Deer hunting and processing with severe finger pain

[222]

I love to deer hunt but severe finger pain from the cold is almost stopping me. Rifle season in in Nov. and muzzleloader is in in Dec. both can be cold here in Nebr. I have severe pain I mean make me want to cry (not easy task) soon a fingers warm pain is gone has been problem for 15 years processing the cold meat (I can't afford to have some one cut it up for me) now the pain come at 45 degrees out and gloves on. Hand warmers help but shooting and reloading my muzzleloader hurts even with speedloaders. I hope I don't sound wimpy but does anyone have this problem? My Dr said she thought I may have Raynaurd's Syndrome and she gave me little hope. Ray

[tacklebury]

I don't have your condition, but I do have a lot of pain from having fingers cut off in a table saw years ago and bad circulation.  Best thing I've found is to wear a thin pair of leather thinsulate lined gloves first.  Then I bought an oversize pair of Mittens (actually milsurp ones with fur on back) and I also buy the instant heat packs from Walmart for $1.  I put a heat pack in each mitten before heading out and keep my hands inside the mittens with the thin gloves on.  Then only pull my thin gloved hand out of the mitten when time to shoot.  Seems to work pretty well.  When processing the deer, I cannot afford to have it butchered or won't pay $60 to $100 anyway to have it done, I keep water drizzling in the sink warm to hot and stop after every few cuts to warm hands back up.  I find it keeps me from cutting myself too as I have done before when really cold.  Hope it gives you some ideas. 
 
These are the like my mittens: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/new-us-military-n4b-flyers-mitt.aspx?a=490282
These are like the gloves: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/carhartt-cowhide-leather-driver-gloves.aspx?a=972579
These are like the warmers: http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/grabber-weekender-6-pk-warmers.aspx?a=499081
 
Oh and I also put the kind on the bottom of my socks that stick to them so you can walk all day without them moving and I throw a couple in my lower back if it's really cold too or use one of those back heat stick on pads for sports injuries.  I live in Michigan and it gets plenty cold here too at times.  Especially, sitting for opening day. 
 
***edit*** 
One other trick I use is that when I'm field dressing the deer, I actually stick my hand right down in the guts often to warm them up if they get too cold.  Kinda nasty, but does work and I don't like sticking a bloody hand back into my clean gloves.  I keep some of that alcohol based hand cleanser and paper towels in the back of my jeep too, so when I'm done cutting him/her up, I can clean off my hands and get the gloves back on quick. 

[hunt-m-up]

I've used a muff type handwarmer that straps to your waist for bowhunting for years now. Wear light liner type gloves with it and throw in a few handwarmers to keep the inside nice and toasty.
Not sure what to tell you about cutting up the meat, except that we've started to wear shoulder length plastic gloves with latex gloves over the top while field dressing and the latex seems to keep our hands warmer temporarily.

[Land_Owner]

+1 hunt-m-up...use of latex gloves, even the larger/thicker varieties (like kitchen cleaning gloves your Mom used to use), over warmer thinner gloves provides a measure of tactility for the continued use of your fingers and hands when the weather is freezing.  The rubber gloves keep out the meat temperature and wind (prevents thermal evaporation) which drives the blood from your fingers.

[Ranger99]

the lem meat processing supply
company used to carry a poly-cotton
glove to keep hands warm while
dealing with your deer. they work ok,
but it doesn't get as cold here either.


may be worth a try. . .

[222]

Thanks will try liner gloves and mitts/muff for hunting this year. Have never used gloves to process meat but will look into it. I wear shoulder gloves and latex while field dressing and often warm my hands in the entrails.  This reminds me of a Story of my grandfather.
 My grandfather a rancher in South Dakota (1910-1969 this was about 1912-15 time frame) was getting supplies for the ranch along with a neighbor. They were caught in a blizzard and decided the shoot two horses that were pulling the wagon, the neighbor insited they remove the entrails from his horse before he climbed into the cavity half frozen subzero and very windy on barren plains. My grandfather was too cold to remove the entrails just made a slit and crawled into horse with entrails and all when storm broke my grandfather was alive and ok. While his nieghbor screamed for long time before he finally died, frozen in the chest cavity on a draft horse. Maybe gross but less painful than freezing!