What do I need to hunt whitetail deer?
Sure, Grandad may have hunted his deer in buffalo check plaid and a canvas coat, and that still works, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t better gear options. In addition to smarter camo, fabrics and apparel design, modern hunting gear helps control scent, reduce sound and requires fewer layers while regulating moisture and temperate to keep you comfortable. At the end of the day, it tilts the odds just a bit more in the hunter’s favor.
Whitetail Hunting Layering
Just like with western hunting, whitetail hunting is all about smart layering. Start with a merino wool or synthetic base layer (top and bottom) to regulate your core temperature and wick moisture away from your body. This is critical to keeping you cool and dry in the early season and warm and dry in the late season.
Additional layers will vary with the seasons, and Badlands has plenty of options for hunters to mix and match to fit the weather and their hunt style. Two grid-fleece mid-layers that will beat the chill while still wicking moisture away from your body are the Flex Half Zip Hoodie 2.0 and Flex Full Zip Hoodie 2.0. Throw on something like the Rise Vest to keep your core warm and you’ll be able to hold off putting on an outer layer for longer.
Start your hunt cold. Although it’s tempting to bundle up when you get out of your vehicle at 5am, you’ll start to sweat as you walk to your stand or blind. When you finally do stop, that body moisture will start to freeze, and you’ll be even colder. Walk to your stand in your base layer or, at most, your mid-layer to stay dry. Strap your outer layers/jacket to your pack and throw them on when you get into position and settled in. You’ll be cold at first, but warmer in the long run.
Early Season Whitetail
If it’s early season hunting gear you seek, an Algus Long Sleeve and Rise Pant combo is hard to beat. When the mercury runs a little warmer, the Algus Crew and the Stealth CoolTouch Hoodie feature CoolTouch™ technology, which is sweat activated to pull moisture away from the body and keep you cooler. Built-in odor management in the fabric helps reduce your scent too.
The Rise Pants are built of ultra-quiet fleece, plus they’re water resistant and designed to move. Most importantly, they’re plenty of pant for early season hunts when you don’t want to bother with a base layer bottom in the morning or start to sweat come midday.
Mid-Season Whitetail
Many bowhunters turn to Badlands’ Silens jacket, pant, bib, vest and hoodie for staying warm in the tree stand while also remaining completely silent. This is an absolute must-have for the mid-season and late-season bowhunter, as Silens combines varying levels of PrimaLoft® insulation with high-pile Silens fleece on the outside and a wind-resistant inner layer. When used as a total layering system for hunting, Silens is the ultimate clothing for whitetail hunting.
Late Season Whitetail Apparel
Late-late season? There’s no better solution than the Badlands’ Pyre Bib and Pyre Jacket. Waterproof to keep the snow at bay, windproof to beat the chill, and with 160g of PrimaLoft Silver fill and a high loft fleece interior to keep you warm, there’s no better outerwear from November through January.
Whitetail Hunting Packs
The Treestand Pack
There’s this idea out there that deer-blind or treestand hunters have no need for hunting packs. Granted, as makers of some of the best hunting packs out there, we may be biased, but we think that’s nuts.
Whitetail hunting packs are as important as good base layers. How else will you carry and organize your tags and permits, kill kit, first-aid kit, spare ammo, rattling horns, doe calls, grunt calls, scent killer, attractant spray, etc.? This is why we spent no small amount of brain power to design the ultimate backpacks for whitetail hunters.
If the treestand is your office in the woods, you need to look to the Connect Pack. 1,700 cubic inches of internal volume, you can pair with full-height, zippered side pockets (with more pockets inside) and a full-access top lid that folds down to become a gear shelf. This pack carries all your gear to the stand, organizes it neatly, then becomes a workstation when you’re in the tree – it’s a triple threat! The cool factor, though, lies in the outside, which is covered with strategically placed SWAP™ System attachment points. Using the included Grid, you can customize your loadout with our line of accessory pockets, pouches and water bottle sleeve.
The Spot and Stalk Pack
Finally, the spot and stalkers. You probably hunt open farmland and can glass for miles. You might also spend some time on the ATV or e-bike getting to from stand to stand. Either way, mobility is the key and our Monster Fanny Pack is king. 1,100 cubic inches of interior volume, with a built-in Delron® Flex Frame for support, the Monster puts the weight where humans were designed to carry it, on the hips.
These packs also play well with other must-have tools like binoculars. Thanks to the Badlands Bino Connect™ System, you can lose one whole set of straps and attach your bino harness directly to your pack straps. It’s amazing how often it’s the little things that make the biggest differences.
Whitetail Binocular Harnesses
Bino AXS is the perfect bino harness for whitetail hunters, especially the bowhunters in the group. As the name implies, this harness allows the ultimate in access to your binocular with the absolute minimum in movement required. A magnetic flap keeps binos safe and secure, while open sides allow bowhunters to draw their binocular with very little movement or noise. A top-flap magnet keeps the flap open, so your optics can be put away with just as little disturbance. Side wings and MOLLE straps on the sides and bottom allow for the attachment of any of Badlands’ accessories, which offer items from gear pouches and ammo sleeves to bear spray and handgun holsters.
Other Whitetail Essentials
When your hands are cold, stiff and numb, everything gets harder. From flipping safeties, to smoothly and quietly stowing an optic, to making a good trigger press, cold hands are just hard to work with. This is why we always advise cold-weather whitetail hunters to add the Bonfire Hand Muff to their loadout. Lightweight and almost unnoticeable, this simple hand warmer can be a game-changer.
You can also keep your neck and face warm in cold weather with a neck gaitor. The Pecora Neck Gaiter is great for the midseason, but when the temperatures really start to drop, opt for the Silens Neck Gaiter. For more protection from both cold and precipitation, go for the Bonefire Neck Gaiter.
Whitetail hunting isn’t a sure thing – wary deer are better at patterning humans than most humans are at patterning deer. They have exceptional noses and eyes that are unrivaled at picking up movement. Nothing can make up for experience and skill, but good gear can sure help you stay out there longer and be more effective.
We hope these basics get you started on preparing for your next whitetail hunt.
