• The SH Membership has gone live. Only SH Members have access to post in the classifieds. All members can view the classifieds. Starting in 2020 only SH Members will be admitted to the annual hunting contest. Current members will need to follow these steps to upgrade: 1. Click on your username 2. Click on Account upgrades 3. Choose SH Member and purchase.
  • We've been working hard the past few weeks to come up with some big changes to our vendor policies to meet the changing needs of our community. Please see the new vendor rules here: Vendor Access Area Rules

Hand Muffs? anyone use?

Vtbow

Vtbow

Well-Known Member
SH Member
Joined
Mar 21, 2018
Messages
5,525
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!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
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
 
Last edited:
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?
Click to expand...
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!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
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.
Click to expand...
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!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Aeds151 said:
Ditch the gloves!
Click to expand...
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.
Click to expand...
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!
Click to expand...
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!

Sent from my SM-G975U using Tapatalk
 
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.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk
 
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.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top