I'm a believer that camo doesn't matter at all it's a status thing. Deer were getting killed way before sitka. Just get what you can afford and sit still.
And if you are watching dollars, Under Armor May not be the way to go. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
+1 on determining ranges from your stand. I like to place a large rock, or a stick/whatever I can see at 20 and 30 yards from my stand. Usually near where I expect the deer to come by so that I have a visual reference when determining the range. I don't know how far of a walk it is to your stand, but I'd recommend leaving most of your gear in the truck if its close. I bring my knife, bow, and sometimes a backpack with snacks/water. But even the backpack isn't always necessary. Anything more is just extra weight/stuff to catch on brush and make noise. Also, don't wear all your heavier garments on the walk into the woods. It'll just make you sweat more, put them on when you get to the tree.
I started doing this same thing only I use those little Trail Markers on sticks that barely stick up above the food plot growth or leaf liter in the woods. Works like a charm and no fumbling around with a rangefinder. https://www.amazon.com/HME-Products-Plastic-Reflective-Orange/dp/B00AN0MDVQ?ref_=fsclp_pl_dp_7
I just ordered some. Do you use a range finder only after putting these out and just memorize the distance from that point forward ?
I should clarify. I only hunt two maybe three setups on 70 acres and two of them are on woodline with open field in front of me. So I mark them before the season using some choice free range sticks. I sit in the stand with my rangefinder and try to get the stakes close using forced labor, my wife. Then I fine tune the placement and put the marker on top of the stick. It's not so much for the moment of the kill, it's something to stare out at and familiarize yourself with so when the moment arrives you can make a confident decision. In the woods I just mark off 10ish and 20ish yards by sticking them in the base of a tree, last year it.was 12 and 18 yards.
All you absolutely "need" to bring to the stand is your weapon and range finder. Some good comfort items are water, a snack, piss bottle, and I always keep a 5 hour energy in my pocket just in case I get drowsy. No need to bring your pack with you up in the tree unless you're packing rain gear or additional clothing layers. Make sure you keep your release on your wrist or attached to you in some way. After the kill you will need a sharp knife and depending on how deep in the woods you are, maybe a deer drag device. That's about it. Remember to stay focused and don't get distracted. Put the phone down, keep still and listen. And that squirrel running through the leaves will sound like a herd of elephants.
I just load the deer in the back of the truck bed. Depending on the type (buck vs doe) if you get up in the truck bed and using your legs, you can usually lift the deer into the truck. I would not use a hitch platform as this could potentially ruin some meat and or the hide. I see a lot of people wrapping their deer with a tarp to keep rock and dirt from ruining their deer, but imo that's got too high of a probability of coming lose. My truck bed has a Tano cover and that seems to work well enough. That's just my 2C
Thanks again everyone. Haven’t been on here in awhile. The seasons wrapping up and I killed 4 public land deer so far. Special thanks to @Fix for all the tips early on, when I didn’t know a scrape from a rub LOL
if you are going for deer hunting, the first thing you have to do is make your every shot count. for this purpose you need to use Broad Arrow Heads, they will make deer hunting more efficient, you need Special crossbow heads for deer hunting. do tell me if you find this helpful.
