Pronghorn hunting clothing question???

[FLMIKE]

I'm planning a trip to Wyoming for a Pronghorn hunt. Being a Florida guy the cold scares me the most. I don't hunt in the cold much. Whenever it's cold down here you normally just have to hang in there until the sun comes up and you warm right up. My question is about layering. What do y'all normally ware for a Pronghorn hunt in Wyoming in October? Please share your layering strategies. Thanks for the help.

 

[DANGLER]

Loin cloth and war paint


October in Wyoming can be 90 above to below zero, so it is good to be prepared, but I can just about promise that a good portion of the goats killed by true locals, are shot by a guy wearing a pair of wranglers and a long sleeve shirt..... Don't over think it. Plan on 40 degree mornings and 50 -60 degree afternoons and go have some fun. Take a look through some of the antelope threads on this forum and take note of what the guys in the pictures are wearing. My guess in many the lucky hunter isn't even wearing a jacket.

Good luck and have fun!

 

[DANGLER]

Like I said... take a look at this thread and what the guys in the grip n' grins are wearing.... Sure it can get nippy and snow is possible, but for the most part this hunt won't be to extreme....

https://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/showthread.php?241965-Antelope-Lets-See-Them!!!

 

[ClearCreek]

Four layers will probably work.

1 - short sleeve T-shirt
2 - long sleeve T-shirt
3 - light fleece jacket
4 - heavier fleece or wool coat

There have been days in October that you would want to have all four on and there can be days when it would be comfortable with none of the layers on. Usually you can start out in the morning with two to four layers and by noon you may be down to one or two; then towards evening you start adding layers, esp. when the sun goes down. It gets chilly quick when you hunt where the humidity is low.

If you are a clothes junkie, some of the "high end" stuff can be nice to have. However, there are a lot of antelope killed in Wyoming by hunters wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt and a hoody of some sort; and of course an orange hat.

ClearCreek

Before I could get an answer typed in Elkwhisper gave you some good advice.

 

[Redman]

I have become a big fan of Marino wool. It keeps you cool or warm and doesn't get rank after several days of wear.
Here is what I would take:
Long Marino wool bottoms
SS Marino wool shirt
LS Marino wool shirt
Packable coat/jacket
Whatever pants you want
Warm gloves
Sock cap or wool rancher hat.
That should take care of you that time of year.

 

[ccc23454]

Its pronghorn hunting dont over think it! If its that cold get back in truck... have a good pair of thermals base layers avaliable, sweet shirt and a good coat and you will be fine it could be 20 or 90 and will probably be windy. The clothing you can worry about have good leather gloves, they are a must. Lope hunting is as easy or as hard as you want it to be, dont stress!

 

[FLMIKE]

Thanks everyone for the tips. I really appreciate it

 

[VAspeedgoat]

Its pronghorn hunting dont over think it! If its that cold get back in truck... have a good pair of thermals base layers avaliable, sweet shirt and a good coat and you will be fine it could be 20 or 90 and will probably be windy. The clothing you can worry about have good leather gloves, they are a must. Lope hunting is as easy or as hard as you want it to be, dont stress!

I agree don't overthink it. A packable coat in your pack and a pair of bibs in your truck would be a nice add. You will be on the go so you will manufacture your own heat. Even with a few trips under my belt, I generally overdress and get hot. As mentioned, the wind is worse than the temperatures. Leather gloves are a must and don't forget chap stick. Seriously gloves and chapstick .

 

[Tikka06]

I took too much stuff last time. Dress for the weather and walking. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that camo was pretty much useless. Just wear earth tones and use the topography to hide. I prefer leather boots and gloves with some good knee pads. I'm not as experienced as most of the others here but I sure over thought it last time.

 

[onpoint]

"I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that camo was pretty much useless. Just wear earth tones and use the topography to hide".

A convert to the truth. All one needs is 10" of topography/vegetation, the right wind, and predatory patience/stealth - or a road and a pickup - or a 1000 yd rig. Now lose the knee pads, embrace the pain, and you're set.

 

[midwesthunter]

You will either do a lot of truck riding or a lot of walking, you won't have much time to get cold.

 

[VAspeedgoat]

"I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that camo was pretty much useless. Just wear earth tones and use the topography to hide".

A convert to the truth. All one needs is 10" of topography/vegetation, the right wind, and predatory patience/stealth - or a road and a pickup - or a 1000 yd rig. Now lose the knee pads, embrace the pain, and you're set.

Don't you know in the east a hunter is judged by the color of his camo and the caliber of his gun, the rest is irrelevant.

 

[wytex]

Light colored clothing and wind proof layers.
Merino wool for base layers and a good windproof jacket.
Make sure to have a cold weather coat and pants though, I have hunted antelope in 10 inches of snow.
If you're hunting an area adjacent to the mountains or foothills you may get a nice snow in Oct.

 

[Arty]

We did not really worry to much about layers when we went everyone had a shirt, hooded sweatshirt and a coat. We are from further north than you (Minnesota) but really it was not bad the few times we went. My biggest suggestion is like other have said gloves for when you are on hands and knees so you don not get stickers. Also I bought a pair of the sitka pants that have knee pads in them and they were awesome for crawling around stalking.

 

[6mm Remington]

Take clothing that's listed for the moderate temperatures of about 20-70 degrees with a few items thrown in should it get really cold. One day in Montana in October we were hunting antelope and it was 34 degrees and windy. It's always windy! We woke up to about 6 inches of snow and it was below zero with the wind chill right at about -40 degrees!

Leather gloves are nice to have, but you must embrace the pain! If you do it right you will end up with cactus in your elbows, hands, knees, and quite often your arse! Fact of life. My buddy was complaining one evening about all the cactus he had stuck in various places on his carcass. We were staying with my grandmother and she was fixing us dinner. She looked at him and told him to quite whining as they will festure up and come out!

 

[Flatland Crusoe]

One thing for antelope I would say is that because its very active a soft shell DWR jacket tend to be a good outer layer versus a down jacket or goretex hardshell. They will breath a lot better and tend to cut the wind better than a down jacket does.

For pants I run Sitka timberlines because of the knee pads, but often without a base layer bottom because they are on the warm side for an antelope hunt. Now that the sitka ascents have knee pad pockets those would be a better option.

I want my top base layer to be long sleeved, but 1/4 zip and pretty lightweight. I would prefer camo or a lighter earth tone than a black base layer since it will likely get warm enough midday to have it as your outer layer.

I wear mechanix impact gloves for crawling, but my wife pulled 17 cactus needles out of my leg after my first trip so just expect that it will happen.

 

[TheJason]

Stuff that'll cut the wind if late in the season. I shot an antelope buck not too far from Antlerradar's house one year on the last day of the season. Wind chills well below zero. Other times, I'm wearing a t-shirt and sweating.

If you want to go simple, wear some carhartts, leather gloves, a hoody over a t shirt, and throw a hard shell and vest in your pack.

 

[Tikka06]

For the record, the knee pads worked great the two times I had them on. But on the risk of being ostracized from this online community, I could leave them at home next time. One thing that will help is knowing when to crawl and when not to. Something I had no idea about last time.

 

[Tikka06]

Don't you know in the east a hunter is judged by the color of his camo and the caliber of his gun, the rest is irrelevant.

Yeah my head to toe realtree and my 338 lapua treestand masterpiece. It's hard to believe I get funny looks showing up with a 7-08 or a 30-06 but it happens every year.

 

[BrentD]

Yeah my head to toe realtree and my 338 lapua treestand masterpiece. It's hard to believe I get funny looks showing up with a 7-08 or a 30-06 but it happens every year.

I look back at some of the pictures of my antelope hunts and I find I'm wearing basically blue jeans or the equivalent and a shirt that I would wear to the office. Boots are light weight upland bird boots usually.

If they look at you funny, for a 7-08 pr .30-06, I can't imagine what they would think about my rifles.