FROZEN HANDS

chris k

chris k

Active member
I need to get some good waterfowl gloves for next year. I went out yesterday and had a terrible expierence with my hands i usually bring 3 pairs of gloves with me a neoprene glove i use for paddling my kayak a glove liner type i use for when im shooting and then i bring a pair of the flip top mittens as a back up. yesterday i went out forgot my neoprene gloves war my glove liners while paddling and braking ice they where soaked in the first ten minutes so i then took them off because they where freezing. I get through the ice bare handed and get up on the far shore so i put my mittens on (not waterproof) and start the walk across the marsh dragging my kayak to open water about 200 yards roughly, so we get to the spot toss out the decoys and are watching birds work across the cove from us we decide we are going to paddle across and setup in between where we first setup and where the ducks want to be so i take off my mittens to keep them dry collect up my decoys covered in ice and start the paddle half way there my hands are dead i cant feel the paddle i just squeeze tighter and paddle faster we get to the spot and i am in emense pain my chest is tight and i cant catch my breath. I pull my mittens out of my coat and slip them over my lifeless hands (it felt like my skin was ripping off) tell my buddy I cant put the decoys out I have to get my hands warm. He agrees with me and puts out the decoys I sit in my kayak with my hands tucked under my armpits trying to catch my breath as my hands begin to gain feeling my chest starts loosening.Then i get a hot flash and feel like I am going to throw up so I get up stretch and shake it off. My partner asks if im okay I say yeah I'm good now we settle back in bag a black duck and miss a couple buffle heads with are long walk back and not sure if the ice will be frozen again we decide to head back before it gets to late we spent a total of 4 hours out on the bay. I get home hands still sore and numb and figure it will wear off once I am in the house for awhile well at 10:30 last night my hands were still hurting. I go to bed and tekking my self they will feel better in the morning. It is now 8:30 in the morning and the tips of my fingers feel like there are needls being poked into them my finger nails feel like they are going to fall off especially my thumbs and the out side of my pinky. Now that i have learned an important lesson to always have the proper equipment/clothing what gloves should I get? I want a waterproof glove thats warm and I can shoot with put decoys out with paddle my kayak and the many other task that come with waterfowling. I have looked for gloves before but always put it off because of the high price or I didnt think I would be able to shoot with them on now I dont care what they cost i need good gloves. what kind of gloves are people using after looking online it looks like a good "waterfowl" glove runs about 80 bucks is this crazy to be thinking about buying them at this price? Should I just not forget my neoprene gloves next time and continue on how I have been doing it carry 3 pairs of gloves. Or does the glove im searching for, the (do all) glove exist?
 
Get a pair of commercial fishing gloves. For getting to spots and putting out/taking in decoys they are the best thing to wear.
 
Matt is right. Atlas 490s I think they're called, they come in black. Or the joka polars are great too. I usually just load up on handwarmers in my coat pockets. Those neoprene gloves are the worst things ever made. They are warm till your hands sweat, then they freeze
 
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can you shoot with those gloves on? my neoprene gloves i have keep my hands dry and warm (when i remember them) i just cant shoot with them on. what do you guys where while shooting to keep your hands warm?
 
I need to get some good waterfowl gloves for next year. I went out yesterday and had a terrible expierence with my hands i usually bring 3 pairs of gloves with me a neoprene glove i use for paddling my kayak a glove liner type i use for when im shooting and then i bring a pair of the flip top mittens as a back up. yesterday i went out forgot my neoprene gloves war my glove liners while paddling and braking ice they where soaked in the first ten minutes so i then took them off because they where freezing. I get through the ice bare handed and get up on the far shore so i put my mittens on (not waterproof) and start the walk across the marsh dragging my kayak to open water about 200 yards roughly, so we get to the spot toss out the decoys and are watching birds work across the cove from us we decide we are going to paddle across and setup in between where we first setup and where the ducks want to be so i take off my mittens to keep them dry collect up my decoys covered in ice and start the paddle half way there my hands are dead i cant feel the paddle i just squeeze tighter and paddle faster we get to the spot and i am in emense pain my chest is tight and i cant catch my breath. I pull my mittens out of my coat and slip them over my lifeless hands (it felt like my skin was ripping off) tell my buddy I cant put the decoys out I have to get my hands warm. He agrees with me and puts out the decoys I sit in my kayak with my hands tucked under my armpits trying to catch my breath as my hands begin to gain feeling my chest starts loosening.Then i get a hot flash and feel like I am going to throw up so I get up stretch and shake it off. My partner asks if im okay I say yeah I'm good now we settle back in bag a black duck and miss a couple buffle heads with are long walk back and not sure if the ice will be frozen again we decide to head back before it gets to late we spent a total of 4 hours out on the bay. I get home hands still sore and numb and figure it will wear off once I am in the house for awhile well at 10:30 last night my hands were still hurting. I go to bed and tekking my self they will feel better in the morning. It is now 8:30 in the morning and the tips of my fingers feel like there are needls being poked into them my finger nails feel like they are going to fall off especially my thumbs and the out side of my pinky. Now that i have learned an important lesson to always have the proper equipment/clothing what gloves should I get? I want a waterproof glove thats warm and I can shoot with put decoys out with paddle my kayak and the many other task that come with waterfowling. I have looked for gloves before but always put it off because of the high price or I didnt think I would be able to shoot with them on now I dont care what they cost i need good gloves. what kind of gloves are people using after looking online it looks like a good "waterfowl" glove runs about 80 bucks is this crazy to be thinking about buying them at this price? Should I just not forget my neoprene gloves next time and continue on how I have been doing it carry 3 pairs of gloves. Or does the glove im searching for, the (do all) glove exist?
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As said the Atlas gloves are great. Get the kind with the liners that come out. Very nice for drying. Keeping an extra liner in a ziplock will make for a quick dry glove after a dunk. The gloves are nearly bullet proof and inexpensive compared to hunting gloves.

I use the Atlas gloves for putting out decoys and such. For hunting in the cold and wet I wear the Polar rubber mittens and shoot with no glove or light gloves that I have on inside the mittens. These are tough as nails, quite warm and also have a liner that you can pull out to dry.

http://www.farmandfleet.com/products/474137-hi-tech-fishing-polar-eskimo-mitts.html
 
If you have any scuba diving shops in your area they will have cold water gloves. You can also get a dry glove with a seal on the wrist so no water leaks down into your gloves while kayaking.
 
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Here's what I've been using for several years

Tractor Supply Gloves

I have one pair of these that I wear from boat launch until I start hunting then picking up and getting back to the launch. You can put them inside your waders to keep them warm in between. I'm pretty careful about not getting them wet inside. If you don't think that will happen, I'd probably carry a second pair. I don't usually hunt with gloves on, so I go the handwarmer/deep pockets route.
 
can you shoot with those gloves on? my neoprene gloves i have keep my hands dry and warm (when i remember them) i just cant shoot with them on. what do you guys where while shooting to keep your hands warm?
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No I can't shoot with those rubber gloves on, they are used for wet non shooting environments. I use Cabela's Dry-Plus® Silent-Suede™ Gloves for shooting.

 
The Atlas fleece lined gloves are great, I also have a pair of fleece lined neoprene glacier gloves.

I don't wear gloves to shoot, even in icy conditions, but I always wear a jacket with a kangaroo pouch and keep my hands inside the pouch until I have to shoot.
 
most guys I know around NW PA use the orange or blue gloves as well. specifically for non-shooting activities. Have a small towel for drying hands. I am a little strange in that I dont wear gloves why waiting for ducks, I either put my bare hands in pockets or a handwarmer with the large chemical packs. If I only pull them out for shooting, there is minimal exposure time.

A little hint...about a half hour before pick up, I will slip the PVC gloves down inside my chest waders to warm them up.

Since using this approach, my hands have not been cold in years.
 
The atlas gloves are more flexible (after break in) than the Joka Polar's. The Joka's are warmer though IMO. My Atlas gloves have lasted 8 seasons, no leaks, no problems, NO FROZEN HANDS! But I never wear gloves while hunting, thats what pockets are for
 
i agree i usually dont wear gloves either while hunting and if i do it just the glove liners. looks like ill just stick to what im doing and bring multiple gloves and try not to forget a pair.
 
Chris~

Lots of good advice here - one consistent theme is to have different handwear with you for the different phases of the hunt. No one I know uses a single pair for the whole hunt (unless it's warm...) You are on the right track with 3 pairs - but they should be 3 different pairs for different uses.

1. I use the Polar Mitts Tod Osier recommends (actually, I have a 40-year-old pair of Nokia Eskimos - no longer made as far as I can tell - but still doing their job). I think any WATERPROOF gloves or mittens used by commercial fishermen will be fine. These are for operating the boat and picking up the rig (if needed - I actually pick up stool barehanded if I can - if I am generally warm and do not fear chilling them).

2. I always hunt with gloves - but for hiding, not necessarily for warmth. While hunting, I usually sit with my hands on the gun (I'm usually in a "natural hide" - not within a big boat or blind) - I use pockets or pouch only if chilled. Except for below-zero hunts, I wear fingerless gloves. From my experience, next to one's face, your hands are what ducks will see first (to my eyes, my skin almost glows in wet conditions). I have a very nice pair of merino wool Berber fingerless gloves but they are my backups - kept in a zip-lock bag in my gunning box/bag. But, my everyday gunners are $2 fingerless - with rubber dots on the palms - I found at my local K-Mart years ago. For really cold weather, I bought some white cotton full-finger gloves with the dots on the palm (these are everywhere it seems - I think I got mine - in a 3-pack - from a local farm store). I can shoot with them - and the rubber dots make sure my left hand will not slip on the fore-end of my pump.

3. I am meticulous about "glove management". I (almost) never thrust a gloved hand into the water to pick up a bird or decoy. I either make sure my fingertips will suffice for the task at hand - or I take the time to remove my glove first - storing it where it will not fall out.

4. In really cold weather, I bring a pair of wool/Thinsulate mittens that are guaranteed to restore my hands if they get chilled. I almost never wear them but they are my insurance against an episode like you endured.

BTW: I once bought a pair of Sealskin neoprene gloves - hoping to use them at least for picking up stool, operating the boat, etc, and maybe even shooting - coldest things I've ever owned. I NEVER use them.

Finally, it sounds like you came close to frostbite or hypothermia. I did so once several years ago in a 5-below hunt. I was afraid my hands might have lost my cold-hardiness permanently because they bothered a lot the next fall in just chilly weather. Happily, I think they have recovered fully since.

Hope this helps,

SJS
 
thanks for the tips i do need to take more time in keeping my gloves dry and i think i will buy a pair of the fishing gloves for putting out decoys and paddling they seem to be of better quality then my current gloves. and ill get the orange never know when you might need to be seen and waiving them around im sure would catch some attention a dual purpose always finds a spot in my bag. up date on my hands thumbs are still sore but other fingers are having less pain in the tips but my nails feel like they will fall off when i press on them.
 
Like most,I use 3 different pairs in cold weather.I have a heavy gortex pair for the boat ride,rubber for picking up dekes,while hunting i use brown cotton gloves,I put handwarmers in the palms if really cold.Glad to hear you made it out ok,I hope there are no side effects.
 
i like the Atlas type of gloves for everything but shooting as well. Once set up a hand warmer pouch and fingerless wool gloves. 2nd ,3rd pairs as back up. I tend to lose all the right hand gloves I buy,I need to find a lefty with the same problem:)
 
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