Late Season Whitetail Gear

Hey All,

With some personal things forcing me to cancel my stone sheep hunt, I thought I'd treat myself to some of the current Covid deals out there and book an Alberta Whitetail hunt for the end of the season(Nov 18th-25th).

I've never personally hunted from a stand, more usually have a pack and boots on but think it'll be a cool experience and I've always wanted to try and put a nice whitetail on the wall but just find myself to busy with other species to ever put in the necessary time.

With that being said, I've talked to the outfitter about gear and what to expect but want to get some opinions from other guys on here that I'm sure are whitetail rut fiends, I run pretty much a full Kuiu gear set and was planning to do a heavy synthetic base, heavy fleece mid layer with a set of the super down over top of that and possibly adding a water resistant soft shell for when/if the snow starts flying. Heavy set of lined mitts that I use for late season deer and February goats that worked well and then probably some of the hot shot heat packets to add some extra warmth as I usually tend to run a little cold when I'm static.

Any tips/items people usually have on them/recommend for this style of hunt?

Side note: If anyone has any tips/tricks for quick field judging, I'd love to hear that to. I'll be doing tons of research in advance but never hurts to know more.

Cheers!

I am a strong fan of wool and fleece for stand and blind hunting

I avoid any synthetic outer layers due to the noise, debatable at what distance deer can detect and be alerted by that noise (sitka says their new fanatic lineup reduces the detectable distance), but I can hear it every time I move, every little crinkle when you move around the slightest bit...depends if your stand/blind is setup for bow or rifle distances, but if you're in bow range you can hear the deer moving in well before I can see them, less of a concern if you are setup for rifle

my stand boots are oversized, I want lots of air room along with thick wool socks with a sock liner....I always replace the insole with a winter liner

lots of hot shot packets, in my thigh pockets and jacket pockets work for me, but some guys like to use them in their boots as well

electric boot insoles/socks, and electric vests can be worth their weight in gold if you are doing dark to dark sits late season at -30, they work great but I have found electric insoles to be expensive and not overly reliable, haven't had a pair last more than 2 years really....buddy has a milwaulkee electric vest and loves it, I am jealous of it lol

I would assume if you're going with an outfitter, they should have trail cam pics of the shooters in the area so you know what to pass on and what to pull the trigger on

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Originally Posted by BRvalley

I am a strong fan of wool and fleece for stand and blind hunting

I avoid any synthetic outer layers due to the noise, debatable at what distance deer can detect and be alerted by that noise (sitka says their new fanatic lineup reduces the detectable distance), but I can hear it every time I move, every little crinkle when you move around the slightest bit...depends if your stand/blind is setup for bow or rifle distances, but if you're in bow range you can hear the deer moving in well before I can see them, less of a concern if you are setup for rifle

my stand boots are oversized, I want lots of air room along with thick wool socks with a sock liner....I always replace the insole with a winter liner

lots of hot shot packets, in my thigh pockets and jacket pockets work for me, but some guys like to use them in their boots as well

electric boot insoles/socks, and electric vests can be worth their weight in gold if you are doing dark to dark sits late season at -30, they work great but I have found electric insoles to be expensive and not overly reliable, haven't had a pair last more than 2 years really....buddy has a milwaulkee electric vest and loves it, I am jealous of it lol

I would assume if you're going with an outfitter, they should have trail cam pics of the shooters in the area so you know what to pass on and what to pull the trigger on

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It'll be a rifle hunt(no where near good enough with my bow to spend money to hunt with it LOL)

I have a pair of Elk trackers I was thinking of taking with 800g of insulation but also thinking maybe something like Muck boots oversized with heavy merino over the calf socks and hot pockets would be a better bet.

Great idea on the milwaukee vest, I have a full set of 18V Milwaukee tools so maybe the batteries will be compatible, will definitely look into that.

Thats definitely the plan, theyll have an idea of whats in the area. They took a 180 last year though that they hadnt seen til the day it walked into the cut line. Just want to make sure if I'm spending the money I do my part on all the research/homework I can.

Thanks for the help!

i use a rectangular style camo sleeping bag pulled up under armpits for late season sits. doesn't have to be super heavy. don't need special clothes underneath either. boots and all are inside the bag so toes and everything else stay much warmer as the wind cant get at you very well. if its really cold i take a small grey fleece blanket from walmart and drape it over my shoulders like a shawl. between the bag and the blankie you can sit a long long time in bitter cold and combined they only weigh a few pounds. both are useful for general camping too so keeps the cost down. i also use the self adhesive hot hands if i need some extra warmth anywhere. coffee thermos stays inside bag too and stays hot all day.

Ya blanket or sleeping bag is very good to have.

I have a small duffel bag to keep all my warm stuff, some extra socks and anything else for the sit in. I don’t like to walk with all my gear on, even a little sweat will make the sit tough when it’s cold. I also like to put a light blanket on the ground if I’m in a blind, really helps to keep the noise down. I’ve also had better luck with my arctic muck boots compared to my 1000gr elk stalkers (they are old and a bit packed out though). The Kuiu down glassing mitts with a heat pack and some thin fleece gloves is a good combo too.

what part of ab are you going too?

Awesome, thanks for the tips guys!

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Originally Posted by walks with deer

what part of ab are you going too?

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I'll be in Central Alberta, 30ish minutes South west of Edmonton I believe

Check out the Plythal camo, great stuff, I love mine, breathable, light, and warm for the late season hunts.... have you researched or experienced rattling much? Can be effective....