It’s also not a bad idea to have an extra dry-pair of insulated shooting gloves and dry socks in your bag.

Good waterfowling often occurs during wet, cold conditions. Watch for the onset of hypothermia, particularly if you get wet. This potentially fatal condition starts with chattering teeth and slurred speech and gets worse.

Just in case I do become truly chilled to the bone – which is a very apt description of hypothermia – I keep some dry, warm clothes stashed in my vehicle. I’m not too proud to pull up stakes and head for cover in such a situation.