Outdoor Activities in the Winter Print
Monday, 25 January 2010 00:00
        OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES IN THE WINTER

     Ol’man winter plans to return this week  Starting Wednesday, mid-20 degree temperatures, heavy rain and possibly snow will lead us into a chillin’ weekend. The 2010 Farmers Almanac is seldom wrong when it comes to predicting weather.  They predict that February in our area will bring more rain and snow, especially toward the middle of the month.
     One of the main hunting seasons going on now is trying to get rid of wood rats at Hugo High School.  They killed one Friday in Mrs. Dominick’s Senior English room with a shovel.  Mrs. Smith reported that one darted across her computer classroom’s window sill.  Leonard Smith is working overtime trapping and poisoning these pests.  The basement classrooms smell like Haiti right now.
     Good news from the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.  Can you imagine 40,000 trout being stocked in the Lower Mt. Fork River at Beavers Bend State Park during the next three months?  Four stockings are scheduled for Jan. 27, Feb. 10 and 24 and March 10 and 24.  The Lower Mt. Fork River will also receive extra stockings. For more information, log on to   www.wildlifedepartment.com or check your Oklahoma Fishing Guide for 2010.
     Speaking of cold weather outdoor activities, proper clothing and equipment are a necessity.  Juli Martin of the Weather Channel said “in cold weather,you lose 30 per cent of your body heat through your head and hands.  Keep them all covered.”  I always sleep in a toboggan.  Mine stays in my sleeping bag.  Cotton clothing, t-shirts, underwear and socks will not keep you as warm as wool.  Wool socks, shirts like Pendleton and sweaters are the warmest.  I like army surplus wool gloves or good leather gloves.
     When I was a kid, we used hand warmers.  I still do.  Today, you can buy hand warming packets that you just shake to heat up.  I keep them in my hunting coats. I have several wool scarves and toboggans to fight off the cold.  Sometimes, I look like “Nannuk of the North,” but I am warm.
     My camouflage hunting clothes, like my coveralls, bibs and jackets, are insulated for colder weather.  The long johns I wear are thinsulate, wool or special underpants and shirts designed for different degrees of cold weather.
     Bass Pro Shop has RedHead XPS, the Extreme Performance Series of thermal underwear.  It starts with a base layer, mid-weight and expedition weight to cover any type of temperature you might run into.
     Insulated hunting gloves are a must.  RedHead designs several models with 40 or 70 grams of thinsulate insulation built in.  Some have Gore-Tex waterproof liners.
     Don’t forget HOTHANDS value pack that contains 20 hand warmers and four foot warmers.  Each one provides up to 10 hours of 130-140 degrees heat and costs $9.99--a bargain.
     Most of B.P.S. hunting boots are insulated and waterproof like the RedHead Air series I wear.  Several models come each way with or without insulation.
     I always carry a foam or soft seat cushion with me in the woods. It keeps
 my bottom from getting wet.  Some of these have thermal heating built in.
     To stay even warmer, it’s best to dress in layers.  The layers help trap in body heat which keeps you warmer.  We have learned from backpackers how to dress. If you get too hot, you can remove a layer or add more layers if you get cold.
     If you’re in a small, airtight shelter and using propane heat or Colman lanterns, you can run the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.  Always keep the tent and cabin ventilated in these situations.  Carbon monoxide poisoning is a silent death.  It happens in cars and campers all the time.
     Last, but not least, use some common sense before you get out in the weather.  Homes and cabins need carbon monoxide alarms as well as fire alarms.  Be careful this winter.
L. FRY