If you're a western hunter like me, preparing for your first do-it-yourself whitetail hunt can feel very different from getting ready for an elk or mule deer hunt. 

I’m used to backpack hunting, covering a lot of ground on foot, posting up and glassing terrain from a long distance, and ultimately trying to stalk in close and kill a mule deer buck or bull elk. My understanding is that whitetail hunting requires a different approach: scouting sign, picking the right tree based on wind and cover, managing scent,, then being stealthy while climbing a tree, setting a stand, and sitting patiently while waiting for the buck to approach. The methodology is different and, as such, requires a different set of skills and gear. 

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As I type this, I have all my gear laid out, and as soon as my Four Runner is repaired and out of the shop, I will pack up and head east for my first do-it-yourself whitetail hunt. 

As a last-ditch effort, I thought it might be fun and interesting to put out my gear list and ask those experienced whitetail hunters out there: what am I missing?

First, let’s run through my clothing list. One of the biggest adjustments I think I’ll need to make is being prepared to sit still for long periods. Sitting in a tree stand for several hours in cold, damp conditions is completely different to me. 

For base layers, I decided on a quality merino wool, both top and bottom. Merino insulates when damp or wet and resists body odor from really soaking in and getting rank over several days of hunting. When I am hunting out west during archery seasons, I often lean towards using synthetic baselayers due to the fact that they dry much faster and I have the ability to “control” the wind by deciding how I approach a stalk. I figured in the whitetail woods I’d be doing a lot less hiking and wouldn’t be getting sweaty, and the scent control properties of merino I thought, would make it a better choice.

Midlayers, I assume, are going to be important in the whitetail woods given that temperatures can range from mild to cold and damp. I don’t have the means of buying an entire whitetail-specific kit, so I’ve decided to go with a GOHUNT Blackrock Hoodie, which is a soft, quiet, grid fleece hoodie. Additionally, I am planning to pack a GOHUNT Atmosphere Jacket, which is a lightweight berber fleece-backed jacket. My one hesitation about the Atmosphere is that it's certainly not as quiet as a fleece jacket. It’s light, warm, and dries quickly, but is the sound more critical than I am giving it credit? 

Insulation is where I have spent most of my time worried about. I get cold, and I’m not used to a more humid climate. I decided to pack my GOHUNT Down Hunting Jacket and the GOHUNT Down Hunting Pants. I don’t see many guys in the Midwest and East sitting in tree stands in down jackets and pants, and I wonder why. My assumption is that the exterior materials in those pieces are perhaps too loud, but I’m not aware of an insulating material as efficient as down. Down is what I have, so that’s what I am packing, but I do worry it's too loud. Maybe I’m underestimating how switched on a whitetail buck might be, but down is what I am taking unless someone changes my mind. 

A few other items worth noting: I am packing my GOHUNT Lightweight Hunting Pants, a beanie, and a fleece-backed set of gloves. I will be wearing my favorite hunting socks, the Darn Tough 2012, and a pair of Crispi Briksdal Mtn boots. I also packed a pair of the GOHUNT Down Booties. My plan was to have a good pair of hiking boots that would allow me to hike and scout, and then once I’m up in a tree I could take my boots off and put the down booties on to keep my feet warm. I see a lot of whitetail hunters wearing insulated muck rubber boots, and my understanding is that it’s a good way to reduce the amount of scent. I’m wondering how critical that is, and if I peel off my boots and put on down booties to keep my feet warm during long sits, am I putting too much scent out? The one whitetail hunt I have done, I used this method, and it kept my feet warm, and I was able to sit the stand all day in cold temperatures, but I also didn’t see a ton of deer. It’s definitely had me thinking about what would be the best choice in footwear. 

Hunting equipment thoughts for bowhunting whitetail deer

Moving on to hunting equipment. You can look at the tables at the bottom of the article to see all the individual pieces of gear, but a few questions I have been wrestling with I will include here. 

The first is about the stabilizer setup I am using

Currently, I have a 15” Mathews Archery Bridge-Lock Stabilizer and a 10” Bridgelock back stabilizer. That’s the setup I have been hunting with all fall, and it holds and shoots great. I can shorten that front stabilizer by sliding it back through the riser if needed, but is that 15” front bar way too long, and is a backbar going to be too cumbersome in a tree saddle? 

Another question I have is about the release I am planning on hunting with

I always have a primary release and a backup in my pack. The release I hunt with is most often a TruBall or an UltraView hinge. I also have an Ultraview Archery UV Button 2 I keep in my pack. I can see the advantages of a thumb button release since I can hang it on the D-loop. I also know that I tend to shoot a hinge release better in a hunting situation. Even though I have been bowhunting for 26 years, I still get buck fever, and for me a hinge has forced me to work through the shot better, and historically I’ve made better shots with a hinge while hunting. Is the movement required to get my hinge out of my pocket, put it on the D-loop, and draw the bow a bigger con than it is a benefit? 

Should I have a faster arrow?

Lastly, my bow is tuned to an Ultraview 300 spine arrow that weighs approximately 475 grains, and it shoots great. At my draw length and weight, I’m shooting approximately 300 FPS, which is the fastest setup I have hunted with. I have also listened to quite a few well-established whitetail hunters that are shooting a much lighter arrow to gain extra FPS to flatten the trajectory and reduce the potential of a buck ducking the arrow. I’d be interested in whitetail hunters debating that choice. 

One final weapon choice I have made is that I am using a five-pin slider sight

While western big game hunting, I have had too many situations where an animal is moving through shooting lanes, and I have had to make a yardage guess and execute a shot. Having five pins, I feel, has helped because I have a pin for whatever the distance I need without having to move my pin housing. I know a good number of whitetail hunters that swear by a single-pin slider or perhaps a two- or three-pin housing. Once again, are the benefits of a single-pin slider worth making a switch for the whitetail woods, because I certainly have a single-pin sight that is sighted in, and I could make that change easily. 

Tree saddle/tree stand hunting is fairly new to me

I have hunted out of tree stands a few times for black bear, but I have never spent more than a few minutes in a tree saddle. Given the fact that I am planning a true DIY hunt, where I will be hunting public land and walk-in-access property, I decided that a tree saddle and climbing sticks would be the best approach.

I have a full tree saddle setup from Latitude, as well as a Novix Raider Hybrid Treestand. The Novix is a bit heavier than a traditional saddle-type platform, but I thought it would be a good choice for me given that I’m not all that comfortable in a tree at this point. Having extra space on the platform and having a minimal seat, I thought would be helpful for me initially. I don’t love heights, but I love the idea of hunting whitetails from a treestand more than I fear falling out of a tree ;) Hopefully I’ve made a good choice! 

Most of the other gear I have will transfer well I think but I do have a couple final thoughts and questions.

One is about how effective and necessary scent-controlling washes and sprays are for a whitetail hunter? As a western bowhunter, I have pretty well crossed off scent-eliminating sprays, wipes, and washes. I cannot seem to fool a big mule deer buck or bull elk's nose, no matter what I do with wipes and sprays, and I’m almost always sweating. In the whitetail woods, is some scent spray really worth it? 

Along those same lines of a deer’s ability to bust you is what they can see. Is camouflage a necessity? I rarely watch a whitetail hunt on TV where the hunters are not wearing head-to-toe camouflage, including a facemask. Is that due to tradition and local preference, or does camouflage really work in the whitetail woods to buy some time to execute a shot? My gear is mostly solids, sure I have plenty of Sitka Optifade in the closet but my plan wasn’t to bring it unless I really am convinced that camo is a must. My theory is that movement is what gets a hunter busted, and camouflage almost doesn’t matter at all, but if someone can change my mind, I’ll add some to the list! 

With that, check out my full gear list below and feel free to drop a comment and let me know what I am missing. I’m certain there are tons of tricks, tips, and gear that die-hard whitetail hunters are using to make them more effective. I still have a few days before I head east, so I’d love to hear your feedback, especially as it relates to being comfortable in the treestand.