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The reasons? Let's see a few of them!

1. A cigarette in your hand makes you clumsy
Perhaps you don't admit it but it's a fact; a cigarette on your hand makes you clumsy and slow, basically, you are one-handed while smoking.

No matters if you are hiking or resting, that cigarette in your hand is an inconvenience. While moving in abrupt terrain, your cigarette hand does not help too much to carry stuff and keep the balance.

On the other hand, if you are resting and suddenly a game appears from nowhere, it will take longer to grab your rifle, aim and shoot, definitely that cigarette does not help to be ready to shoot all the time!

Perhaps you think it's not a big deal, if something shows up you only have to drop your cigarette to pick up your weapon fast as lightning but...

2. There's a real risk of wildfire because of unattended cigarettes or hot ashes
Almost all wildfires start because of human actions, mostly improper managed bonfires and cigarettes, especially those dropped fast without proper care to assure a fire won't start.

Perhaps this is not a concern for winter hunters, but when you are in the middle of the forest during a hot, dry day in southern areas or during summertime, a cigarette falling over dry leaves can easily start a fire, most of the time when you are away and unaware of what's going on!

2. Protect your feet and toes thoroughly
While an extremity is farther from the body core, greater the risk of frostbite, thus toes are at highest risk than any other part of the body; moreover, due to tiredness and exhaustion, toes frostbite might be unnoticed or mistaken by just a regular pain due to a long walk.

Consequences may be tremendous, including toes amputation, then it's critical to keep your feet and toes safe and warm.

To do so it's necessary to wear at least two pairs of socks, the one closer to the skin must be of respirable and moisture-wicking fabric while the second should be an insulating material such as wool.

Extra socks may be uncomfortable, but if required you may add a third pair of think, synthetic insulation material socks.

Remember to keep your feet away from moisture and water all the time, otherwise, there's a real risk of ice formation inside your boots, increasing the chances of frostbite, so keep your feet dry all the time.

A good way to do it is using insulated, sealed, waterproof boots. That's the best choice to protect your feet and keep them warm (of course, combined with properly layered socks)

3. Don't forget your face
After toes, nose, and ears have the highest frostbite risk because of their exposition to cold air and wind, so protecting them is extremely important to avoid serious, disfiguring injuries.

Instead, use a match and begin with dry grass and leaves, once the fire begins, add small twigs until the fire becomes stable, which means, it continues to burn without any help. At this point, it's time to add big branches to allow burning for a long time.

3. Avoid hanging branches
Be sure to set the fire on a clear area, away from hanging branches or any other elements suitable to burn because of your fire heat. Look around and set a 10 feet perimeter free of flammable materials and don't forget to look up.

Hanging or dry branches may burn because of ascending heat, starting a wildfire, so be sure to find a safe area, not only around the fire but also over it.

4. Dig a fire pit
The safest way to start a fire is to dig a pit. Be sure to do it in a safe place, clean the perimeter from potentially flammable matter, and surround the dig with stones to keep the heat in.

Once the fire pit is completed, start your fire inside it. No better way to keep a fire under control.

5. Keep water near you
Water is the best way to keep the fire under control if things turn wild. Never start a fire if you don't have water handy, otherwise, things might run out of control while you find some water to extinguish or diminish an uncontrolled fire.

6. Keep the wind in mind
Wind may become an enemy when it blows and carry embers and hot ashes from your fire to nearby dry foliage. When this occurs, a wildfire may start almost instantly.

1. Get in good shape
Yes, moose hunting is not for lazy, out of shape people. Once in the woods, you will need to hike for miles on abrupt terrain, climbing hills, and crossing creeks.

To do so perhaps you don't need to be ready for the Olympics but certainly, a decent fitness condition is required.

2. Practice with the ammo you plan to use
No matters how precise is your shooting if you practice with ammunition different from what you will in the woods, the chances of missing are high.

Remember to practice at least 100 yards away from your target using the same ammo you will take with you. By doing so you assure your skills with the gun caliber and distance required for moose hunting are on the top level.

Once you have completed your homework, at least during 6 months before the season begins, remember about the next tip:

3. Knowing the terrain is paramount
Beginning at home using topographic maps and available information in Google Earth as well other resources, and ending in the field with the pre-season scouting, knowing your hunting ground is paramount for success.

It seems obvious but many hunters get familiar just with main roads and don't go beyond, leaving aside just the areas where moose will run for cover in case of danger.

Experience is a key factor, but a few tips to keep in mind will help young wolf hunters (and perhaps some experienced ones) to increase your chances to beat a wolf:

1. Be aware of local regulations
That's a key for all hunting expeditions and wolves are not the exception. Time, dates, areas where wolves may be hunt as well bag limit are important topics to know about to avoid law infringements.

At the same time, permits, authorizations, and all regulatory paperwork must be up to date before hitting the bushes.

2. Scouting, the old great trick
There's nothing new about this. Wolves, same as many other big games, use to have behavior patterns and if you can decode it, there's a great chance to succeed on your wolf hunt.

Identifying walking trails, feeding areas and signs of wolves' activity will give you a complete overview of where they are in the land you are hunting on.

3. Talk with local livestock owners
A great place to start is livestock owners having problems with wolves. If there are problems is because wolves are around there, so you don't need to go out for your game but wait for wolves to show up.

If there's no problem with missing cattle or any livestock, perhaps it's better to find another place.