My tip is a follow up to a 2013 Buckmasters Tip of the Week submitted by bowhunter Stacy Vaccaro.
Stacy explained how she uses disposable hand and toe warmers on her arms and shoulders to keep her muscles loose enough to draw her bow in the extreme cold of Wisconsin.
Buckmasters Tip Editor Tim H. Martin added how he learned to put hand and toe warmers in his neck gaiter while on a frigid bowhunt in Nebraska.
Heat from warmers placed near major arteries, such as the jugular veins in your neck, help warm blood as it circulates.
In this line of thinking, I’d like to recommend something from my experience. Hand warmers placed over your kidneys will help your body’s core stay warmer even longer.
The kidneys are two major hubs of circulation near the skin’s surface. They make perfect places to warm a lot of blood as it passes through.
Avoid attaching hand warmers directly to your skin. Instead, look for the adhesive-backed warmers some manufacturers produce, which makes them easy to place.
If you can’t find this kind, you can use Kineso Tex tape to attach the warmers outside of the first layer of your thermal underwear. Kineso Tex tape is the thin, strong and highly stretchable type of tape athletes use; it comes in pre-cut strips.
It helps to have someone tape the warmers on your back before you leave for the woods. And don’t forget to shake the packets first!