Anyone who has hunted from a metal treestand and had a chunk of mud fall off a boot will tell you the same thing. It’s usually a quiet day, and the clod always hits something metal on its way to the ground, creating a loud, unwanted noise.
And why does this seem to happen at the worst possible time, when deer are near your stand? Talk about a way to bring attention to yourself!
This has happened to me on several occasions, and falling mud has spooked more deer than I’d care to talk about. But spooking deer isn’t the only problem with mud on your boots and the floors of your stands.
Muddy boots can make noise that could cost you a supply of venison, and it also makes climbing on metal rungs and tree steps messy and often, downright dangerous.
I don’t have these problems anymore. Not since I had the idea to buy a box of disposable slip-on booties.
Hospitals use them, as well as cable company workers and installers who don’t want to track dirt all over your clean carpet.
Before I head to my stand, I slip them over my boots and pour or spray whatever type buck or doe lure I’m using that day.
The booties act as a scent rag or drag rag. I wear them all the way to my hunting area where I sometimes take them off and leave them on the ground near my stand as an attractant. Or you can put them in your pack and take them up the tree with you.
If you don’t want to get mud in your hunting vehicle, slip them back on and wear them on your way out.
Shoe booties are not expensive, and you can buy them in bulk at Walmart or online from suppliers like ULINE. Just search “hospital booties” or “shoe booties.”
You’ll want the cloth type, not plastic, so they will absorb your deer scents.
If you have a unique or special tip you’d like to share with Buckmasters fans, please email it to huntingtips@buckmasters.com and, if chosen, we will send you a cap signed by Jackie Bushman, along with a knife!
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