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Take care of your feet to succeed on your hunt!
Most of the care is about common sense, but it's always useful to remember some basic tips:
1. Keep your feet warm
Frostbite is your enemy, it's not only painful but risky with the worst cases leading to toes and even foot amputation. When you are hunting during the winter season or very cold days, avoiding frostbite is critical, otherwise what begun as a funny hunting raid might end in disaster.
The best way to prevent frostbite is proper insulation. Besides well-insulated boots, it's important to wear hot socks, moreover, two or three layers of light material insulation socks are better than just one heavy, thick one.
2. Don't let your feet get wet
Wet and cold are your feet' worst enemies, so it's important not only to keep them warm but also dry.
To achieve this goal there's not a single strategy but a mix of them. The first thing to do is find a good pair of insulated, waterproof boots since they are the first line of defense against external physical factors, but not the only one.
What kind of sunscreen do I have to use to protect my skin properly?
Then, instead of a given product, formulation or brand, the best way to choice the best sunscreen for your need must be based on your individual needs as well product key features, on this regard, it's important to keep in mind the following:
1- Keep in mind the spectrum
When the skin is exposed to sunlight, the harmful effects come from two different rays, both in the not visible range, UV-A and UV-B (UV=ultraviolet).
UV-A rays are responsible for skin aging and most cell changes leading to skin cancer while UV-B exposure leads to sunburns.
Most sunscreens focus on UV-B to prevent sunburns, providing no protection against UV-A rays.
This is a good choice for short-term, punctual exposures but not enough for long periods of outdoor activities because even when the skin will not get burn, no protection against cellular damage and extracellular matrix due to UV-A rays is provided.
To achieve full UV-A, UV-B protection, is necessary to use a broad-spectrum sunscreen specially formulated to protect the skin from both types of rays. There's no way to differentiate both types of sunscreen, so it's necessary to check the label carefully.
Those stating just "sunscreen" usually provide only UV-B protection while the products with a label claim of "broad spectrum" are formulated for full UV A and B protection.
Protect your skin outdoors
UV rays are part of the nonvisible light spectrum and due to their wavelength can achieve your skin even when covered by clothes, so when long exposure to sunlight is expected, the skin must be protected properly.
Don't get fooled by clouds, UV rays will target your skin regardless of a cloudy sky or cold weather, moreover, during wintertime, especially in the mountains, your skin is exposed to UV rays as much as on a beach day during the summer, so be careful and take measures before is too late.
The best way to do so is to avoid sun exposure but, if you are outdoors that's virtually impossible, so it's necessary to protect the skin accordingly.
Even when clothes attenuate UV exposure, that's not enough, moreover, no matters how much you cover your body, there's always exposed skin and during hot, summer days, the proportion of uncovered skin may be considerable, so to avoid sunburns and diminish skin cancer risk, it's necessary to use sunscreens.
Sunscreens or sunblocks are specially designed cosmetics intended to prevent UV rays to achieve your skin.
Deer Hunting. A matter of detail
Deer depends mostly on their smell sense to find their food as well to a couple, so they are scanning the air constantly for what's interesting in their life. That's why using an attractant is so effective.
Attractants are man-made scented substances mimicking the smells deer are attracted to. It may be a food source or a receptive partner, attractants are like deer magnets but don't abuse!
Scents have a top in nature, if you use too much, deer will notice something different regarding intensity and probably will be suspicious about such an intense smell. So use attractants wisely.
On the other hand, remember to cover your own odor. With a powerful smell sense, deer will notice human presence because of smell, so avoid scented cosmetics such as soap, deodorant, and aftershave; even scented laundry detergents must be avoided!
Try to conceal your odor leaving your clothes outdoors for a couple of nights, and using scent killers. Of course, avoid smoking, otherwise, probably deer will get away from you.
Now you are scent-free and your attractant is doing its job, it's time to call.
Waterfowl Hunting Apps
Additionally, it provides information about weather, a very important detail to keep in mind during waterfowl hunt.
2. Ducks Unlimited
Do you wish to know where the ducks are? Just track them along US and Canada with this app.
Information comes from real-time hunters and biologists' reports and alerts, allowing apps users to have a clear overview of ducks' path along the national geography.
Additionally, this app provides weather forecasts, information about bag limits in different areas, and much more.
3. Duckr
Useful app to scout. You can mark blinds locations as well the spots areas, sharing this information with other users who may also provide their own information, including hunting reports.
The app also provides information about whether forecast, bag limits, and season beginning and end.
A useful app for all waterfowl hunters!
4. The Duck ID App
If you are new to duck hunting, this is the app for you. It contains detailed information to allow ducks species identification.