It is getting near that time again….Hunting Seasons will start around the country. The anticipation I have is the same feeling I had when I was a kid and got excited for Santa Clause to bring me great stuff (not coal)! Now is the time to make sure you have the gear that is going to make your hunting experience comfortable and strategic to offer the best chance of getting that big buck.
For women being comfortable in the field has been a long time coming in the industry, but finally there are several companies that offer women’s hunting clothes that actually conform to our body types. In the past, many of us have worn hand-me-downs, kids’ gloves, oversized jackets and men or boys’ pants. We looked like a rag-a-muffin tromping into the woods, but we were happy to be hunting. Often, due to the disproportionate fit of our clothes, we were uncomfortable…cold because wind would blow up our jackets, plus there was that Michelin man effect of being so bulky we felt like we couldn’t move…I honestly don’t know how we pull back our bows in all that extra bulk, but we did! All that is behind us now, because we can find clothes specifically cut for women from manufacturers like Próis, and companies like Her Camo Shop, where they have most every (if not every) garment made specifically for women! These two companies recognize that women have unique physical needs in the fit of our hunting clothes, and they do fit. Not only do these clothes provide comfort and enhance our ability in the field, they also look great!
Looking great, however, for a hunter is secondary to the strategic performance of the outfit in the field. Did you know that deer can rotate their ears to the back their head to listen, and they can see on both sides and to their front? They can…they’ve heard and seen me lots of times in my rag-a-muffin outfit. That’s why clothes that fit are vital to our hunt. The snugger the clothes are to our body, the less noise we’ll make. We can actually turn our head, raise our weapon and shoot without the extra noise from the fabric of clothes that are too big rubbing together. Deer can see motion, so less bulk also means less movement to be seen. Hiking and tracking becomes much easier with clothes that fit too! When clothes fit, and we are on a blood trail through the woods on our hands and knees crawling through the thicket, we won’t get hung up on the branches because of oversized clothing. This personally has happened to me, and it is frustrating to feel like that kid from A Christmas Story that gets stuck on his back after being knocked down, but no more. We now have choice in clothes that fit.