I’m in the Northeast.I only wear a thin base layer pant if I’m going to be moving around. Wool base layers have never offered me any warmth, regardless, of the weight of it. I’ve had better luck with what little warmth it offers as a second layer. Synthetic is way warmer and dries way faster for me.
To be honest the way the weather has been here in Central New York, In early season, you may find me wearing a pair of Kuiu Attack pants (with or without a pair of merino base layer), and a merino top, with or without a mid weight fleece top.
I wear this when the weather is warm, and it has been warm here the last five or so years to start the seasons recently.
We’ve gotten very little snow the lately, maybe one snow for the season. Two at best.
When it gets to 30 degrees, and lower I go to wool almost completely.
I probably still hunt most of my time hunting around here, but sometimes I’ll find a spot, and sit it depending on the sign, and situation. Moving through the woods, wool is so very quiet, and it has no “sheen” to it the way some synthetic materials do. It’s just more natural, and sometimes that’s the difference, at least that’s what I believe. Wool, when wet, does keep its insulated properties. I have never experienced that with synthetic. While it may (?) dry faster, when wet in synthetic, and it’s cold out, you are cold.
Late season, if I’m sitting in a stand, I’m wearing my wool still hunting clothes under my parka and bibs. That keeps me the warmest of all clothing systems that I’ve tried. (Sometimes I’m sitting on a field edge with the wind coming across the field, into my face, and it may be 20 down to zero degrees)
Bottom line, we are all different, and we all have what works for us. Hunting NY (Northeast) is definitely different than hunting Alabama or out west.
It’s taken me a few years to figure out what works for me, and I’ve tried to take what works for the “experts” and fit it into what I do.