Luke
25-02-06, 02:54 PM
This is a copy of an article I wrote for Cashy's first two editions of BHDU mag...thought I'd put it up here for people's information on how to best prepare and handle our extreme summer temperatures.
Luke :D
Hot Hunting & Hunting Hot
We’ve all been there…summer hunting. Early mornings, midday snoozes and ice cold beers. The mozzies, the sand flies the blow flies and the snakes…but oh the game. There’s nothing like the feeling of confidence that you get from that blazing summer sun, knowing that with each passing hour the bowhunters’ quarry is getting thirstier, drier, more desperate to come to the waterhole…the waterhole where you are waiting…
What happens to a bowhunter in the summer heat? What basic precautions should we take before we head out from camp on our sunrise summer expeditions to increase our resilience to the effects of the baking summer scorchers? What should we do during the hunt to help ward off dehydration, heat stroke and other such conditions? This article will examine each of these questions and provide you with some simple advice that will stand you in good stead to out last that big ol’ billy in the extreme temperatures of our Australian climate.
We know what happens to a bowhunter in the summer heat, he gets hot. Simple? Yes. Serious? Absolutely! The human body’s core temperature can only tolerate a 5-degree (C) increase before serious problems arise. Your core body temperature is in dynamic equilibrium between factors that add and subtract body heat. Should these factors outweigh each other for some reason, heat loss or heat gain occurs.
What, specifically causes our core temperature to rise? The body generates considerable heat as a by-product of active muscle. The body also absorbs heat from the environment by solar radiation and from objects warmer than the body. So when we go hunting on a hot summers’ day, not only are we contributing to an increase in core body temperature by the mere fact that we are moving (contracting muscles) but the increased ambient temperature and intensity of the sun further amplifies the heat gain our bodies experience.
When core body temperature increases, your body has a set of automated responses it can execute in an attempt to cool down. These include dilation of blood vessels to divert warm blood to the body’s periphery, hormonal adjustments to conserve the loss of salts and fluid, and sweating which begins within several seconds of commencing exercise. The evaporative cooling effect of sweat is the most important avenue of heat loss and combined with increased peripheral blood flow produces a highly effective cooling system.
What basic precautions should we take before we head out from camp? Sweat evaporation provides the major physiologic defense against overheating. We also know that sweat is comprised of water and electrolytes. Excessive sweat loss can cause a rapid depletion in our body’s fluid and electrolyte levels exposing us to the negative effects of dehydration. Such negative effects include impeded heat dissipation, reduced heat tolerance, severely compromised cardiovascular (heart) function and decreased exercise capacity. All of which impair our ability to hunt at our full potential.
Preparation for a day’s hunting should begin the night before, at the very least, as the risk of heat illness greatly increases when you begin hunting in an already dehydrated condition. Ingesting “extra” water before hunting in a hot environment provides protection against heat stress because it delays dehydration, increases sweating during hunting and minimizes the rise in core body temperature. So the night before a hunt you should be drinking fluids regularly and in larger than normal quantities. While this may cause you to wake a few more times during the night, it’s benefits on the hunt vastly outweigh this minor inconvenience.
What should we do during the hunt to help ward off dehydration, heat stroke and other such conditions? When asked this question, most bowhunters will answer with “drink lots of water”. While this answer is mostly right it is not the most correct solution to our problem. If a hunter is losing vast amounts of sweat that contains both water and electrolytes, he/she must ensure that BOTH of these vital components are replaced. Replacing only the water component of sweat can lead to a diluting effect of the body’s remaining electrolytes. This can cause a serious condition known as “hyponatremia”. Symptoms of hyponatremia range from mild (headache, confusion, nausea, cramping) to severe (seizures, coma, pulmonary edema and death).
There exist several factors that predispose a hunter to this condition, they include:
- Prolonged high intensity hunting in hot weather;
- Sodium loss associated with sweat containing high sodium concentration in relatively unfit individuals;
- Commencing hunting in a sodium depleted state due to “salt-free” or “low sodium” diet;
- Frequent intake of large quantities of sodium free fluid during prolonged hunting periods.
Although hyponatremia is a very serious condition, it is one that the hunter can easily avoid. Simple steps such as consuming salty foods (eg, salmon, tuna, noodles (2 minute), cheese, chips, bacon etc) whilst in camp and drinking fluids with added electrolytes such as commercial sports drinks will prevent it’s onset.
In more general terms avoiding the negative affects of hot conditions is relatively simple. Taking steps that go a long way to “keeping your cool” include; adequate (correct and complete) fluid intake, the wearing of light and loose clothing (3D mesh camouflage type suits are ideal for heat dissipation and sweat evaporation in preference to drill cotton camouflage such as “Auscams”) and the wearing of a wide brimmed hat.
Adequate fluid intake is facilitated by drinks that are highly palatable; that is, flavoured drinks that taste good. During intense exercise it is recommended that the hunter consumes on average 250mL every 15 minutes (1L per hour). Research has shown that consuming a falvoured carbohydrate-electrolyte drink will encourage a hunter to drink more fluid, more often and thus greatly aid in maintaining adequate rehydration. Adequate fluid replacement sustains the potential for evaporative cooling. If a hunter maintains an effective rehydration schedule he/she will prevent the onset of dehydration and it’s consequences, in particular, hyperthermia.
Bowhunting during the hot summer months comes with many advantages, primarily the ease of locating game on water. The old adage “find water, find game” speaks volumes and has proven to be very successful for many bowhunters over the years. Unfortunately for the bowhunter, the increase in temperature brings to bare numerous inherent risks that are caused by increases in core body temperature and loss of bodily fluids and electrolytes. Armed with the basic and essential knowledge covered in this article, you can avoid the negative effects of hot hunting and reap the benefits that summer hunting brings.
Luke :D
Hot Hunting & Hunting Hot
We’ve all been there…summer hunting. Early mornings, midday snoozes and ice cold beers. The mozzies, the sand flies the blow flies and the snakes…but oh the game. There’s nothing like the feeling of confidence that you get from that blazing summer sun, knowing that with each passing hour the bowhunters’ quarry is getting thirstier, drier, more desperate to come to the waterhole…the waterhole where you are waiting…
What happens to a bowhunter in the summer heat? What basic precautions should we take before we head out from camp on our sunrise summer expeditions to increase our resilience to the effects of the baking summer scorchers? What should we do during the hunt to help ward off dehydration, heat stroke and other such conditions? This article will examine each of these questions and provide you with some simple advice that will stand you in good stead to out last that big ol’ billy in the extreme temperatures of our Australian climate.
We know what happens to a bowhunter in the summer heat, he gets hot. Simple? Yes. Serious? Absolutely! The human body’s core temperature can only tolerate a 5-degree (C) increase before serious problems arise. Your core body temperature is in dynamic equilibrium between factors that add and subtract body heat. Should these factors outweigh each other for some reason, heat loss or heat gain occurs.
What, specifically causes our core temperature to rise? The body generates considerable heat as a by-product of active muscle. The body also absorbs heat from the environment by solar radiation and from objects warmer than the body. So when we go hunting on a hot summers’ day, not only are we contributing to an increase in core body temperature by the mere fact that we are moving (contracting muscles) but the increased ambient temperature and intensity of the sun further amplifies the heat gain our bodies experience.
When core body temperature increases, your body has a set of automated responses it can execute in an attempt to cool down. These include dilation of blood vessels to divert warm blood to the body’s periphery, hormonal adjustments to conserve the loss of salts and fluid, and sweating which begins within several seconds of commencing exercise. The evaporative cooling effect of sweat is the most important avenue of heat loss and combined with increased peripheral blood flow produces a highly effective cooling system.
What basic precautions should we take before we head out from camp? Sweat evaporation provides the major physiologic defense against overheating. We also know that sweat is comprised of water and electrolytes. Excessive sweat loss can cause a rapid depletion in our body’s fluid and electrolyte levels exposing us to the negative effects of dehydration. Such negative effects include impeded heat dissipation, reduced heat tolerance, severely compromised cardiovascular (heart) function and decreased exercise capacity. All of which impair our ability to hunt at our full potential.
Preparation for a day’s hunting should begin the night before, at the very least, as the risk of heat illness greatly increases when you begin hunting in an already dehydrated condition. Ingesting “extra” water before hunting in a hot environment provides protection against heat stress because it delays dehydration, increases sweating during hunting and minimizes the rise in core body temperature. So the night before a hunt you should be drinking fluids regularly and in larger than normal quantities. While this may cause you to wake a few more times during the night, it’s benefits on the hunt vastly outweigh this minor inconvenience.
What should we do during the hunt to help ward off dehydration, heat stroke and other such conditions? When asked this question, most bowhunters will answer with “drink lots of water”. While this answer is mostly right it is not the most correct solution to our problem. If a hunter is losing vast amounts of sweat that contains both water and electrolytes, he/she must ensure that BOTH of these vital components are replaced. Replacing only the water component of sweat can lead to a diluting effect of the body’s remaining electrolytes. This can cause a serious condition known as “hyponatremia”. Symptoms of hyponatremia range from mild (headache, confusion, nausea, cramping) to severe (seizures, coma, pulmonary edema and death).
There exist several factors that predispose a hunter to this condition, they include:
- Prolonged high intensity hunting in hot weather;
- Sodium loss associated with sweat containing high sodium concentration in relatively unfit individuals;
- Commencing hunting in a sodium depleted state due to “salt-free” or “low sodium” diet;
- Frequent intake of large quantities of sodium free fluid during prolonged hunting periods.
Although hyponatremia is a very serious condition, it is one that the hunter can easily avoid. Simple steps such as consuming salty foods (eg, salmon, tuna, noodles (2 minute), cheese, chips, bacon etc) whilst in camp and drinking fluids with added electrolytes such as commercial sports drinks will prevent it’s onset.
In more general terms avoiding the negative affects of hot conditions is relatively simple. Taking steps that go a long way to “keeping your cool” include; adequate (correct and complete) fluid intake, the wearing of light and loose clothing (3D mesh camouflage type suits are ideal for heat dissipation and sweat evaporation in preference to drill cotton camouflage such as “Auscams”) and the wearing of a wide brimmed hat.
Adequate fluid intake is facilitated by drinks that are highly palatable; that is, flavoured drinks that taste good. During intense exercise it is recommended that the hunter consumes on average 250mL every 15 minutes (1L per hour). Research has shown that consuming a falvoured carbohydrate-electrolyte drink will encourage a hunter to drink more fluid, more often and thus greatly aid in maintaining adequate rehydration. Adequate fluid replacement sustains the potential for evaporative cooling. If a hunter maintains an effective rehydration schedule he/she will prevent the onset of dehydration and it’s consequences, in particular, hyperthermia.
Bowhunting during the hot summer months comes with many advantages, primarily the ease of locating game on water. The old adage “find water, find game” speaks volumes and has proven to be very successful for many bowhunters over the years. Unfortunately for the bowhunter, the increase in temperature brings to bare numerous inherent risks that are caused by increases in core body temperature and loss of bodily fluids and electrolytes. Armed with the basic and essential knowledge covered in this article, you can avoid the negative effects of hot hunting and reap the benefits that summer hunting brings.