New to Whitetail/Muddy Gear

[elkhunter505]

Hello everyone,

I will be moving to Ohio here in the next month, I am originally a spot and stalk hunter in NM and have no idea what I am doing with whitetails. Because of my careee choice I am able to get a significant discount on Muddy gear and I am wondering if it is worth having that type of gear. Also what are y’alls best tips for a first time whitetail hunter? Thanks for any advice!

 

[Tayler Wayne]

Check out the free Whitetail Tech app. It’s in a beta phase but is going to have a lot more instructional whitetail hunting content added.


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[Nick87]

Muddy makes some of the best treestands imo. I bought one and tried I liked it so much I replaced my other 5 stands with muddy shortly after. No experience with there cameras or blinds but I wouldn't be afraid to buy one.

 

[Squirrels]

Muddy made great stuff before they sold out to Big Game. Now there stuff is just like the rest of the china made crap. There are better options unless you can find some pre sell out stuff, which is fairly good stuff.

 

[LateRiser]

If you think you'll end up preferring mobile hunting, I'd say skip all the intermediate steps and get a tree saddle and either Wild Edge Steppes or lightweight climbing sticks.

Scout like crazy from now until the season starts, find a few areas that you can set up, and go from there.

Do NOT go down the rabbit hole that the whitetail industry wants you to... scent control, gadgets, sprays, box blinds, fixed field edge sets, etc..

Or just stay on the ground, hunt mobile, spot and stalk. Either way, Muddy doesn't have a lot to offer.

 

[WoolyBugger]

They do have good stands and steps, wish they hadn't moved out of Albia

 

[Glendon Mullins]

Whitetails: Find food sources, preferably acorns, especially white oaks, learn to tell the difference between, red oaks, white oaks, etc. Try locate the food sources and then located the bedding areas, figure out how they are traveling from bedding areas to the food sources, and set up accordingly. whether that is a treestand, ground blind, or just finding a downed tree/log to sit on/beside or even the base of a tree has worked many times for me. Treestands aren't a "must have" like many will make u believe, but they do help occasionally as u can sometimes see better and get away with slightly more movement.

Buck sign: I have had better luck hunting rub lines than scrapes, i am of the opinion most scrapes are done and worked at night. However as with most things, there is someone out there that will tell you the exact opposite of this because they have had whitetails visit scrapes in the day lol.

Clearcuts are known whitetail hot spots, they like the thick cover and browse. Set up in them or on the edge of them.

Take most everything yo u have read about mid west whitetails and throw it out the window here in the east, whitetails dont just stick to river bottoms here. Clearcuts, laurel thickets, oak flats etc. all good places to start looking.

If your into topo maps, look for flats, funnels, pinch points, etc. anything that will funnel deer movement from one area to another.

As far as Muddy products, i think they make good treestands, i dont know of anyone who has used their trail cameras, but they cant be any worse than wild game innovations, other than that i dont know much about muddy's stuff, i havent used them much at all.

 

[bowtech840]

Find natural funnels and hunt the rut. Come up with a good plan for entry/exit. Hunt with the wind in your face.


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[Glendon Mullins]

Find natural funnels and hunt the rut. Come up with a good plan for entry/exit. Hunt with the wind in your face.


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yes the rut, how could i forget that!! in ohio the rut should start somewhere around the 2nd week in novmeber and go through thanksgiving week or so, before petering out, (just a guess i have never hunted ohio) but i do hunt west virginia and virginia

 

[Btaylor]

I will throw out a slightly different approach, not because I disagree with whats been posted, its just another way to skin the cat. Since you are coming from a spot and stalk background this might help your transition a little.

Learn to identify and key on edges and funnels. An edge can be both vegetative or topographical. Funnels can be vegetative, topographical or man made such as a low spot in a fence or an open gate. Places where an edge and a funnel converge will likely be pretty good spots. Places where multiple edges converge with a funnel can be real good. Throw in a preferred mast tree in those spots and they just get better.

 

[Glendon Mullins]

yep BTaylor is right, so many different methods to try with whitetails. Alot depends on your territory etc. but you can literally hunt them several different ways, and in different areas

 

[JFKinYK]

I’d start looking for private land permission and worry about the rest later.

 

[Otten_17]

I’ve used muddy aerolite steps for a couple seasons. They have worked fine for me. Also one of their safety harnesses, can’t remember which one but it fits well, is pretty comfortable and not in the way.


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[UpNorth89]

I have a Muddy climber that has worked very well. I would say it's comparable to the Summit climber I have.

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[Garshark]

Do you bow hunt or just gun? Fyi Ohio is shotgun and stright walled pistol caliber only

 

[MIedge]

Scout, scout, hunt. Scouting any time you get a chance is extremely valuable, especially during the season. Have multiple locations in mind when entering an area and then scout your way in to set up on the hottest/freshest sign. It is also important to scout/pattern other hunters as well because that dictates deer movement significantly. Overlooked spots can be along roads, close to parking areas, or even fence rows where bucks can watch hunter foot traffic. As stated above, hard and soft transitions within the ecological landscape concentrate deer movement. In hill country, setup on the leeward side of the hill and look for sign (usually) 1/3 of the way down. Bucks almost always bed with the wind at their back with thick cover behind them at the military crest.

Assuming you're hunting public, the first sit is almost always the best sit so it is important to stay mobile if possible. Muddy stands are great, I personally do not have experience with them but I have heard nothing but good things. I currently use a Lone Wolf assault and it is great. It's rock solid and silent, but I you go that route I suggest going with the XOP Vanish bc it's essentially the same stand for significantly cheaper. As LateRiser stated above, the ultimate mobile and light weight system is the saddle setup. If affords you 360 degree shooting and the ability to utilize the tree for cover. I personally sold my Millenium M7 stand and have a Tethrd Mantis saddle on the way.

A great resource for scouting/hunting the whitetail woods is Dan Infalt's buck bedding DVDs. He has them on farm country, swamps, marshes, and hill country. They are really great at shortening the learning curve!

At the end of the day, have fun and always try to learn new things! Failure is inevitable, but determination as well as a good mindset go a long way. Good luck!

 

[Publicboy1639]

great harnesses

 

[MasonfromWi]

I like my Muddy hang on's and ladder sticks. Both the steel and the aluminum versions of the stands have treated me great since the time I purchased them probably 7-8 years ago.