I use camo to avoid other people, after I got scoped by a hunter while I was wearing normal clothes. I never gave the animals much thought on what they can see.
I use camo to avoid other people, after I got scoped by a hunter while I was wearing normal clothes. I never gave the animals much thought on what they can see.
No, camo is not necessary, but it can help you get away with some movement up close. Scent and sound control is more inportant IMO. Don't skyline yourself.
Great question...I've spent over 40 yrs chasing critters, photographing them and being in the woods scouting. I used to take black and white pics of me in various setting's using various camo patterns. Some work well and some make you look like a blob which the critter pics out ASAP. Case in point, was bow hunting elk late September last yr, Was dark and over cast, raining with a little snow mixed in just o piss me off cuz I didn't have my raingear. I was standing in a tall grove of poplars, aspen and pine. Very dark in the bush so much so that I could hardly see my hunting partner 40 yrs away. I was wearing Kuiu Vias however was wearing a black overcoat that is somewhat raingear. With my back against a couple trees, a bull elk was walking 15 yrds of me, upwind, when he saw that black blob, he turned and hightailed it outta there. Earlier in the day, prior to the rain, had cow elk feeding all around me and within 5 yrds, got my wind and bolted.
I've worn green sweaters, grey sweaters, whitecoveralls, Kuiu, Sitka, old military blob patterns, leafy wear suits, homemade Ghillie suits, red/black and grey/black checkered wool coats and everything in between. This is what I've learned:
- when to move/not move is critical
- breaking up your outline is huge - never "skyline" yourself or be out in the open, ensure to be in front of trees/bush using the natural background to break up your outline
- our faces are like a lighthouse light - cover it up or tip your head down to use your peak to shield it
- choose silent material and fabrics
- know where you are going and your terrain - definitely some patterns better than others i.e. using the old treebark pattern on a prairie antelope hunt...did I mention blob
- WRT blind hunting, blackout or mesh, need to blend in with it, the surroundings and see point 1
- The most important still comes down to wind...they will smell ya before they see ya
Have fun
Gray, green, black and brown. All I've used, never deliberately bought camo any thing.
I have thought about a dark slip on mask like the highway bikers use.
No one on their death bed ever said; I should have spent more time at work.
I buy it so no one can see me while on my atv
I like drinking beer and whiskey, shooting guns, jetboating, love a nice rack and a tight line, I am simply a sophisticated redneck...
I buy high quality hiking gear in earth tones Playing the wind is the key to success
If we’re not supposed to eat animals, how come they’re made out of meat?
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I wear camo quite often because the product I want happens to be camo. I dont buy clothes because they are camo. I quite often hunt in blue Jean's and a sweater. I dont think it makes any difference. I think movement gives us away, not our clothing.
I wear a lot of sitka clothing for the performance and to support a hunting company. I feel like the success would be the same in other quality hiking / mountaineering clothes in solids. So long as they aren't noisy! As some others have said it mainly seems to be breaking up your silhouette and not getting caught moving. I try to find more solid hunting gear so I can use it year round and not have to talk to all the hikers about what it is I'm doing out there. Just my .02
Camo for most animals simply breaks up our silhouette. Only reason they put leaves and make it try to match background colors is for human selling features and probably a very small group of animals. This is what I understand it. So things like plaid work just as well, they just aren't as flashy. So camo is helpful, but it could generally for deer/elk/moose be any color, but it just makes it harder for them to see your outline
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