What To Wear Deer Hunting? Learn How To Dress For Deer Hunting

It’s that time of the year again, and the leaves are already changing colors while the temperature is beginning to drop. It is time you started preparing for the upcoming hunting season. And if you are like me whitetail deer will be top on your prey list.

But before the excitement gets to your head, have you thought about what you are going to wear? Several things will influence the type of clothing you wear on a deer hunt.

First is the geographical location where you will be hunting. A hunter in Georgia will not wear the same clothing as a hunter up in Iowa. The second is the type of season, and the third is the time within that hunting season.

As you prepare for the upcoming season, here is all you need to know about what to wear deer hunting.

What To Wear For Deer Hunting AKA How To Dress For Deer Hunting

Orange vest

Animals have a different perception of colors from us humans. Some animals are known to see only in black and white. On the other hand, some animal species can perceive colors that we are unable to.

So what does this mean? For deer, their perception of the color green is similar to ours. However, their perception of blue is more amplified. In contrastingly deer cannot perceive the color red. Thus a blazing orange vest or coat will not be an issue.

A deer will have a harder time spotting you while you are wearing an orange vest than a fellow hunter. Having an orange vest as part of your hunting clothes is a necessity. And in some states, it is a legal requirement.

Always wear an orange vest when approaching a downed deer. There is always the possibility of a fellow hunter seeing a pair of antlers and not seeing you in your camo. This can lead to disaster. An orange vest will make you visible to your fellow hunters.

Camouflage

Deer have eyes whose pupils are shaped like a horizontal oval. As such, they have a greater field of view to the left and right. But not what is above or below the deer. In addition to this, a deer’s eyes are located on the side of the head. Deer have a bigger 310 degrees vision arc than our 140-degree arc of vision. However, due to the placement of the eyes, they lack a high degree of focus. But they make up for this with a more significant horizontal field of view.

Camouflage was introduced to even the playing field. With the right camo, it will be hard for deer to spot you due to their inferior degree of focus. The camouflage you choose should match your hunting environment. If you are hunting on a snowy day, white outer clothes will be ideal. On the other hand, clothes with brownish camouflage will be best for hunting late in the season. This is the time when the leaves turn brown.

Hunting boots

As with camouflage, different boots are suited to different terrains, weather conditions, and temperatures. A heavily insulated hunting boot will be more suited to hunting during the winter season. Boots with a thinner layer of insulation will be suited to hunting in a warm climate. Also, the type of outer sole a boot has will depend on the terrain. Leather boots with a rubber outsole that has deep trends will be suited to hunting in mountainous or hilly terrains.

On the other hand, rubber boots are more suited to hunting in mushy and swampy areas. Rubber is water-resistant. Thus, why it’s suited to wet areas where you will be wading through streams and puddles of water. Also, insulated rubber hunting boots will be ideal for wading through snow. Thus, the type of boots you get should be suited to the terrain and weather.

Loose layers of clothing

Typically you should wear loose clothing as opposed to fitting or tight clothing. Ideally, the clothes you wear to hunt should be a couple of sizes larger than what you usually wear. The reason is to keep you warm. Pockets of air are created in the space between your body and your clothing. And your body heat warms this air creating natural insulation. Apart from loose clothing, it is also wise to wear several layers of clothing.

You may get to your hunting ground at dawn when the temperatures are low. As the day nears noon, the temperatures will probably rise. Having layers of clothing allows you to remove the layers to adjust to weather changes. So have multiple layers of loose clothing ready for this upcoming hunting season. Ideally, the outer and second most outer layers should have some kind of camouflage.

Gloves, mittens, and hats

You’ve probably heard that we lose up to 80% of our body heat through our heads. This, however, is not true as your head only represents about 10% of your total surface area. However, this is not to say that a hat or a face mask is not necessary. The reason why you are losing heat through your head is that it is the one part of your body that is uncovered when hunting. If your entire body is covered and your head is not, then you will lose a lot of heat through the head.

During the harsh winter, months wearing an insulated mask will help reduce the loss of heat through your head. However, your head is not the only area that may remain uncovered. Wearing fingerless tactical gloves is a great way to keep warm while not interfering with your ability to shoot. Oversized mittens are also an excellent addition for providing additional warmth when you are not firing your weapon.

In September and October when temperatures are still warm, a camouflage mesh face mask will come in handy. This type of mask adds to your camouflage and does not give you any warmth.

Conclusion

When selecting clothing for a deer hunt, it is important to remember where and when you will be hunting. For the early season, heavy insulation and gloves may not be necessary. These items will become essential in the mid to late season. Thus, you do not have to buy everything at once. If you are wondering what to wear deer hunting, just follow the above tips