Camoflage does it work?

The other issue that people need to consider because it is huge is "Sunlight & Shade."

I would rather be in Jean's and a mackinaw in the shade than be in camouflage in the sunlight.

Direct sunlight highlights every movement you make... regardless of what you are wearing, if you are moving around in direct sunlight the game will spot you. Whenever possible I position myself with a good backdrop and in the shade... and still keep movement to the bare minimum.
 
more important than what you wear is what you wash those clothes in.
Most laundry soaps contain UV brighteners that prevent color fading of your clothing. These UV brighteners are highly visible to ungulates , especially deer.
The effect is that you will literally glow in the eyes of an ungulate, no matter what color you are wearing.

So more important than what you wear is what you choose to wash your clothing in prior to setting out hunting in it.
 
Sure I wear camo for concealment but for me the camo clothing lines have just as much to do with functionality while hunting.
They make clothes that are warm yet lighter and flex in the right places for the outdoor elements we encounter.
Blood and dirt blend right in with the camo compared to solid colour wear. ��
 
my wife is a clean freak so even if i try and hide my hunting clothes, she will find them and wash them after every trip...... drives me nuts .... truly LOL
So I made darn sure she knows to only wash my hunting clothes and jackets in a "hunting detergent" that doesn't use UV brighteners. I don't care about all that scent removal stuff that some soaps advertise.... I just care that it has no brighteners.
I also use predominantly camo patterned outwear but as mentioned by others , it is clothing designed for the hunting environment. Quiet, comfortable and made for the elements.
 
Here is what camo is geared towards , humans.......................... marketing tactics makes you think that if you have a hard time seeing it the animals will too.It is the biggest sales scam in outdoor gear bar none especially with the markup on clothing.

When is the last time an animal told you that they couldn't see you but your hunting partner did? ;)

Order of importance IMO.

1-Scent control.

2-Movement.( 2and 3 pretty close and could be interchanged IMO)

3-Noise

4-Silhouette/Lighting/Shadows

distant 5th..............

5-Color/camo

Beat their nose and their ears and you will usually do alright.

Yes some animals have different/better primary senses than others but camo IMO is a fair bit of snake oil.

 
Ottawa12 said:
Is camo really all its made out to be? Or is just a fad?
Was thinking about that this evening after i shot my cow elk on an open hay field. Wearing carhartt jacket, coveralls and a blue and black plaid crowncap. Had to stalk in from tree line couple hundred yards to get the shot i wanted and they never seemed to notice me. A few looked my way i just stayed still and they didnt seem to notice me
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Works great for me, everything I ever shot was while I was wearing Camo
 
I've shot plenty of animals without any camo just fine. Same with everyone I've gone with. I've always considered using it for hunting to be a bit silly.
 
btabin said:
I've shot plenty of animals without any camo just fine. Same with everyone I've gone with. I've always considered using it for hunting to be a bit silly.
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Not a bowhunter, eh?

At 200 yards, no big deal...

At 20 feet, BIG deal...
 
At 200 yards, no big deal...

At 20 feet, BIG deal...
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Range is important. 20/20 vision can distinguish just 1" at 100 yards, 1 MOA under ideal conditions. So detailed camo like realtree turns to brown once you can no longer see the patterns. Digicam has small and large scale patterns , presumably for this reason. I suppose you can't sell modern camo to hunters though. Some camo loses contrast when it is wet too.
 
During the winter.snow camo works great when I'm hunting on friend's farms for Coyotes because there's no concerns that other hunters are around. I can literally sit in the open at the edge of a field using a call. They come within 100 yds on a full run and don't spook until I move to shoulder and shoot. By then,it's lights out for ol' Wiley. When hunting with three or four other guys and we're using hounds,it's important to be seen for obvious reasons. A full blaze jacket comes in real handy for that.
 
dimeN said:
wear the orange peta clown suit , then wear camo
big difference in the amount of game youll see
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I've had a cow moose walk to within 12 feet of me when I was dressed like a big glowing pumpkin, standing right out in the middle of a trail with no cover. I thought that was close enough so I wagged my finger at her and she took off like a shot.
 
Camo definitely helps break up your shape, especially at close range, but its no substitute for being quiet, still, and using the wind in your favor.
 
A lot of camo sold looks great in the store viewing it from less than 10 feet away but take it out in the outdoors and from 50 yards and further it just looks like a black blob. IMHO many hunting camoflage patterns are too tight,small and darker and that results in the black blob look at any real distance in full daylight.

The best patterns I've see were lighter colored and larger block patterns. I also think that civilian patterns are superior to military style patterns.

That being said solid block clothing like light grey can work pretty well especially where there is light and shadow effects. If I was just starting out hunting and couldn't afford hunting clothing, a light grey pair of coveralls would be a good choice.

The big thing that always seems to stick out is the rifle especially those that are dark brown or black. (Black stick of death look)
 
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Juster’s comment that animals use it is spot on.

Yea, I can say from experience with and without on outfitting clients, it works. Dedicated mountain bow hunters take it to the extreme. Doesn’t mean you can’t hunt without it, but it is a benefit especially with open rock between you and the game. One of my guides with his personal sheep and a good example of properly chosen camo.

I’ve also stood on shore a hundred yards from a boat and completely invisible to them for a minute, despite shouting directions their way. It works.

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PSE said:
A lot of camo sold looks great in the store viewing it from less than 10 feet away but take it out in the outdoors and from 50 yards and further it just looks like a black blob. IMHO many hunting camoflage patterns are too tight,small and darker and that results in the black blob look at any real distance in full daylight.

The best patterns I've see were lighter colored and larger block patterns. I also think that civilian patterns are superior to military style patterns.
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I actually have the opposite view. A human has no hope of camouflaging as open air space, grasses, and brush as they haven’t figured light emitting camo yet to make up for the hole we cut in the background ambient light. We can quite easily look to be a stump, trunk, rock, thick bush etc however. Slightly darker tones than the surrounding environment work better than lighter ones at disguising yourself, military does the same as do the animals.
 
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