4 Essentials For Waterfowl Hunters
Snow, freezing temperatures and ice aren’t the only challenges a hunter will confront during waterfowl hunting. A core gear-intensive hunting sport, waterfowl hunting is every hunter’s dream and dread. Weather conditions are often the main variable, defining a hunter’s efficiency and performance in waterfowl hunting.
The weather forecast is the most critical piece of information that will determine a waterfowler’s success rate. With temperatures dropping below zero during the season, it is crucial to wear unerring clothing elements to fulfill the golden rule of waterfowl hunting — staying warm. The keys to staying warm are keeping dry, blocking the wind, and controlling body heat. With the forthcoming waterfowl hunting season, here are a few clothing essentials that avid waterfowl hunters swear by.
1. Moisture Wicking Base Layer
Waterfowl hunting is an extreme hunting sport that requires patience and agility. Sitting for hours during the late season without proper clothing gear can even lead to hypothermia. It is vital to keep your body insulated to ensure appropriate body heat regulation. This micro-environment created by the base layer between your body and your clothing decides your performance.
The base layer fabrics that every professional hunter relies on are merino wool and DryArn. Unlike cotton, Merino wool and DryArn tend to wick away moisture smoothly and keep the body insulated while being more lightweight. Carefully blended with stretch polypropylene and polyamide microfiber, Beretta’s DryArn Base Layer collection incorporates body mapping technology to withstand acute cold temperatures and ensure high breathability and movement.
The collection features contrast colour seams with both compression and breathable areas to improve thermal regulation and performance, making it compatible for the field, forest, and marsh areas.
https://www.beretta.com/en-us/mens-clothing/t-shirts/dryarn-t-shirt/
2. The ‘sine qua non’ of Waterfowl hunting — Waders
Waterfowl hunters face the most extreme conditions that are ever imaginable. A waterfowler will go to any length to win the target, from endearing furious sleet storms to snapping through thick ice sheets to lurching through dense reeds tasked with protecting a waterfowler from these unforgiving conditions. A good wader is waterproof, breathable, and highly durable. Specifically designed with Gore-Tex 3L Tricot and 16% Kevlar fabric (to toughen the knees and seat), Beretta’s B-Xtreme GTX BIB can be considered the nonpareil of every existing wader.
It has an ergonomic design on the knees to allow freedom of movement, is abrasion resistant, accommodates a hand warmer pocket with comfort fabric on the inside and elastic suspenders with a security backtac. It is available in Veil Avayde, an advanced waterfowl concealment camo precisely designed for reeds and marshes, and contains a waist adjuster to synchronise fit, form, and performance.
See Also — Waterfowl Hunting Gear
3. Perfecting Insulation — Jackets
Jackets are the one essential that no hunter can avoid. If waders protect the lower component of your body, jackets are what’s going to keep you warm and camouflaged in the marsh and field. A superior, lightweight yet insulated camouflage hunting jacket is the deciding factor in your hunting equation. Camouflage patterns depend on the time of the season. Early greens suit better during early seasons, while browns and tans are preferred in late seasons. Made with Gore-Tex Infinium Wind Stopper, Beretta’s Wingbeat Insulator Jacket is 100% windproof and water repellent.
With a DWR finish, the jacket is highly breathable and contains Gore-Tex stretch inserts under the arms to ensure extreme mobility. With light neoprene cuffs, drawstring regulation and anti-abrasion reinforcements in the arms and shoulders, the jacket is insulated with PrimaLoft Silver to provide superior warmth.
4. Facing the real trouble — hats, gloves, neckwarmers, socks
Hunters quite often fail to realize that heat mainly tends to escape from the head, neck, and wrists. Frostbites can be a real bother when you want to ace your hunting game. The hands and the neck especially need to stay warm to ensure proper loading and unloading of shells and efficient overall movement. Crafted in colors of otter and green, Beretta’s B-Xtreme Beanie is 100% windproof and water-resistant. With Avant-Garde Gore-Tex Infinium softshell fabric, the beanie is constructed to withstand mildly cool to cold temperatures.
Exclusively designed for waterfowl hunters, Beretta’s Camo Neckwarmer contains an inner fleece lining and drawstring regulation with a Realtree Max-5 Camo for extraordinary performance.
With convertible index fingers and touchscreen-compatible inserts on the fingertips, Beretta’s Polartec Wind Pro Gloves ensure extreme breathability as well as 4x more wind resistance than a traditional fleece. Made from what’s called “super fleece,” the Hunting gloves perform both as outerwear and insulators with extreme durability.
Moisture-wicking socks help to reduce the heat caused by physical exertion and effectively circulate sufficient blood to your toes to keep them warm. Beretta’s Merino Socks are an excellent choice to improve warmth and breathability. With calf and foot reinforcements and a front sponge wrap, it is designed to withstand extreme cold.
Pro-tip: Carrying a waterproof hunting bag is a big change, as the risk of losing indispensable gear reduces drastically. Unlike other hunting sports, waterfowl hunting can be tedious and will require more persistence. An efficient bag reduces the chances of losing expensive gear. Beretta offers ample options to protect your gear and keep your hunting game, inevitably enhancing your overall waterfowl hunting experience.
