Doesn’t that phrase always get your attention? It means that something exciting, dangerous or a technique requiring years of extreme training is about to ensue, but legally it’s just what has to be said before an expert can give you potentially life saving advice. We designed this blog to give you the tips and pointers necessary to make you a better hunter, give you an edge in choosing the right gear for the situation and provide survival tips that when put to correct use can save your life. This will NOT be your run-of-the-mill blog about a company’s finances, business tactics and all around corporate Crap! You don’t care and neither do I.
Now, with that out of the way let me introduce myself. My name is Sam Casey. Yes, I’m a ROCKY employee, but I also happen to be a hunting, tracking and survival expert. On this blog you will hear about the hunts that I go on and the gear I field test.
Knowing the features needed in hunting gear can make as little difference as a miserable day afield or as big as a difference as death. Let’s face it, if we’re honest with ourselves, every one of us has spent a day in the woods that we would have seriously considered passing up a shot on a shooter buck to be thawing our feet beside the cabin fire. Last winter a good friend of mine spent a week surviving in a snow shelter when his snowmobile broke down in Northern Alberta. He was wearing an old ROCKY ProHunter Parka with the insulated pants and the 800 gram ProHunter boots. Obviously this was a miserable week, being 60 miles from the closest village, wondering if help was coming and knowing the fear that consumed his family. Tim assured me that after that week in freezing temperatures, his gear performed better than he ever could have expected. The only damage coming in the form of a burn on his pant leg and boots from falling asleep too close to the fire that he managed to get started in his frozen shelter.
Most problems with being too cold come from not having the right insulation for the hunt. Knowing how to pick the proper insulation package will make the difference between a comfortable, all day outing or being the first back to the truck. I do a lot of stalking and still hunting when I’m out trying to make meat. That allows me to get away with wearing 200 grams of Thinsulate in my boots on a 10degree day because I’ll be moving the whole time, but if you’re one of the hunters that likes to walk a mile or more to get in where the big boys live, and then climb into a treestand, you will need to bring two pairs of boots a low insulation pair (400 or less) and a high insulations pair for once you get up into your stand (600 or more). I know this sounds like over kill but if you have ever tried to hike a mile in 800 + gram boots and heavy insulation apparel, and then sit in 20degree weather, it gets mighty cold. It is this frame of thought that has allowed Hypothermia to become the leading cause of death among outdoorsmen. You should never try to walk long distances with too much on, if you break a sweat in as little as 40degree weather it can drop your core body temperature and lead to Hypothermia.
A little bit of extra weight in your pack and some extra money investing in a second pair of boots will make an unbelievable difference that is well worth the extra effort. I’m Sam Casey and that’s the Expert’s Tip.
Every week I will answer a question asked by you. Be sure to write in with your questions and stay tuned in for the next entry. Until then God Bless and good hunting.
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