Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Camo Clothing: Necessity or Scam?

I'm sure they work because they physically break up your shape and blend it. The problem is that they are hot and get in the way of moving and shooting a bow. They're great for rifle hunters trying to hide in the open though.

Dang, camo works so good, just think if deer walked around in the woods with camo on no one would ever kill one.

I note that mudhen (no slam) said he was mostly concealed by brush anyway, not giving the camo that real fair shake, add to the fact he was getting better at sneaking and peeking....

Wind is the most important thing, movement second, and clothing a far third in order of importance.

Funny that all our ancestors managed to kill without...

BTW I just came in from the evening hunt, in camo with my bow. Cause I had good camo clothing I suppose. Didn't see a thing deer wise, but was watching all kinds of other wildlife, hard to see until it moved, non wearing camo.

Jeff

Ancestors killed game without a lot of stuff we use today. It doesn't mean that some of the things we have now make it easier or more effective.

Grampa didn't have high end binos, range finders, scopes, thinsulate, fleece, goretex, or lightweight hunting packs either. I guess we don't "need" those either but they sure make the hunt turn out better when we have some of them at the right times.

I think camo gives you a slight edge in certain circumstances. For rifle hunters the only edge it gives you that isn't provided by the reach of your weapon is the ability to disappear from other hunter when you use your orange vest for a sit pad.

I know a couple that both hunt with longbows for elk and deer. He wears a camo t shirt and Levis most of the time and she wears full camo. They both get their elk and deer nearly every year. I just don't find that Levis give me enough freedom of motion to climb steep hills, especially when I'm sweaty...so I wear BDUs and they just happen to come in camo. On really snowy days I wear rain chaps made out of brown oilskin. They don't seem to have caused all of the elk to leave or anything.

I agree with you here. I'm not saying that Camo is absolutely essential. I'm just trying to make the point that it can sometimes help and has been proven to do so.



Many of out ancestors were quite a bit better at Camo than we were but they won't let us stalk buffalo wearing wolf skins now. Wonder why lots of indian's painted various designs on themselves? Could it be that some of them knew about Camo?...................DJ

I have heard that deer can see shades of blue. If this is true, do blue jeans stand out?

Hey, you can get a buffalo tag in a few states and its not illegal to put on a skin that I'm aware of.

Did not know about painting patterns on their clothing. Thats interesting. Got any links to it? I'd like to read more.(not being an azzhole, really interested)

I guess over the years I've just happened to have had just as good luck when fully camo vs not camo with even my bowhunting at times. So much so that I'm convinced that while camo can help, its certainly not the biggest issue. I learned even more while guiding which is when I stopped wearing camo all the time and we'd scout while we had hunters out on stands.... man jeans and a jacket and you'd be surprised how much deer don't pay attention if you follow 1 and 2.

But when bowhunting I still put on my camo-- sometimes cause its the best I have for a situation, and believe it or not I tried th scent lock stuff and will still wear it bowhunting "just in case" like it might accidentally help.

BTW I can't imagine jeans in mountain hunting...supplex zip off beige pants or loden can't be beat.

Jeff

Ive tested a good deal of camo, and the better 3d stuff or ideally a ghillie suit DOES WITHOUT QUESTION make it easier to get close to game in my experiance and those of most of the other guys I hunt with, the question is NOT if they work, but wether the cost is worth the hassle and expence, especially if your forced to wear a silly looking orange vest, which effectively makes it near useless

Problem is that most cammo patterns are designed to outwit the human eye/brain and as already noted, animals tend to be wired somewhat differently.

The Ghillie suit works on both animals and humans simply because it breaks up your shape; in factit doesn't provide a recognisable shape to focus on at all. But its only really effective if you're stationary...

Myself I prefer loden greens or German Army Field greys for most of my hunting clothes. My cammo is usually restricted to a head net while sitting in a highseat...

I have bought cammo in the past, but usually because the garment in question offered other features I wanted ie it was quiet, warm and waterproof...In fact one of my biggest criticisms of the likes of Cabelas is that many items only come in some garish cammo colour...

Hunting birds such as pigeons is a different matter as they have colour vision and I think that proper cammo makes a big difference in this situation...

Regards,

Pete

I used to wear any type of camo that looked good. I was "caught" by the manufacturer much like we get caught by fishing lures.

Then things changed when I was shown ASAT camo. That stuff has animals and humans looking through you instead at a pattern. It may look like a clown suit but don't put it down until you try it. I switched and have gotten closer to animals than ever before.

IMO some camo works.

I think camo helps, no matter if you're a archery or rifle hunter. I do a lot of still hunting when I'm rifle hunting, so it sure can't hurt.

Most of my gear is camo because I do a lot of predator calling, and most of my gear and clothing is purchased with that in mind. I know I could go out there and call in a coyote with a santa clause suit on if I don't move, but I go out to enjoy myself, and camo I think affords me a little bit of movement when I just can't take that itch or fly buzzing up my nose anymore. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

This November I'll be out rifle elk hunting in camo BDU pants, because that's what I've got, and BDU pants are damn handy to stow stuff in. I'll also be in a black fleece jacket, unless it rains or is really cold, then the windproof/waterproof camo shell goes on over the top. Might look silly to be all camoed up with a big old blaze orange vest on, but that's the equipment I've got, and I won't go out and buy all new non-camo clothing just so I can avoid looking like a "greenhorn" (god forbid) come opening morning! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Biggest thing, aside from the obvious of watching the wind, is to hide bare arms and face if you can be seen I think, which is why I also carry a camo facenet and lightweight gloves at all times. Face net and gloves go on anytime I put the sneak on game, if it's 50 yards or 500.

Personally, I always thought the best camo pattern would be a 3 color jacket or pants, in LARGE pattern, like maybe only two or three blotches on an entire jacket. I'm sure the camo guys have thought of this as well, but it won't look as cool as Advantage Timber, so I'm sure the idea gets scrapped.

You need camo to compensate for the orange vest and hat plus the fire engine red ATV that most hunters won't remove from their ass.

In Colorado it would not be legal.

Here you just have to have 400 square inches of orange above the waist. It can be camo or any other pattern. My vest is 500 square inches so I took up about 30 square inches making the stripes to break it up. I've never had a game agent say a word about it and I've been checked a few times since 88 or so when I got it.

I have shot most of my game smoking a cigarette and wearing jeans and a shirt. Camo is cool, but I think it is more hype than anything. Most game, other than Turkeys, are color blind and probably see you through movement of you or your smell.

Most of the camo worn by the endorsement hunters on TV doesn't even blend in their surroundings. Then their guide or PH is wearing blue jeans and a yellow CAT ball cap.

There are some patterns that work in the right spot.
* leafy wear stuff that breaks up the outline. Doesn't take much

* reedy patterns in marshes for ducks

* Tree Bark and Breakup work against timber, like in duck hunting.

* Sometimes I wear Advantage with the brown dead leaves for pants, and a bark pattern top. It is good for sitting against a tree, legs in the leaves.

This has been my experience. I wash all clothes that might go out in the field with me in UV blockers, and just worry about breaking up my outline.

For rifle hunting deer & elk, not really.
For pronghorn, yes, they have tremendous eye sight.

In Oregon, blaze orange ain't mandatory, so I wear camo, my reasoning is the idiots out there are less likely to hit what they can't see.

Of course camo works, anyone who would argue this is either blind or hopelessly dumb. Is it a necessity? No. Can it give you a slight edge at times? Of course. Can it make the difference between success and failure at times? Yes. It is just one of the tools used to up one's odds of success. 90% of the time you could probably get by wearing a Santa suit, it's the other 10% of the time that camo is of use.

Scam. Been within 10 feet of deer, elk, pronghorn, and caribou for several minutes each wearing jeans and a bright blue down parka. Wind was right and they looked right through me. In my book scent, rapid movement, and sound are the 3 items that give ones presence away most often.

#1, the primary reason I have camo anything is because you just can't find the materials I want in non-camo colors, fleece being the exception. LOTS of cotton pants out there in subdued colors, but not a lot of good synthetics that aren't overly LOUD.

#2, I read a quote from Dwight Schuh a long time ago that made some sense. Paraphrasing: even if camo is only needed in one of a hundred encounters, he'd rather go to the trouble of using it than spoiling that encounter.

That said, I wear what makes sense for the weather first and worry about color/pattern secondarily or not at all.