Pennsylvania Game News - December 2020 - 18

My shooting hand stays comfortable, and
I don't have to fumble to pull off a glove
when I'm concentrating on an approaching deer. I also believe I shoot better with
my bare skin in contact with the trigger.
Unless it's unbearably warm, I like
the quiet warmth of wool pants. Wool
doesn't scrape loudly on briars, its stays
warm even in a cold rain, and modern
wool blends don't require dry-cleaning;
they can be machine-washed and dried. I
buy them big to fit comfortably over long
underwear, and for freedom of movement.
Another trait of my freelance style, that
I believe justifies itself, is that I always
wear gaiters - snow or no snow. I get them
in quiet fleece with a camo-pattern. That
combination can be hard to find, so when
I locate a source, I buy several pairs. My
gaiters get hard use.
Cinched around my bootlaces, gaiters
block cold air from seeping up my pantlegs. It seems a small thing, but I can tell
the difference in minutes without them.
Sometimes, when I'm moving slowly,
still-hunting, I'll see a deer before it's
aware of me. If I'm not within reach of a
tree to conceal myself and steady the rifle,
I'll sit down on my right calf and shin. In
that position I am less conspicuous, I can
remain still a long time, and I can get a
steady hold on my left knee. Gaiters prevent snow, mud or moisture from seeping
into my sock and boot while I'm sitting
there, waiting for the right moment.
Somehow, I feel that I walk better
with gaiters. Instead of pant-cuffs flopping haphazardly around my ankles,
each of my legs feels like an agile and
self-contained unit that moves over the
ground with greater assurance. Maybe
that's a subjective assessment, but down
through history, infantry uniforms have
18

often featured some form of leggings.
Native American woodland hunters also
employed leggings, so I must be onto
something with gaiters. I don't hunt deer
without them.
When I started hunting deer 50 years
ago, we stuffed everything we thought
we'd need into our hunting coat pockets.
But since then, I've come to appreciate the
worth of a good pack. A hunting pack lets
me take a variety of clothes and gear that
enable me to stay in the woods all day,
regardless of weather. I can carry essentials such as rope, knife, flashlight, water
and a sandwich, plus clothing options
that let me adapt to conditions. I'll pack
raingear, and a lightweight fleece vest to
put on under my coat if it's cold. Stashed
deep in my pack is an extra orange vest.
I like to hang it in a tree over the spot
where I'm field-dressing a deer, just for
added safety.
When it's cold, I always pack an extra
lightweight jacket. Once I'm settled down
to watch, I drape that jacket over my legs.
That extra layer keeps cold air from circulating around my legs, and allows me to
sit still comfortably for a long time. The
jacket also conceals slight movements I
might need to make getting into position
to shoot.
Always clipped to my pack by a carabiner is a simple foam seat-cushion - my
mobile stand. I look for a tree with a base
large enough to embrace my outline,
offering a commanding view of good
cover laced with possible shooting lanes.
When I find such a place, I position the
pad at the base of the tree and settle in
to wait.
Making a comfortable stand, though,
requires some improvisation because the
ground generally slopes away from a big
Pennsylvania Game News - December 2020

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