Much like other forms of hunting, the pursuit of whitetails can present its own set of challenges, especially when chasing mature bucks. One thing you can do to help yourself get through those challenges is to be properly geared for your hunt. I have been hunting whitetails my entire life in both West Virginia and Illinois, each one presenting its own and unique challenges. Along with hunting them, I have now been guiding in Illinois for three years, watching the gear world change, as well as observing the always-changing game of chasing mature whitetail deer. Below, you will find my list of suggestions and recommendations of clothing, weapons, gear and more to help make your next whitetail hunt just a little bit easier.
May contain sponsored links*Early Season Clothing
Tops
Personally, I am a SITKA fan. Therefore, they will be my top recommendation for the following sections, HOWEVER, there are a lot of incredibly good quality options that I will also be listing. For my early season hunts, guiding-hunting and filming, my SITKA Core Lightweight hoodie is always with me. Whether I have it on or it is in my pack ready to go, I do not leave the house without it. Underneath the lightweight hoodie can be any T-Shirt you prefer. If it is a hot early season, sometimes no undershirt is the best option.All of these tops are lightweight and breathable for those hot and sweaty early season hunts. Both SITKA and BADLANDS hoodies come with the facemask built in giving you easy access to face cover when it's go-time. Whether you're in a tree, in a blind or attempting a spot and stalk, the more of you that is concealed, the better.
Jackets
The early season is not always hot and sweaty. You will have plenty of those beautiful, cool fall days where the lightweight hoodies, t-shirts and long sleeves just won't be enough. In this case, there are a lot of good options of jackets you can pack in with you to wear once you're in your stand or blind to keep you warm until the sun comes up.
It is particularly important to keep yourself from overheating on the walk in, as well as keeping your sweat levels down. If you get too sweaty on the way in, it can cool your body temperature rapidly once you settle into your spot and begin your wait. Therefore, I recommend you pack in your jacket instead of wearing it in. Keep yourself cool, less sweaty, and keep your scent down. As far as jackets go, I recommend looking into the following options:
Bottoms
As far as bottoms go, I prefer to wear a solid color. Whether it be green, brown, or even gray. I have done it this way for many years seeing no difference between the camo pant and the solid color. This is simply a personal preference; however, I do recommend it to a lot of my clients as well as fellow hunters. For no real reason other than the fact that it could end up saving you money in the long run. If you're in a pinch, a solid color pant will be much easier to find and typically much cheaper.
Weather plays a part in your choice of bottoms as well, but nothing in the way that it does for your tops.
Here are my suggestions for bottoms:
Footwear
Taking care of your feet is one of the most important things you can do when it comes to hunting of any form. Comfort, durability, and water resistance are crucial when it comes to choosing the right boot. During the early season, a solid pair of hiking boots goes a long way, but a great pair of rubber boots can take you just as far and keep your feet dry.
With boots, I recommend the Crispi Lapponia II GTX for its durability, comfort, and water resistance. That is if you are going the hiking boot route. If you are going with the rubber boot option, I am a big fan of the LaCrosse line. I wear the LaCrosse Alpha Lite 16" Green rubbers with the neoprene tops for most of the early season. They come in extremely handy when walking through tall grass and bean fields throughout the early season.
Mid Season Clothing
Tops
As the season goes on and the temperatures start to drop, you're going to start wanting to get into your merino wool and heavier weight layers. You don't want to get too heavy, because the later in the day you sit the hotter it will get, however, you want to have a good balance to get you through your sit. This is the time of year that an all-day sit is going to be highly beneficial to you and being prepared for the weather changes that will bring is crucial to your success.
As the temperatures drop and the rut starts to kick in, here are my recommendations for mid-season tops:
Jackets
The mid-season will bring plenty of weather turns at you. From rain to snow to more heat. You must be ready for it all. These jacket options will be your best friend during your mid-season chase.
Bottoms
Mid-Season bottoms are a unique topic. You can choose the thicker, merino pant option or choose to layer up with base layers and continue to wear a version of your early season pant. This option will mostly depend on your forecasted weather for your hunt. Like with the jackets, you're going to want your mid-season pants to be able to hold up to all types of weather that are going to sneak up on you during these mid-season sits.
Rain Gear
Footwear
As the weather gets colder, keeping your feet warm is an absolute game changer when it comes to these all day sits. At this point in the season, I only have one boot option and that is the Lacrosse AeroHead Sport boot, which keeps my feet not only warm, but dry as the snow starts to fall. Pair these boots with a good pair of merino wool socks and you're in for a comfortable sit waiting on that buck of a lifetime to make its mistake.
Late Season Clothing
Tops
You've now reached the point in the season where you are beat down, tired, and ready for it all to finally come together. It's cold now and those sits whether they're all day or just half a day, are getting much harder. This is crunch time. It's now or never. You must have the right gear to keep you warm and ready to go for these late night, last minute, crunch time hunts. To keep you warm, you're going to want to look at these options:
Jackets
Let's circle back to what I said in the mid-season. Yes, you want to be warm, however, you need to keep your body temperatures moderate on your walk in. Most of your jacket options at this point are a little bit heavier weight wise but it is still better to hike in with than to wear into the stand. If you walk in wearing too much and start sweating, you're going to be twice as cold as you should be. Don't let this happen to you. I would make a recommendation list here, but if you go back to the Late Season Tops section, those systems will be the jackets you're going to want to get you through these late season days. It's crunch time, there's no time to be worried about whether you can withstand the elements or not.
Bottoms
Nobody likes having a cold behind when it's a now or never moment. Extra movement trying to warm yourself up or to get comfortable can be the difference in a filled tag or a hot bowl of tag soup. Using these pants could make it all different when it comes down to that moment you've been waiting for:
Boots
As stated back in the mid-season section, the Lacrosse AeroHead Sport is my go-to as the temperatures start dropping. Although by the time the late season hits, that one pair of wool socks quickly turns into two. Keep those little piggy's warm to give yourself the best chance of success.
GLOVES
Personally, I am not a glove guy. Never have been, don’t expect to ever be one. This makes late season hunts harder always but gives me ultimate use of my hands when I need them. That being said, the hand warmer option is typically my go to. It’s simple, easy and nine times out of ten is warmer than gloves. The SITKA incinerator muff is my go-to hand warmer for those late season hunts. It keeps my hands useable and ready to go when the moment arrives.
ARCHERY
This topic could go into a lot of depth and detail. Choosing the right bow is absolutely a personal preference subject. Certain bows are heavier to some people than others. Some are balanced differently. Some are more comfortable in your hand than they will be in mine. When you’re choosing the right bow for you, shoot multiple, keep your options open, and make sure you find the one that is the perfect fit for you. For me, this is the perfect archery setup for whitetails in the Midwest and on the east coast.
No matter the topic with archery, it is all personal preference and what you decide is right for you. Always take in any and all info you can from other shooters and your local bow tech. Let all of it factor into your final decision because if you make even the slightest mistake with your setup, it could cost you your entire hunt.
OPTICS
A good optic could be the difference in deciding if that was a deer across that field or just an old tree stump. Nobody wants to be the guy that leads a crew across a field just to find out all he saw was a dead bush. The industry is full of great optics and, again, will be a personal preference item. However, even though you may like one company more than another, please be sure to test out all your options before you make your final decision. It is okay to take the cheaper route for certain things during a hunt, but your optics should never be one.
Last year, I ran the Vortex Diamondback HD 10x42 binos with the Bushnell x Primos Rangefinder. Both of which performed excellent, however I decided to upgrade my binos this year to the Maven C3 10x50. I made this switch because of the better glass, better clarity, more comfortable eye cups and an all-around better bino. They're lightweight, compact, and incredibly clear. I have no second thoughts about my switch and would highly recommend Maven optics to anybody who asks. Another great option when it comes to optics is Leupold. Leupold is tried and trusted and has dominated the industry for years. Whether you choose to go the Maven, Leupold, or Vortex route, you will be getting a quality product that will help you get the job done. From binos, to scopes, to rangefinders, these are the top three optics to choose from for any hunt.
PACKS
Every hunter knows that a pack is one of the most essential pieces of gear you're going to buy. For hauling snacks into the stand of course. For most whitetail hunts, a simple day pack will be more than enough to get you through your hunt. Whether it be the Sitka tool bucket or tool belt, the Kifaru Shape charge, or the Mystery ranch pop-up thirty-eight, it will get the job done for your average whitetail hunt. There are so many options that are appropriate for this situation, it is hard to pick one. From bottom of the line, to top of the line, there is a pack out there that will suffice for your whitetail journey. Below is simply my list of company recommendations when you search for your whitetail pack:
FIREARMS
This topic is way out of my league. Although I support using rifles and shotguns for any hunting adventure, I am a bowhunter through and through. This is also a touchy subject based on what state you’re headed for. Most Midwest and east coast states are entirely different when it comes to hunting regulations for firearms seasons. For example, West Virginia is a rifle or shotgun state. Thanks to the mountainous terrain, we have the ability to use both. When I did hunt with rifles, the most common were the .243, lever action 30-30 and the infamous 30-06. However, when you get to states such as Ohio or Illinois, you’re now limited to muzzleloaders and shotguns. Either single shot or a three-slug limit. If you’re planning a firearm hunt for whitetails, please be sure to read up on the state's regulations and become as familiar as possible with the laws, regulations, and restrictions from the hunt all the way to travel. Do not ruin your hunt because you missed a simple sentence in the regulations book.
TREE STANDS, SADDLES & GROUND BLINDS
For those of you that will be hunting with an outfitter, some of this section will pertain to you, and some of it not so much. For my DIY, private land and beginners, this section is more geared towards you.
Hunting whitetails is typically done from a tree stand or a ground blind, and nowadays, you will see more guys hunting them from tree saddles. The decision of how you plan to chase whitetails will come based on the type of land (private, public, wooded, fields) and how much gear you need to pack in.
KNIVES
A good knife goes a long way on any hunt you find yourself planning for. For everyday use, skinning, cooking, or worst-case scenario, self-defense. Be sure that the knife you choose can withstand every task you may need it to do.
The combination of these three knives are, in my opinion, one of the best, if not the best, for not only whitetail hunting, but also any other hunt you may find yourself on.
