for long periods of time in a tree stand or hunting blind.

Hunting Gloves or Hunting Mittens are a matter of personal choice. Some hunters like the mittens that you can pull back and expose your hand and trigger finger for shooting. Other hunters like prefer lightweight gloves and are also comfortable shooting with them on. No matter whether you select gloves or mittens, make sure that you practice shooting with them before you go hunting. An inexpensive option for cold wet weather is the green wool gloves you can buy at the Army Navy Surplus stores. They keep your hands warm even when they get wet.

Hunting Clothes To Consider include snake leggings, gaiters in snowy conditions, handkerchiefs for dusty conditions, insulated coveralls if you are going to be sitting for long periods of time in cold weather.

Blaze Orange for safety is required in many states when you are hunting with firearms. Each state have different rules regarding the amount of blaze orange that is required and when you have to wear it. Make sure that you check your local hunting regulations.

Camouflage Hunting Clothes have become increasingly popular in recent years. It seems like everything is camo today, hunting boots, pants, shirts, jackets, raingear, hats, and gloves. Archery hunters depend upon camouflage hunting clothes to get close to their animals. Some companies even provide camo clothing that masks human scent.

Hunting Clothes are just as important as your firearms, archery equipment, binoculars, and hunting knives. Spend the necessary time to shopping for the hunting clothes that will meet your needs. Hunting catalogs are a great way to shop for hunting clothes. You can get free hunting print catalogs or browse hunting catalogs online.