Decide If You Are Practicing “Hunting” Or Just Hanging The best way to practice saddle hunting before season is to run full, timed reps with your exact gear, from the ground to “arrow-ready,” until you can do it quiet in
Pick a Pack Setup That Lets You Hunt, Not Fiddle. The best saddle hunting pack setup is a small, quiet pack that carries your sticks and platform tight, keeps ropes on the outside for fast grabs, and lets you hang
Pick One: Aero Hunter or Tethrd Mantis? If you want the most comfortable “sit all day” saddle and you do not mind a little bulk, I would pick the Aero Hunter Kestrel.. If you want the lightest, cleanest setup for
The Call I Would Make If I am packing deep on public land and moving every sit, I pick the Tethrd One Stick. If I am running a normal hang-and-hunt setup and want dead-simple, quiet climbs, I pick Lone Wolf
Stop Chasing “Scent Free” and Start Controlling Where Your Smell Goes. You are not going to make a ground blind truly scent free. What you can do is keep the blind from stinking like humans and control your wind so
Pick the Right Style Before You Pick a Brand The best elevated box blind kit under $1,000 is the one that includes a weather-tight blind, a safe ladder, and a floor platform big enough for the way you hunt. If
Pick The Number First, Then Pick The Blind. I run a deer blind with 3 to 5 usable windows for most hunts. For bowhunting, I want fewer windows that I can cover and control. For gun season, I want more
Pick a Width That Lets You Draw Without Thinking About It For bow hunting, I want a ladder stand platform that is at least 30 inches wide, and I like 36 inches if I am going to sit all day
The Fast Answer I Trust To make a tree stand quieter, I fix metal-on-metal contact first, then I lock down every loose strap and buckle, then I stop my own gear from clanking. If you can stop 90% of noise
Pick One Based on Noise, Weight, and How You Hunt. If you want the quietest, lightest, “buy once cry once” mobile stand, I pick the Lone Wolf Assault. If you want a solid stand that saves cash and you can
Pick a Cushion That Matches How You Actually Sit The best tree stand seat cushion for comfort is a closed-cell foam cushion with a waterproof shell and a simple strap system that stays put. If I had to buy one
Pick the Umbrella First, Not the Stand The best tree stand umbrella for rain hunts is a full-coverage, rigid-arm model like the Ameristep Tree Stand Umbrella, because it blocks more wind-driven rain and stays put when the weather gets ugly.
Pick The Safest Answer Up Front, Not The Coolest One. The safest way I hang a tree stand by myself is to use a lineman’s belt the whole time, haul the stand up on a rope after I am tied
Pick Your Stand Based on One Thing: How You Hunt If I am bouncing around public land and hanging in different trees every sit, I pick Lone Wolf. If I am hunting a set spot on a lease and want
The Mistakes That Blow Deer Out Faster Than Bad Aim The biggest scent control mistake is thinking you can “cover” human smell instead of controlling where your scent goes. If your wind is wrong, you are busted, even if you
What I Actually Trust Ozone To Do, And How Long It “Lasts” Ozone treatment does not “last” on clothes in a reliable way once the clothes are back in normal air. In my experience, any smell change you get is
My Answer After Owning Ozone Gear No, an ozone bag like the Scent Crusher does not “make you scent free,” and it will not save a bad wind. It can help knock down funk in clothes and boots if you
Pick the Window, Not the Weather The best time of day to rattle for bucks is the first 90 minutes of daylight and the last 90 minutes before dark during the pre-rut and rut. My second-best window is 10:00 a.m.
Why Deer Ignore Your Calls Most of the Time Deer ignore your calls because you are calling at the wrong time, from the wrong spot, with the wrong volume, and you are usually calling to a deer that already knows
Pick One Setting and Commit to It for 20 Minutes The best grunt call setting for the pre rut is a low, short tending grunt, with just enough volume to reach 80 to 150 yards. I keep my call on
Collecting Doe Urine the Right Way (And Why I Even Bother) If I am going to use doe urine at all, I only trust urine I collected myself and kept cold from start to finish. I collect it clean, strain
Do Deer Scent Wicks Actually Work, Or Are They Just Something Hunters Like to Buy? Yes, deer scent wicks can work, but only for one job. They help carry and hold a smell in the air, and they can pull
Pick a Dripper That Matches How Long You Sit. The best scent dripper for all day hunting is the Wildlife Research Center Golden Estrus Scent Dripper, because it drips steady for hours and the strap system actually stays put. I
How Long Does It Take Deer to Find a Mineral Lick? Most deer find a new mineral lick in 3 to 14 days if it is on a trail they already use and it has a strong smell after rain.