John Dudley shares his tried and tested late season whitetail hunting clothing system.
John Dudley has put our late season whitetail hunting gear through the wringer from September to season's close. Through this experience, he's perfected his skin-to-shell layering system for every phase of the season. In this video, he'll show you all of his go-to layers for the coldest hunts.
Key takeaways:
Late season whitetail hunting clothes start at the skin, so Dudley prefers heavyweight merino wool baselayers like the Core Merino 330 for breathability and natural odor resistance.
SITKA's versatile layering system makes the jacket you wore as an outer layer earlier in the season an easy go-to for a late season hunting mid-layer.
For late season hunting bibs, Dudley’s go-to is the Fanatic Bib for warmth and silence, switching to the Incinerator Aerolite Bib when weather turns nasty.
The Fanatic Jacket and Vest are purpose-built late season hunting jackets for bowhunters, tested in a Gore sound chamber for silence through the draw cycle.
Late season hunting boots one size up with heavy wool socks and a waterproof insulated boot like the VentLite GTX can keep you in the stand through the coldest sits.
The Best Late Season Whitetail Clothing - According To John
Late season whitetail hunting is a different animal. Depending on where you are in the country, the weeks from peak rut to the end of the season can be downright frigid, with wind and precipitation adding challenges. Cold, snowy conditions amplify every sound, making the silence of your gear and your movements even more important than normal. For bowhunters especially, the bulk of warm clothing can make it harder to shoot with accuracy and precision.
For John Dudley, late season success comes down to being able to stay focused during long, cold sits in the treestand or in the blind. Thinking of his clothing as a skin-to-shell cold-weather system helps him layer efficiently for warmth and focus. Build your own cold weather whitetail system here.
“This whole system not only functions and gives you the options to layer depending on what those temperatures are,” he says, “but it also gives you the ability to move without feeling like you're bound in this extremely huge piece of equipment that you're trying to just survive in.”
Here are some of the pieces of gear that make up John Dudley’s late-season whitetail hunting system:
Baselayers For Late-Season Deer Hunting
The first choice you have to make in choosing late season hunting clothes is whether to go with synthetic or wool baselayers. Synthetic baselayers are known for drying quickly when you sweat and for being durable. Merino wool is known for its natural odor resistance. SITKA’s ArmorSpun merino wool makes the old wool durability concerns a non-issue.
John tends to choose merino wool, going with heavyweight options like the Core Merino 330 Bottom.
“These pieces are awesome,” he says. “What I love about them is the external finish. They slide easily underneath your insulation layers or your outer layers. This is really important. With SITKA, they build this as a system so you’re able to move even though you’re bulked up for those extreme temperatures.”
Mid Layers & Insulation
Insulation is your next layer to consider, and this is the layer that will vary the most as the temperature fluctuates. Down and synthetic insulation, including fleece like the Traverse Jacket, are all options. You’ll not only want to consider the temperature, but you’ll also want to think about the walk in to your stand or blind. If you’ll be working up a sweat on a long hike in, you may want to keep your down jacket stashed in your pack until you get there.
Late Season Hunting Pants & Bibs
John always wears bibs when hunting in cold weather.
“I personally love wearing bibs, because I don't have any seam that's getting my lower back chilled,” he says. “It seems to contain my heat much better to where I can actually be a little bit more of a minimalist on my upper stuff. Which as a bow hunter really gives you that freedom that you're looking for.”
His go-to for warmth and silence is the Fanatic Bib. When weather is nasty, though, he looks to the waterproof performance of the Incinerator Aerolite Bib.
Late Season Hunting Jacket
A couple of favorites in his collection of late season whitetail hunting clothes are the Fanatic Jacket and Vest. They’re both exceptionally warm and were designed specifically for bowhunters to eliminate any interference as you draw, aim, and shoot. They were also designed for absolute silence, with extensive lab testing going into choosing the quietest fabrics.
“There was extensive testing in a sound chamber at the Gore facility,” John explains, “where there were microphones set up to where an archer could mimic what they were doing in a treestand and against a tree. Sound was not going to be an issue for any type of hunter.”
Late Season Hunting Boots and Heavy wool socks are what John prefers for his cold weather hunts. He wears late season hunting boots one size bigger than his standard shoe size to give himself some extra room. An insulated tall boot like the VentLite GTX Boot is extremely warm and provides the waterproof protection of GORE-TEX®.
Accessories: Gloves, Headwear & Hand Warmers
John keeps a variety of accessories in his pockets and his pack, deploying them based on conditions and temps. He almost never wears them all at once for fear of overheating. He prefers gloves like the Incinerator Flip Mitt that allow him dexterity. The Fanatic WS Beanie and Neck Gaiter are other go-tos.
Late Season Deer Hunting Tips
The number one tip for extreme cold weather whitetail hunting is to sit still in silence, whether in a blind or a treestand.
“Extreme cold weather, it magnifies sound,” John Dudley says. “Put a layer of snow out there and that is once again another thing that's going to let that noise travel even further.”
Post-rut bucks are going to be careful and wary of noise and movement. Take a look at every piece of gear to see where you can minimize the potential for sound. Taping off metal parts on your treestand, water bottle, etc. can minimize clanging and jingling. The biggest thing you can do, though, is to optimize your clothing system to allow you to stay focused and sit still in the cold, so you won’t be tempted to move around and fidget in ways that are bound to make noise.
Find more late season deer hunting tips.
Sources & Further Reading
Joe Fields
Joe Fields represents the mindset behind the SITKA community — disciplined, prepared, and shaped by time spent in wild places.
