I'm new to hunting and I've been reading around a bit. Right now I'm studying rifle cartridges/ballistics, but I take breaks by "window-shopping" for hunting gear. Camouflage appeals to me, especially the Kryptek and the Sitka line of camo.

But I pause when I see the prices involved, and wonder is it really needed?

I peruse vintage hunting photos and see that many hunters were plenty effective wearing plad shirts and earth-toned slacks. Case in point:
[Linked Image]

A more current example would be Laramy "Sasquatch" Miller who wanders around hunting Elk with a recurve bow in buckskins.


So to wrap this up: does camouflage enhance the effectiveness of bagging an animal? Or was it just some stroke of marketing genius that duped us into believing we needed camo for a hunt?