Opening day for gun

[Ohio farms]

Looks like opening day in NE Ohio will be dry and cold with mild wind. As always, looking forward to it all.
Good luck to you all.

[kellory]

And to you as well Sir.

[Sierra]

All ready here and looking forward to it. Been watching the weather here as well. Ready for a beautiful day. Best wishes for your hunt, to the Ohio crew.

[kellory]

You will all get a head start on me. It will be the end of the week for me. Work schedule was worked for me to go out of state, then I could not go, The other hunters at my work will get the start of the gun season here. I will be playing Tail end Charley. Best of luck to you all.

[Ohio farms]

We have almost an inch of snow in Mentor this morning. Hope Trumbull county has the same.
Made a pot of homemade meatballs and sausage in spagetti sauce for the boys in camp yesterday. Great Lakes Christmas Ale will invited too. Truck is packed and leaving this afternoon for the farm. The prehunt evening meal is almost as much fun as the the hunt on Monday.
Enjoy yourselves and be safe.

[Ifishandhunt]

It was dry and cold in SW Ohio... a great morning for the shotgun opener. Got a nice doe with my 870 using the last of my Remington Buckhammer slugs (Remington discontinued them a year or two ago - they were the most accurate I ever shot from my 870)! The deer were moving thru the property I hunt earlier than normal and I was actually displaced from my tree stand but got lucky on the ground!

[Sierra]

I sincerely failed today, due to bad timing. I was in my stand by 6:45 (late for me) but still ok. By 7:30 my feet were freezing! I wore the *other* boots thinking that the insulated ones would be too hot, as I have had happen. I doubled up socks, and was otherwise well layered, but my toes were getting numb. Started to shiver. They began to hurt. And it wasn't even that cold! Maybe 25 or so. I did not want to miss anything, so I waited more than two hours, shivering. Finally, It had been quiet for a while, so I unloaded, hung my shotgun, scurried down the stand to sit and add footwarmers to my boots that I always carry, and scurried back up. As I was turning to park myself back in the stand, the doe arrived about 40 yards away in front of me to my left, looking to be in no hurry whatsoever. I quietly grabbed the gun, slowly reached for shell, put in shell, and worked the action forward as quietly as a mouse. Too slow due to quietness. By that time she had meandered across the field to the treeline to my left, and I was cursing myself, hoping she would also make a left towards me. I sat ready, the only visible target a deer butt. Negative, Ghostrider, she headed to the right then into the tree, and I watched her stroll away.

My feet are warm now from me kicking myself. But I CAN say I didn't shoot because I had cold feet.

There is tomorrow. With correct boots.

[Deebz]

Bummer! It seems like I always end up freezing in my stand as well. If I dress too warmly I end up sweating really bad on the walk in, then I end up freezing anyway because I'm damp and get chilled.

I've taken to dressing lighty and carrying my heavy outer layers to the stand with me... I take a few minutes to cool down once I reach my stand, then put on my heavy stuff and climb up.

Cold feet are terrible though... Once it gets to be below 30 or so I start off with those toe warmer deals in my boots in the morning. They've helped me stay on stand a few times.

Have you seen the remote controlled foot warmers from ThermaCell? They look really cool, but I'm too cheap to pony up the moolah for them...

[Sierra]

I like those regular toe-warmers well enough, and they are cheaper. The ThermaCell ones only last a certain length of time I think it said, otherwise over years they could pay for themselves compared to the disposable ones. So, I am not going to pony up the cash either.

For all I know that was my one good shot of the season that I messed up. But my fiance assures me stuff happens to all hunters to miss opportunities, so I am trying not to beat myself up too much. Trying, anyway. It will happen eventually.

[Ohio farms]

3 our of 4 of the guys that we hunted it with shot 3 nice does. I group of 10 does were pushed into our woods monday morning. Three of us shot one out of the group as they went past our stands. Done at 9am.
I use the full size foot warmers and I keep warm all day. Key is to not constrict your toes/feet. I also agree with Deebs on carrying some of your cloths and cooling down when you get on stand before putting then on. Also, try not wearing your hat on your way in...you are able to lose lots of heat via your head. Being cold will take the fun right out of the great outdoors.