Erik's Early-Season Archery Mule Deer Gear List

By Aaron Van Woerkom

Erik's Early-Season Archery Mule Deer Gear List - Muley Freak

Archery mule deer season is officially here.

Archery mule deer season is officially here in many states around the West. More than a decade ago Muley Freak founder Erik Van Woerkom began archery hunting early-season mule deer and immediately fell in love. 

He fell for the challenge that is bowhunting mule deer, the variety of habitats to hunt them in, the tranquility of the season - not to mention seeing less hunters out and about.

Every hunt was a learning experience. Every blown stalk, every arrow that flew, and every notched tag was knowledge added to the bowhunting knowledge bank.


Erik quickly learned that when your gear is on point you will hunt longer and hunt more effectively - all of which you will need to gain the upper hand when finding and hunting odocoileus hemionnus.

Some of you may scoff at certain items on this gear list, but each item has a purpose. For example, why does one need a glassing pad? Great question. Finding a shooter buck can take hours of staring behind your optics. If you are sitting on sharp rocks or otherwise uncomfortable, you will not stay glued behind the glass like you need to when looking for the twitch of an ear, or the sheen of an antler tip. A little extra comfort that a glassing pad provides goes a long way.

Here is an intensive list of what Erik will be packing into the backcountry with links if you want to learn more about his gear list.


ERIK'S HIGH COUNTRY ARCHERY DEER HUNT | GEAR LIST:

 
Category Item Notes/Specs Where to find it
Clothing Venture Merino 1/2 Zip Hoodie 95% merino wool - 5% spandex | weighs 9 oz https://www.blackovis.com/blackovis-venture-150g-merino-hoodie
Muley Freak Face Shield 1 oz | UPF 50 https://muleyfreak.com/products/skull-face-shield
Muley Freak Proto Puffy specs coming soon..... coming soon to muleyfreak.com
Valhalla Pants 92% polyester - 8% Elastane https://kryptek.com/products/valhalla-pant
San Jaun Fingerless gloves wool | 2.3 oz https://www.blackovis.com/blackovis-san-juan-fingerless-merino-glove
Lightweight Merino Socks 59% merino wool - 37% nylon - 4% lycra spandex | 2.4 oz https://www.blackovis.com/blackovis-lightweight-socks
Crispi Altitude Boots 1.4 lbs | 2.5 flex rating (on a 1-5 scale) | non-insulated https://www.blackovis.com/crispi-altitude-gtx-boots
Optics Game Changer Bino Harness weighs 9.8 oz (pack itself), 17 oz (full bundle) | no magnets | one-handed operation https://muleyfreak.com/products/the-game-changer-bino-harness
Phoneskope fast and easy to use phoneskope.com
Aziak Equipment Backcountry Lite TriPod weighs 20.4 oz | has a max height of 45" https://www.blackovis.com/brands/aziak-equipment/aziak-equipment-backcountry-lite-tripod
Swaroski 10X42 EL Ranges https://www.swarovskioptik.com/us/en/hunting
Swaroski ATX 65 MM https://www.swarovskioptik.com/us/en/hunting
Archery Equipment Mathews Phase 4 33" axil-to-axil | 4.68 lbs | 70 lbs draw weight https://www.mathewsinc.com/
Dialed Archery Arxos Site https://dialedarchery.com/collections/arxos%C2%AE-series
Mathews Ultrarest MX https://www.mathewsinc.com/
Carter 1st Choice Release thumb release https://www.carterenterprises.com/releases/thumb-trigger/1st-choice
Easton Axis 4mm Long Range Arrows https://www.blackovis.com/arrow-id
Sevr 1.5 Mechanical Broadhead 1.5 cutting diameter https://www.sevrbroadheads.com/
Camping Gear Peax Equipment Tipi weighs 2 lbs 5 oz | has 28 square ft of liveable space https://www.blackovis.com/brands/peax/peax-solitude-4-tipi
Therma Rest Hyperion 20 Degree weighs 1 lbs 4 oz | 900-fill | 72" length for standard size and 78" for the long https://www.blackovis.com/brands/thermarest/thermarest-hyperion-20-degree-ul-down-sleeping-bag
Nemo Equipment Sleeping Pad 1 lbs 10 oz https://www.blackovis.com/brands/nemo
Jetboil Stash 7 oz | .8 liter https://www.blackovis.com/jetboil-stash-cooking-system
Water Bladder weighs 4 oz | capacity of 100 fl oz https://www.blackovis.com/blackovis-hoser-hydration-bladder
Katadyn .6L Microfilter removes protozoa (99.99%) and bacteria (99.9999%) to EPA standards https://www.blackovis.com/brands/katadyn/katadyn-befree-6l-microfilter
Peax Equipment Headlamp 2.65 oz | 1000 max lumens https://www.blackovis.com/brands/peax/peax-backcountry-duo-headlamp
Sea to Summit Spork .45 oz | 7 inches long https://www.blackovis.com/sea-to-summit-delta-spork-knife
Muley Freak UL Trekking Poles coming soon.... https://muleyfreak.com/collections/accessories/products/muley-freak-ul-trekking-poles
Muley Freak TriFold Glassing Pad 5.6 oz | dual density foam | 17"x9" https://muleyfreak.com/products/trifold-glassing-pad
Zoleo https://www.blackovis.com/brands/zoleo
Dark Energy Charging Banks 5.3 oz | 3.58in L x 2.6in W x 1.06in D https://www.blackovis.com/brands/dark-energy
Stone Glacier X-Curve 5900 5 lbs 4 oz | 5,400 cubic inch main bag | 150 lbs load rating https://www.blackovis.com/stone-glacier-sky-5900-frame-pack
Nutrition Peak Refuel https://www.blackovis.com/brands/peak-refuel
1st Phorm Meat Sticks 20g protein per stick | 12g fat | 1g of sugar https://1stphorm.com/muleyfreak
1st Phorm Level 1 Bars 20g protein per stick | 13g fat | 8g of sugar https://1stphorm.com/muleyfreak
1st Phorm Hydration Sticks the packets are small & lightweight https://1stphorm.com/muleyfreak
Kill Kit Goat Knives Ibex Mini .63 oz | replaceable blade | 1/4" drive hex cut out https://muleyfreak.com/search?q=goat+knives
Knife Sharpener https://www.blackovis.com/nsearch/?q=sharpener
Ovis Sacks Game Bags reusable | deer bag measurements 14.5"x27" | full kit weighs 10 oz https://www.blackovis.com/ovis-sacks-ultralight-pro-game-bag-set
Paracord https://www.smithandedwards.com/
First Aid Israeli Bandage
Bandaids
Leukotape
MISC Klean Freak Wipes kleanfreak.com
Ibuprofen for swelling, pain, etc...
Tylenol PM for pain and to help you sleep
Toothbrush
Lighter 300 lights on one charge https://pyroputty.com/lighters/
Pyro Putty Fire Starter burns for 8-10 minutes, can act as a waterproofing agent https://pyroputty.com/


Game Changer Features

Tri-Fold Glassing Pad Features

Muley Freak UL Trekking Poles


WHAT WILL YOU TAKE?

We all have that one thing we can’t go without. An item your hunting buddies look at you side-eyed every time you pull it out of your pack. Sometimes it is a luxury item or even an item of celebration after a harvest.  

What do you take with you on every hunt no matter what?  Are we missing a piece of critical gear in this list?

THE GRIND PODCAST:

Listen to Erik & Aaron podcast on their early-season archery gear.

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1td1bDkQFAitW9epRSWRDT?si=5fdcedfd48ff466c

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-059-gear-dump-eriks-early-season-archery-mule-deer/id1203067497?i=1000624914169

EARLY SEASON ARCHERY MULE DEER HUNT:

Watch Erik take one of his biggest early-season archery bucks to date in the film below.

1 comment

  • Louie Jensen on

    Love your products can’t wait to see the puffy jacket. I’ll be impatiently waiting.

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