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doesnt take much to break up you outline....you can do it with "carhart camo" just wear different shades.....ive sat less than 100 feet away from deer against a bare gumbo hillside wearing jeans, a plain long sleaved shirt and a blaze vest though the deer looked for me after i shot one of their buddies they had no clue where i was until i stood up and every one of them looked right at me....the different light and dark shades between even solid colored clothing breaks up your outline pretty well....


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Breaking up your silhouette is a good thing and especially in bow hunting where you need to go undetected at much closer ranges. I would buy your hunting clothes based on performance first and not camo pattern.

Hunting the wind is far more important than camo.

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Like fishing tackle is made to catch fishermen, the camo must be made to catch hunters.
It does tell the world you are a hunter, and helps start some friendly chats.


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All good stuff above! I'd like to add something that I've done to this chat..surely you need to make up your own mind.

Years ago before camo was cool, nobody wore camo, in the Maine woods that I hunted. Usually all wool cause our season was in November and could be cold. Dark green wool pants, normally a plaid green or red jacket with a blaze orange hat with a blaze orange vest. Killed a lot of deer in those days. What I notice with my hunting crew was that the guys that didn't get a deer every year were dress with blaze orange coats and wool pants. None of us were sitters. We all still hunted. I think the guys with the Blaze Orange coats were seen by the deer because of the movement of there arms and would move left or right into the line of another in our party.

I then started hunting in our October bow season and bought some camo. Back then you had a hard time finding camo that was quiet as wool was. I've worn it off and on since then and frankly do not see the need while hunting big game with bow or rifle.

After going through a school provided by the USMC I learned about camouflage and concealment. A ghillie suite with natural foliage tied in it, is in my mind the very best way to hide you and your movements. Your movements need to be ultra slow. This system works awesome with BG animals and birds which I've gotten so close to bedded animals I could reach out and touch them. Which is more fun than killing them. Cause when I get that close I usually don't and just count coup.

If you choose not to wear camo I'm with you. Earth tones & quiet clothing is all you need...just wear the colors of your surroundings...dark for dark surroundings and light for lighter surroundings. I am a strong and firm believer that your face and hands need to be covered. Either with gloves, face mask or paint. These two items are over looked by some and move the most. Which is when animals are most likely to spot those movements.

Smell, well it only makes sense to be as odorless as possible when dealing with animals that can smell well. Smelling like your surroundings is the best. Pick the local foliage and rub it all over yourself. It will help mask your human stink.

Many moons ago an Oldtimer once told me big game animals have three senses, sight, smell, and hearing. If an animal only sees you he normally won't bolt. If he sees you move he will be alerted and cautious. But if he sees and smells you or smells and hears you or any combination of two sense he'll be gone in a flash. I use that old wisdom to this day.

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Long before camo was on the market,the Boy Scout book talked about breaking up the man silhouette.
I'll second the notion of smell. I have seen deer watch me on a lake with the outboard running, then bolt when they caught a scent.


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Absolutely overrated, focus on your scent first, second and third. Just about any camo patter will work, just like plaid because it serves to break up your outline and that is just about all you need in that regard.

But, far to many guys worry about pattern, or how noisy it is and forget about the nose.

Remember this when hunting ungulates. You can fool their eyes, you can fool their ears, but you can't fool their nose.


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As other have said, it depends on the game being hunted. Turkey, ducks, etc have different eyesight from deer, elk, moose... I use full camo when Turkey hunting. I do believe it makes a bigger difference there than big game hunting. I don't duck hunt, but I would use full camo there too if I were to start.

In the past I never saw a whole lot of value with camo for big game hunting around here as the state required a large amount of solid blaze orange. Why wear camo on your lower half (which is often shrowded by brush anyway) when you are required to have a solid blob of color on top?

A couple of years ago Utah approved "blaze camo" which would help to break up your outline on a big game hunt. I would happy replace my regular camo vest with a blaze camo vest if anybody around here carried any blaze camo... I plan to start wearing more camo as I see no harm in attempting to break up your outline, even if it's not 100% necessary in all situations.

I also agree that the majority of modern camo for big game hunting is designed to fool the hunter into opening their wallet, and not necessarily properly designed to fool big game. I think modern camo patters are far too busy, with little or no "negative / white space". You end up looking like a big grey blob from a distance. I like the ideas behind ASAT and Predator Camo, but they are a bit harder to find than the more popular brand names.

I recently discovered "Vertigo Camo" that has a basic pattern with lots of negative space on it and comes in "tan" and "white". I personally feel like it breaks up my outline better than the Realtree or Mossy Oak patterns. I plan to try them out this fall.


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Wow, good stuff here! Keep it coming please.

I have a theory that the use of hunter camouflage came from military camouflage.

I think once marketers saw the use of camouflage in the military (and IMO, in general, it's just a uniform to differentiate side A from side B) they applied clothing used for humans-"hunting"-humans and applied it to humans-hunting-animals.

Vets hunting in their old cammis may have had something to do with popularizing camouflage as well.

Just IMO.

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Most of it came from the increase in the bow hunting community size with a spike from the post-Rambo II movie release. The Rambo II movie was the "Hunger Games" of my youth. Archery really rocketed after the movie was released.

When we started bowhunting, the assumption was that we "needed" camo to sneak up on game. What we had at the time, was old fatigues, surplus uniforms and a marketing idea was born. I hunted for several years in a set of USMC lightweight cammys, with canvas soldier fanny bag.

Reality, break-ing up the outline, masking the face, and sitting still were probably as good then as they are now. But, we "were told" by Outdoor Life, Sports Afield and such that we needed camo to get the job done. So, an industry met the demand for something other than BDUs.

Sitka Gear and the like are now marketing to the new 20-something crowd with the idea of going lean and light, with perfomance based equipment, over the Wal-Mart brand. Their hunter model is a lean runner with 5% or less body fat, and the idea that you have to get wayback in there to hunt.

Does the Opti-fade pattern work? Has for me, but who knows what else would have worked?

Sitka Gear is made mostly overseas, not a poke, but the prices don't reflect that. You get some features that the baseline gear doesn't have in pockets, seams, and zippers...but not sure it meets the price difference. Rocky has good gear, usually for about half of the Sitka Price.


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Im going to make a Elk hunting video wearing a Santa Clause suit. Sure hope my beard doesn't get hung up in the string when the bulls at 10 yds.


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While wearing bluejeans and a bright blue down ski parka, I have had mule deer, elk, and bighorn sheep so close that I could not focus on them with my 200 mm camera lens. Inside of 8 feet. Hunt into the wind, and don't move when the quarry are looking in your direction.

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I have not caught what our man does for a living. If he would get any use of the rougher type clothes, on the job, or other.
If it trips his trigger to wear camo, he would not the first kid on the block to wear it.


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IME, movement, scent, and dawn/dusk situations involving UV light are ahead of breaking up outline, which is not to be discounted. They all work together. The particular pattern is likely not too important, as long as it is big and bold.

Birds see color, and perhaps patterns as well as we do, so if hunting turkeys or waterfowl, be aware. I'm not qualified to speak on the latter however, having done no turkey hunting and very little waterfowling.

At range, "fine" camo becomes solid, so go for big, high contrast patterns which works just as well at close range as at long range. If possible, get a bush, etc. between you and the animal, or just behind you. Camo won't help you a damned bit if you are skylined/backlighted against the sky, lake, etc.

I have camo as dedicated hunting gear, both for fabric, and as UV killed, scent killed gear. Camo pattern comes third, tho I'm not particular as long as it is large pattern. Mixed top/bottom patterns may even be better.

Camo for me is mostly a "color-coded" way to keep it separated from everyday gear, which is NOT UV killed and is washed in brightener/scented detergents. Use the hunter detergents, after UV killing the new fabric. Then never wash it in common detergents again.

I've probably killed as much game in everyday clothes, tho... It's a kinda mental hunting uniform thing, too. smile

I hang my cammies outside before the hunt as much as possible to remove house odors, etc., even after the UV/scent killer thing. Or store them in sealed plastic bags with sprigs of vegetation natural to your area.

PS. I have to add, one of the funniest things I've ever seen was this dude wearing full camo, crossbow-hunting hogs from a helicopter.... That comes right next to Boob and Boobs (Lee an Tiffany, among others) sqirting a couple shots of scent killer on their boots and shoulders on leaving the truck while still-hunting elk...

This stuff needs to thouroghly cover your clothes, then be air-dried to be really effective

I know way more about moose bellies than is really necessary.... smile

Last edited by las; 07/12/13.

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Camo clad western hunters who sky line themselves,and tromp around without giving any thought to their approach to an area stick out like sore thumbs;and look like camo clad hunters sticking out like sore thumbs....even to human eyes.

And the mule deer bucks they are after are long gone a half mile or more before the hunters get into any kind of range.

I've shot mule deer in jeans and denim jackets in warmish weather....back east here we wear wool and most is plaid but not all of it.I wear Filson Cruiser in solid green or red plaid a lot....Even at close distances in the woods a careful still hunter will stop next to something that breaks up his outline.

As others have pointed out, use wind,ground cover,terrain,and sun to mask approaches and don't worry if you don't have the latest Mossy Oak or Real Tree patterns....they are mostly fashion statements.





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Originally Posted by Shag
Im going to make a Elk hunting video wearing a Santa Clause suit. Sure hope my beard doesn't get hung up in the string when the bulls at 10 yds.


Shaq,

Please post if you are successful. That would be priceless.

Actually, that has the makings of a great contest, and would serve to prove a great point about the necessity of camo as well.

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And don't forget sound. Most animals have incredible hearing- those ears on the various deer species aren't there as a fashion statement. Just consider that any sound you make will likely be heard be any animal within a quarter mile or more.

If it is subtle or indeterminate, they may come to investigate.

So if noise is inevitable (and at least some is) make it sound like maybe another animal, and not human-pattern.


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Velcro is not good.


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Nor metallic sounds, or plastic rain-coat on brush. Folding or shaking a cheap poly tarp can bring a bull moose in, and has.

On the other hand, it took Fish and Wildlife Service 12 years to locate my back in tarp camp, and then only because I rigged a blue tarp up across the entrance to intercept wind-blown rain. They spotted it from the air... Up 'til then, the brown worked just fine.. I've a new location and a 10X20 camo tarp now..... smile

So, is camo over-rated? It all depends....


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Good points, people may be easier to fool then critters.


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Originally Posted by las
Nor metallic sounds, or plastic rain-coat on brush. Folding or shaking a cheap poly tarp can bring a bull moose in, and has.

On the other hand, it took Fish and Wildlife Service 12 years to locate my back in tarp camp, and then only because I rigged a blue tarp up across the entrance to intercept wind-blown rain. They spotted it from the air... Up 'til then, the brown worked just fine.. I've a new location and a 10X20 camo tarp now..... smile

So, is camo over-rated? It all depends....


Hmm, sounds like an interesting story I'd like to hear sometime. Along with any others you may care to share.

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