Gloves for Hunting

Gloves for Hunting:

Busting brush, crawling over dead falls, scrambling up rocky ravines, inching along ridge lines, knives, weapons, and more.. The list of hazards we face as hunters is no small thing. They are always there, whether we successfully navigate or them not. Some are minor, some not so much.

If you read my 2015 Sheep Hunt report you are aware of the minor injury I received while sheep hunting. If I had been bow hunting sheep my hunt would have been done. Two months later and I am finally able to shoot my bow with the same accuracy as before the injury. The deep cut to my palm is directly where the grip of my Xpedition crossed my palm. While the visible signs of the injury are fading, scare tissue deep in the palm created pain when drawing the bow. This made it extremely difficult to hold the bow at full draw for any length of time.

As such my caribou hunt became a rifle endeavor. Frustrating, as I was planning and prepping to take the bow since I received the tag this spring! I share this with you to encourage you to think through the risks of our adventure. Even minor injuries can change things you don’t want changed.

I believe that if I had been wearing the right glove, the injury to my hand would be either been completely eliminated, or greatly reduced. At the time my gloves were in the thigh pocket of my Sitka Mountain Pants. I have, and use, many different gloves. I will highlight a few below and detail what I like, or dislike, about them.

Leather Work Gloves

Leather Work Gloves
Pros: Rugged, tough, durable, easy to procure, cheap; great hand protection, a liner can be added for warmth (i.e First Lite Merino Glove)
Cons: Need to be treated to be weather proof, not very breathable, limited color options, take a while to dry out once soaked, most designs require removal for accurate trigger pressure, not touch screen compatible.

Shooter Gloves

Sitka Shooter Gloves
Pros: Lightweight, fit like a batting glove, fairly easy to find, decent hand protection, dry fairly quickly, can be used to shoot with (minimal effect on trigger pull)
Cons: Not as durable, minimal weather protection, not touch screen compatible

First Lite Merino Gloves
Pros: Extremely light weight, amazing warmth to weight ratio, I have only found them via the internet (but easy to find on net), come in a variety of colors and patterns, perfect liner under leather gloves.
Cons: Minimal hand protection, mainly provide minimal warmth – no real hand protection, not touch screen compatible

Firs Lite Merino Gloves

Sitka Hanger Gloves
Pros: All the pros of the shooter glove in a touchscreen compatible option. No effect on rifle trigger pull or my Spott Hogg Release.
Cons: Harder to procure (New for 2015, have not seen them in retail stores yet.) Durability yet to be tested. One color / pattern option. Slightly difficult to pull on.

Cabela’s Wooltimate Glove
Pros: Warm, durable, easy to find at any Cabela’s
Cons: Can be to warm for hiking, not a wet weather glove (but do ok in light rain and snow), take a while to dry out, not touch screen compatible.

The gloved mentioned are the gloves I use the most. They all have their pros and cons, and I need to actually wear them vs. stuffing them in a pocket. The beauty of a glove like the Sitka Hanger Gloves is that they offer light weight breathable protection. The others allow you a variety of “mix & match” options to tailor to your chosen pursuit.