When I first started deer hunting, I only had Virginia's late-November/December rifle season at my disposal. Those first few seasons it seemed were always cold, lots of dark mornings at 20 degrees. Worst of all I was underdressed and thus beyond uncomfortable after just a few hours on stand.

That was some time ago, and the learning curve has certainly improved things. But until a recent trip to Saskatchewan, I'd still never hunted in really extreme and persistent cold. What follows are the garments and accessories that kept me in near-zero temps for 10 hours at a time. Keep in mind the focus here is extreme cold - and for the sake of this essay, let's call my line of demarcation, 20 degrees Farenheit and below.

The Layered Look
That extreme cold calls for layering goes without saying. But where and with what do you start? For a base layer one should wear a high quality, warm wicking layer next to the skin. Forget about cotton long johns of yesteryear - there are much better options today. I've used Filson's wool long underwear - blessedly itchless and a good natural insulator without bulk for cold hikes - for a couple years now, but for the whitetails in Saskatchewan, for which I anticipated a long sit, I wanted more. For my lower end I began with Cabela's SuperLoft™ 200 Fleece Pant. They are 200-weight and double-sided fleece - important, as the single-sided fleece garments aren't nearly as warm. Really intended for use under waders, I choose these for the foot stirrups, great for keeping the pants in place when pulling on thick socks, and I had zero irritation from seams. A nice surprise, the articulated knee, a plus when faced with a tall tree climb and plenty of other clothes to hinder movement.

Not knowing how much walking I was going to have to do to my stand I packed along a second pair of long underwear, Cabela's Power Dry. Quilted fleece on the inside for moisture wicking and a smooth outer surface that accelerates moisture evaporation, they proved just the ticket for all the moving around the first day as we sighted in rifles. I packed them in case I needed to double up, but that proved unnecessary with my outer-garment choice, Cabela's Outfitter Wool Pants. Generously cut to allow any manner of undergarment, the inherent insulating properties proved outstanding. I especially loved the extra padding over the knees that extended well up my thigh when sitting. My first day on stand started out at roughly -15 and never got warmer than +7. And even with the symptoms of a bad cold accelerating, the 10-hour sit in a high tree was tolerable.

My top-half layering started with Cabela's Polartec 200 fleece for the same reason I choose the wader pants: double-sided fleece. To that I added Cabela's Legacy Micro-Fleece Turtleneck with Windshear. It was an excellent choice, the form-fitting yet non-binding cut was like an insulating second skin, and the micro-fleece outer layer minimized bulk. I topped the turtleneck with Cabela's WindShear Shooting Sweater. Built with the flexibility needs of a cold-weather wingshooter in mind, the WindShear keeps the gusts out and wicks away sweat at the same time. All-wool construction provides natural heat retention. I added to that a thin, Cabela's Polartec® Wind Pro®Vest, its armholes proving non-restrictive while affording me a crucial extra layer.

I ended my upper layering with the matching Outfitter Wool Parka. Again, this proved correct. A properly articulated cut through shoulders and reinforcement at the elbows that protects without restricting were the key to getting the gun to my shoulder and a full-field view in my scope over what was now, without question, bulk.

Extreme Extremities
Cold toes are what make me run fastest for the indoors. A pac boot was the obvious choice for this trip, but I hate their bulk and weight. So I actually chose the all-leather 1,000-gram Thinsulate Cabela's Outfitter boot. While they proved a little tightly constructed at the ankle (I was wearing the luxuriously thick and no-itch Ultimax Heavyweight Wool Socks), once my dogs were in, the fit was perfect. Good toe wiggle room and minimal slip in the heel. And despite their heavy construction, they are actually fairly lightweight at just 1.6 pounds for each 10-inch boot and they broke in at the toe flex point quickly.

However, due to the extreme cold weather I wanted more foot protection while on stand, so I added the Icebreaker Boot Blankets chock full of Holofil 808 to keep my toes from turning blue. After just three minutes in the stand on the first morning of my hunt, I was zipping on the first blanket and looking for a packet of air-activated Grabber handwarmers to put over the toe of the boot, when the first deer walked by. Wanting to minimize movement and noise, especially with what turned out to be non-stop all-day deer movement, I never did get the handwarmers inside the boot blankets. Now when I first entered the stand, my toes were already a little tingly after being in just the boots for more than an hour in the -15 temps, but once the boot blankets were on, they never got one bit colder. Pretty impressive.

For my hands I selected Cabela's Scent-Lok® Gloves with the company's MT050® outer shell and 100-grams of Thinsulate. I added the Scent-Lok® liners, and while combined they proved a bit bulky for shooting - easy enough to remove the outer glove at the moment of truth - what really kept my hands warm was Cabela's Big Game Fleece Mitt with a Grabber 20-hour handwarmer for each hand stuffed inside.

Keeping your head warm is probably more paramount to sitting all day in severe cold than anything else you'll don. I wanted to keep my head and neck warm but didn't want to block out the noise of traveling deer. I started with Cabela's Scent-Lok® Versamask - which can be used as a neck gaitor, 1/2-mask, or full coverage - going with the full coverage. Thin enough to not compromise my hearing, unfortunately my breath condensed to turn the lower inside of the mask to permafrost. I switched to the new PolarWrap Exchanger facemask of Polartec with its built-in breath-warming module. Though a little tight (the company press release says they have accessories to customize fit), it solved the dilemma of keeping my face and lower ears warm.

For a hat I put on Cabela's waterproof and Thinsulate lined Woodsman Cap. It was just right, with drop-down chamois-lined earflaps, that as it turns out, I didn't have to pull down but protected the top of my ears even in the up position. I also liked the cap's short bill, which kept me seeing deer moving through the trees out the corners of my eyes.

Perfect Accessories
I've already mentioned a few things crucial to keeping my frigid all-day sit endurable, the fleece mitt, boot blankets and Grabber handwarmers topping the list. A couple other pieces also helped.

Sometimes you just need a cup of hot liquid comfort on a cold day. I own about a dozen insulated beverage holder, some good, some not. For this trip I took along the new Avery Neobottle, a double-walled stainless carafe with a silent, neoprene jacket. I filled it with piping-hot coffee at 5 a.m., and after some 10-plus hours of exposure to ground-zero temps, it still poured piping hot coffee.

The travesty of a frozen tush was neatly averted with the Therm-a-Seat Cushion. Our guide didn't go to any extremes for our comfort in our narrow treestands with only a narrower board to sit on. The air-filled Bunsaver lived up to its name.

Tolerable, I believe, is sometimes the best you can hope for in extreme cold. You may not be fireside warm, but if you can truly stand to sit in such conditions, unmoving for many hours without being more than just slightly uncomfortable, you've won the battle. Add more garments to the point where you're toasty warm and you probably: can't stand the hike to your tree stand; can't get in your tree stand; and/or can't shoulder your gun. Everything's a compromise. There just isn't a way to hunt a place like the woods of Saskatchewan in late November without looking like a camouflaged quick-baked-goods sales cartoon. It is a question of the bulk being manageable. A well-thought-out combination of old-world fibers (wool) and new-world insulators (Thinsulate™, WINDSTOPPER®, etc.), each piece constructed to seal in body heat and maximize body movement, is a sure way to keep you on stand for that notorious, infamous all-day sit - and sometimes that's the only way to get you the trophy you're looking for!

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