I don't remember where, but somewhere I recall reading advice against wearing black outergarments while hunting. I don't remember the reasoning behind this, anyone else hear of this or have a good reason why? I try to stick to the fundamentals an old (Old enough to have lived when killing something was litterally putting food on his family's table, no game=no meat) hunter taught me. Hunt the wind, use the shadows, stay quiet stay still... And so on. Camo wasn't even in their minds when he was in his prime. Besides the fact that it may not break up your outline too well why not use say a black fleece coat or pants, especially if hunting from a tree or stationary on the ground?

I wouldn't wear black for Tutkey hunting.....

The area I deer hunt in Vermont --Deer and bear season runs together. Wearing black would be a NO NO for that reason. Movement will give you away quicker than colors to a deer. Humans are the problem. IMHO. Web

FWIW the video that came with my Double Bull Matrix blind recommends that you wear black inside the blind to blend with the walls......................DJ

Yeah, I read something like that quite a few years ago. I don't remember that a reason was given, just a statement made in the article.

Where I live - an area with a huge population of hunt-able black-bears - I couldn't imagine anything to do with hunting more likely to be life-shortening - than wearing black to hunt in. Coupled with the fact the lion's share of black bears around here are shot within an hour of sunrise or sunset, when the light is very poor.

Well, I guess I could IMAGINE a fellow draped in a deer cape with the antlers on his head trying to grunt-in a buck...

...but other than other-worldly stupidity...

Wearing any one solid color makes you appear as a blob from a distance (at least to humans) even most camo patterns make you appear as blob. To not look like a blob wear one color/pattern on the top and another on the bottom.

Black shirts work well in blinds because you blend into the shadow background.

Take some clothes and a buddy and go out to the woods/pasture or whatever you can get a distance away and have the other person put on some different stuff. It's amazing how quick you can pick out some other people just based on the "blob" look and I'm colorblind. The one thing I personally can't pick up real quick is the open type of camo patterns like predator or ASAT. Of course I'm not a deer/bear/turkey either.

What BCBrian said sure is going to make me think about what I'm wearing on the way TOO my blind!........................DJ

Ok, no bears bear hunting here in central Al, but I totally get what you are saying for areas with bears... now plenty of beer huntin' goes on round these parts.

I also have heard to wear black when hunting inside of a blind, even saw a demo of a hunter in full camo vs one in all black - big difference.

But for deer hunting in a non bear area, any other reasons not to?

My nephew and I called in a bear one evening, sow with cubs, and she was pretty lit up. He was wearing all black...I have no idea if that had anything to do with it or not...but she gave us a real good scare....

Ingwe

So it looks like the Ninja Suit you had for Christmas is out!

You will be arrested by Homeland Security...........




Casey

I have always thought of black as a color not usually found in the natural landscape. When hunting rabbits in briars you could always spot the "black" of a rabbits eye as it was darker than anything else in the brush and stood out.

if deer are color blind does this really matter?

Color blind...not totally...but they key in on contrast and movement...IIRC

Ingwe

I generally wear a black top while hunting bruins and while in the blind for lopes.

Dober

I will make your butt look big.....

And all this time I thought it was "slimming"...

Ingwe

Man I sure don't want you anywhere near my butt!

Dober

One reason I can think of is I seem to remember reading that mosquitos are attracted to black. If that is the case encourage your hunting partners to wear it and enjoy a bu free hunt:)

I've always heard never wear black, red, blue, or white during turkey season. Never wear tan or gray during deer season.

Do these pants make my butt look big? Nope, your big azz makes the pants look too small!

I wear black sometimes. It warms up or dries out faster than anything else. If I'm worried about other hunters, it's pretty simple to slip a blaze orange vest over it.
Alot of my rain gear and my hi tech, mountaineering pants are black. Nice to be able to warm up or dry out when you are way back in there, especially if you are back packing. E

Reminds me of one time when we were headed out hunting and I overheard a guy telling his son that it was okay to wear orange when deer hunting since deer only saw in black and white. The boy said, "we better not take your truck then, cause it is black". I suppose a red truck would have been invisible. (grin)

The guy looked at us and said, "I've always wondered about that boy....."

I tried wearing a black fleece while bowhunting from a tree stand this year. Thought it would warm up faster when the sun came up and thought maybe I blend in more in that first half hour of shooting light before sunup. A buddy sitting a quarter of a mile away said it stuck out like a sore thumb, I put on my regular camo and he said I disappeared.

Black is good camo if you hunt all night from your treestand...grin

I don't want to be anywhere near any butt, especially mine!!

I do have a very good and very heavy black wool shirt for elk hunting in the real cold. I never really considered any possible problems with black clothing, but example of a stand out tree hunter does make sense. And now that I think about it, a hunting partner has a pair of heavy wool black pants that are real standouts in the elk woods, especially in snowy conditions.

I have black wool pants for those cooler days of hunting.

Figured it blended well with those pine trees whose bark was black when undergrowth was burned.

Never noticed an impediment to success in all sorts of territory though.

I once had a boss who often wore a black bra under a see-through white blouse. Does that count?

Jeff

The best way to go is match the color of your camo to the environment you plan to hunt in. If you have that kind of money... The military did studies on which solid color was the best for concealment in most environments eons ago. That's how the color battleship gray came about I believe. Just think about how well deer blend in with their surroundings and they are primarily gray in color with brown mixed in.

Ever done any dog walking after dark? A black lab is FAR easier to see in the dark than a yellow lab. The night is seldom completely black. The black dog is blacker than the night so it actually shows up. A yellow blends in and disappears.

I've never looked thru a deer's eyes, but I would imagine that any dark contrasting shade will get their attention rather quickly.

Imagine you are hunting and day is just breaking, you can see no colors, just shades of grey.

Your eye will immediately pick up on the darker objects of your surroundings.

If deer do see in shades of grey, silhouetting yourself by wearing a dark shade against a natural background may not be the way to go.

Any color that has no variation in shade or pattern will probably make you stand out.

I have never hunted bears, so I don't know how they might percieve you.

Just my opinion,

JM

JM, I had a bear come by me in the pre-dawn last year, and it was a very noticeable, dark blob. He went on his way, and I was able to watch it for a surprising amount of time, using mostly perephial vision. Though not distinct like during the daytime, it was very recognizable for what it was.

I know it is much easier for me to pick up on a dark hog earlier in the morning than a deer.

Best,

Most ninja hunters I hear of all went back to black.

Yes that was it no black because of bear.you could be mistaken for one.When istarted hunting in the 50s late it was, green an black,red an black then in middle 60 just red. In late 60 a bright orange came out by monkey wards.then this new orange

An all or mostly "black" Black Bear is the blackest black one will ever see.

Where I sheep hunt most predators are dark colored. Moving dark objects are easy to spot.