What to Hunt for In a Deer Stand Heater

As deer-hunting season ramps up, many sportsmen and women will be looking for a hassle-free way to keep warm while hunting this fall and winter. After a few hours spent in a drafty box blind or deer stand, even the most hardcore hunter will be wishing for a little heat.

When it comes to efficiency and low cost, many hunters turn to a small, propane-fueled portable heater. Perfect for outdoorsmen, these heaters typically require no special venting or electric supply. Because of their lightweight constuction and convenience, they won't be weighing you down during your hunt.

So what will be looking for as we shop for a box blind or deer stand heater? Let’s take a look:

Houston, We Have Ignition

We'll obviously be needing a heater with a no-electric ignition system, unless you plan on dragging an extension cord to your deer stand! When it comes to fuel, gas heaters, specifically propane-fueled heaters, are the best choice, as you can stock up on LP refills at nearly any super store or gas station.

Propane heaters typically produce no noticeable smells that could spook deer or other animals. The smell of propane gas shouldn't exit the heater, unless there is a supply leak or some of the gas is going unburned. Exhaust gases, which are basically just carbon monoxide are odorless and won't be noticeable by deer.

Of course, you’ll want to be sure you’re operating your heater in a safe area with proper ventilation – while the exhaust is odorless, that doesn’t mean it can’t be harmful. Be certain you're following all safety and venting recommendations for your heater model.

Silent Heating

You'll want to purchase a wall mount heater that ignites manually. Even better, you may want to use a long-barreled candle lighter instead. The loud bang that some manual heater ignition switches produce could alert any deer within earshot of your presence.

To that end, you want to be sure to get a silent-running heater for your deer stand. Units with noisy blowers can let your prey know that something isn’t quite right!

Portability

The beautiful thing about some wall-mount heaters is that they can be operated either as a floor OR wall-mounted heater. For example, check out the Mr. Heater MRHF273400 Portable Buddy Heater. This unit can run on either the 1lb propane cylinders or the larger 20lb. tanks, and can easily be removed from the wall when it’s time to go home for the night.

After you've made a kill, you can even take these smaller heaters along for gutting and field dressing. If you use the more compact 1 lb. cylinders, the Mr. Heater Portable Buddy definitely lives up to its name! Try doing that with a gas patio heater or similar device, where you're tethered to one spot via a natural gas supply line!

A Last Word on Safety

When it comes to any portable heater, be sure that you're following all safety guidelines for proper usage. Proper ventilation is always necessary when operating a propane heater. Whenever you're operating a portable heater, you'll want to be sure to have a fire extinguisher nearby. You can easily keep a small extinguisher in your deer stand or box blind, even with limited space.