Mule deer kit?

[Wojo14]

Looking for advise on a clothing kit.
I am going on my first Mule deer hunt in NE Pine Ridge area.
I am thinking early Oct.
I plan on backpacking into the backcountry. I have good Merino base layers. I have been back and forth on mid layer, pants and an outer layer. I plan to hike a bit, glass, hike....stock....you know! I am an easterner and only have experiance with fall/winter Whitetail tree stand hunting. So, most of my gear is based on that kind of hunting.
Also, What camo pattern is good for this area? Sitka Open Country, First Lite Cipher, Kuiu Vias, Under Armor Ridge Runner, Predator Green (I have fall gray ambush I could take as an outer layer while glassing??)
Any help would be appritiated.
~Wojo

 

[Owenst7]

I use a lightweight polyester or polyester/Merino blend base layer setup. I like 1/2 zips for ventilation, as I'm usually just wearing a base layer shirt when hiking.

Over that I use a generic ~200 weight fleece. Current one is REI top because it fits my chest/arms well. Bottom is polarmax I believe.

Top layer for bottoms is Wrangler tech pants in grey or dark green or brown. Top is either a ~10 oz down puffy from Costco or STP, followed by a green hard shell with no lining and put zips. Sportsman's house brand fit me well and was under 15 oz.

If it's really cold or wet, I swap the Wrangler pants for a polyester soft shell. I avoid hard shell bottoms because I get too sweaty, and the rain is not as relentless here as in the PNW/Alaska. For a top, I swap my 10oz puffy for a ~2 lbs down jacket that's currently a North face brand in electric blue. I had that from when I lived in AK and is sized for more layering underneath. I'd like to replace it with something lighter and a more neutral color that's better suited for this area. The blue is nice though because I only ever wear it glassing, and I've had friends mention how great it is to find me quickly when I'm giving hand signals from behind the spotter.

Hat wise, I've got one of those goofy boonie hats with a neck cover that I treat with permetherin for the summer/sunny days. I never need sunscreen with that on. When it's cold, I've got a thin Merino beanie that's great for keeping the sun off my forehead and keeping my head warm while sleeping. I have a knit acrylic beanie I throw over that while I'm glassing.

For gloves, I like a cheap, thin fleece with a wind blocker membrane laminated in, or a tight pile that blocks some wind. They provide me enough tactile feed back to operate focus knobs, lighters, tie knots, etc and still breath enough to keep my hands from getting sweaty. My current ones are Head brand from Costco.

This setup works well for me backpacking down to ~10F or so before I change things up. It's light enough that I can have my gear weight under 50 lbs including food for 5 days, water, weapon, tripod, etc.

Black Strap has some great polyester head/neck/face gaiters that are very windproof and lightweight. I use them for snowboarding, but got them in high contrast camo and use them for coyotes also. They are light enough to be comfortable to wear for bow season. I mostly use them to prevent wind and sunburn when snowboarding since I get really hot doing that, but just cutting the wind off your neck makes a big difference in warmth also.

Any high contrast camo is my preference around here, especially when there's snow patches mixed with sagebrush. I don't worry about it much with rifle season though, especially with pants. The sagebrush usually comes up to my waist anyway. I've stumbled on elk while backpacking/scouting in the off season wearing bright blue/orange/etc and had them walk in to under 30 yards out of curiosity. I'm guessing my non-threatening posture had a lot to do with it since I was downwind and immediately sat down and started taking pictures. Grey's and muted browns blend in well with the dirt. My solid grey pants are hard to pick out against a hillside beyond talking distance.

 

[Wojo14]

Thanks.
I should mention I’ll be bowhunting.
FYI, I prefer solid color pants. But I’ll go camo on spot and stalk if recommended.
~Wojo