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Hand Muffs? anyone use?

Vtbow

Vtbow

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2018
Messages
5,516
So I changed to a tab from a glove this year and am wanting to be able to shoot without gloves for most of the early season. Anyone out there use the fleece/insulated hand muffs that have a strap that wraps around your waste and gives you a "hoody" like pocket in the front? anyone use them with a saddle? issues?
 
Used an Icebreakers muff for a number of years now and find there is no substitute for cold weather hunting! I don't even wear gloves while on stand with it. Throw in a chemical warmer on sub zero days with an extra beanie stuffed inside to put on when the ears get chilled is an added plus! Cant say about using one in a saddle being my first season in one but I guarantee a way will be made!

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I have used one for about 30 years and you cant beat em...especially for bowhunting. I haven't used one with a saddle, this is my first year in a real saddle, (not rock harness) but I never had a problem in the rock harness with it. It just rode a little higher up. I am trying something different this year though, so I can glass longer and now get cold as I'm getting older and dont warm as fast as I used to. I got a set of First Lites glassing mitts and tied a paracord to loop around my neck so I can slide em off and let em dangle the way Eskimos do their seal mitts. That way I can keep em on for glassing but still have the ease of sliding them off like the muff gives. I ordered a size bigger so they are loose yet the elastic bands sewn in them keep them on me pretty well
 
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Vtbow said:
So I changed to a tab from a glove this year and am wanting to be able to shoot without gloves for most of the early season. Anyone out there use the fleece/insulated hand muffs that have a strap that wraps around your waste and gives you a "hoody" like pocket in the front? anyone use them with a saddle? issues?
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They're great. Bridge tends to want to occupy some of the same space, but it's an easily solved issue.

I wouldn't want to rely on
  • shooting my bow in the gloves I need for cold weather here
  • the gloves that I shoot well in keeping me acceptably warm
The muff is the clear winner, all the way through the season.
 
bootheeltechy said:
Used an Icebreakers muff for a number of years now and find there is no substitute for cold weather hunting! I don't even wear gloves while on stand with it. Throw in a chemical warmer on sub zero days with an extra beanie stuffed inside to put on when the ears get chilled is an added plus! Cant say about using one in a saddle being my first season in one but I guarantee a way will be made!

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Click to expand...
Icebreaker with a single hand warmer is the way to go. Those things are toasty!
 
+1 on the hand warmer. I got rid of gloves like 5 years ago and never looked back. I never practice with gloves and cant get a consistantly anchor with thick gloves so the hand warmer us the ticket. I tried the tenzing fanny pack that has the hand warmer incorporated in it but couldn't get it comfortable in a saddle. It was just too big IMO.
 
Smokingbarrel270 said:
+1 on the hand warmer. I got rid of gloves like 5 years ago and never looked back. I never practice with gloves and cant get a consistantly anchor with thick gloves so the hand warmer us the ticket. I tried the tenzing fanny pack that has the hand warmer incorporated in it but couldn't get it comfortable in a saddle. It was just too big IMO.
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Lol I had such high hopes for that pack...but it's mostly just been kinda awkward as a handwarmer if using it as a pack, and not that well insulated. Maybe I'll give it one more try this year. Use it to carry my steps and then have it empty to use as a muff.
 
Ditch the gloves! I use a muff from midway I paid $10 for. One of the best pick ups I have found. I also use all of their clothing as well. $20 midway bibs are awesome too!


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Aeds151 said:
Ditch the gloves!
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nah, wear enough gloves to be OK for say 30min to an hour with your bow in-hand. Don't be overdependent on the muff to the point that it affects how you act when a deer comes out.
 
mattsteg said:
Lol I had such high hopes for that pack...but it's mostly just been kinda awkward as a handwarmer if using it as a pack, and not that well insulated. Maybe I'll give it one more try this year. Use it to carry my steps and then have it empty to use as a muff.
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I did too! I thought the minimized design would be the ticket but was so much more awkward to deal with than just a standard pack. Live and learn...
 
i'm a Muff guy too, I bring gloves / mitts for the travel to the tree i'm looking for, depending on how i'm getting there... some times it's walking from camp, some it's boating to a landing and walking, others it's an ATV ride to a spot I want to hide my ATV and hike in to a spot more remote. either way when I get settled into the saddle or even a stand for that matter, a hand buff / muff is hard to beat in cold weather. Northern Minnesota is an unforgivable cold place to hunt during rifle / muzzlelaoder season.
 
Keep in mind guys, I'm talking shooting fingers wiht a trad bow. I could wear ski glovers wtih a release and a slit in the trigger finger to pop my finger out of like during rifle. I think the muff sees like a real good option. My wool jacket pocekts are nice and warm, but the pocets so low if its raining or snowing, I generally get run off, or snow coming into the pockets a littl which drives me nuts. THanks for all the input, keep it coming!
 
I used a fleece one last year. Three a hand warmer in it when it was really cold. Instead of wrapping it around my waist I ran the strap up and through the carabiner on my bridge. Worked well.
 
Vtbow said:
Keep in mind guys, I'm talking shooting fingers wiht a trad bow. I could wear ski glovers wtih a release and a slit in the trigger finger to pop my finger out of like during rifle. I think the muff sees like a real good option. My wool jacket pocekts are nice and warm, but the pocets so low if its raining or snowing, I generally get run off, or snow coming into the pockets a littl which drives me nuts. THanks for all the input, keep it coming!
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Even better for trad guys! When hunting with my recurve I have no worries with cold stiff fingers and leather tab/glove. Best advice is buy the Icebreaker and get comfortable with it during a backyard practice session. I wont lie, the Icebreaker is called a handblanket for a reason, it's got some bulk! 30 minutes in the backyard shooting and you'll figure out what works!

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Nothing better than a warm muff.... I have been using a muff for years, my favorite one I have now is the one by ScentLok. Put a couple hand warmers in there and your good to go. I'm not a Trad guy but I do like fingerless gloves.

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Muffs are great. Wear a wool or thin liner glove (mine are grey military issue) on your bow hand and I wear nothing on my release hand. If for whatever reason my hands are in and out of the muff a lot for whatever reason or its very damp or steady winds, I throw a couple of handwarmers in the muff. Anything that keeps your fingers together are warmer. For gun season I really like oversized mittens I wear the thin wool liner gloves inside the wool fleece lined mittens which have a soft leather exterior. In the past I have actually punched a hole in the end of each mitten and tied a cord that I then slipped over my shoulders but under my jacket and I can quickly take the mitten off and it just drops down and hangs if I need the dexterity of my gloved hands. My hands rarely get cold if I'm either using a muff or my HBS or my mittens. The mittens are not very feasible for bow season though.
 
I used one for years. Then about 15 years ago I just went to wool fingerless gloves and stuck my hands in my jacket pockets. That works well enough for me down to around 20deg F. The only issue I have is I find it tough to get my hands in my pockets in the saddle. Last year I broke out the muff again for the late season but I found didn't really like it that much anymore. Guess I'll just stick with pulling my pockets forward in front of my bridge loops.
 
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