MOST hunters will tell you that one of the hardest things to do on opening day is to sit in one spot for hours on end without getting so cold your teeth rattle.

When I first started hunting, the only thing you could do was wear the heaviest wool jackets on top of a heavy wool shirt on top of a pair of thick long-johns, and even then you still got the shakes.

Today, there are all sorts of new state-of-the art fabrics that are light, breathable and enable you to wear layers without looking like you just gained 100 pounds.

Jackie Bushman, the host of the Buckmasters television series, knows that all too well. He loves the outdoors and hunts in all types of winter weather throughout North America. Over the years, he’s developed a system for staying warm regardless of the location or the weather.

“I buy clothing in sizes bigger than I ordinarily wear so I can wear layers and still be comfortable and have freedom of movement,” the founder and CEO of Buckmasters says. “My jacket size will be XX-large so I can get extra clothes under it. My pants will be a 38 waist instead of my normal 36. The outer layer will be 6-pocket pants or bib overalls at least a size larger than my other clothes.

“Keeping my hands warm is important, but for safety reasons, when I take a shot, whether it’s with a bow, rifle or shotgun, I want to touch my trigger or my release with the flesh of my hand,” he says. “I wear finger mittens that can be worn as a complete mitten or folded back to expose the fingers.”

When hunting in bitter cold, Bushman has chemical heat packs stuck everywhere. He wears a hunting brace belt for lower back support that has pockets to hold heat packs against his kidneys.

“One of the most important things I do to stay warm,” Bushman says, “is to wrap a heat pack in a bandana and tie that around my neck. I lose body heat if my neck is exposed, so I layer it using the bandana with a heat pack, a turtleneck shirt, and a skiing dickey. The heat pack also helps keep my neck from getting stiff so I can turn my head and keep a sharp watch for deer. I learned a long time ago that I can’t expose my skin, particularly my neck, to severe cold and sit still for eight hours.”

Bushman also uses a well-stocked backpack on hunts.

“A rain suit is one item that always goes into my backpack,” he adds, “along with a saw, flashlight, extra cartridges, snacks, water, cover scents, attractant scents, first aid kit, seat cushions, matches – you name it. If I’m hunting in unfamiliar country, I throw in an aerial photo, a topo map, or a GPS unit.”

When picking out a backpack for hunting, Bushman suggests considering one made of the newer fleece materials that won’t make a lot of noise when you brush up against a limb while walking through the woods.

“Hunting should always be fun,” Bushman says. “But it’s only fun if you’re comfortable. A little advance planning can make all the difference in enjoying a day in the woods. I figure we get too few days in the outdoors in this life, ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^so I try to enjoy every minute of every one.”