Camo? What do you wear?

I live and hunt exclusively in the deep dark woods of Vancouver Island.

In my rxperience, 2D camo is for people.

3D camo is my go to for sit-still hunting and it works very well but most of my hunting is on foot, hiking and glassing.

I wear muted colours but 2D camo is just a gimmick.

I love seeing all the 1200$ KuiU and Sitka gear outfits driving around in white tacomas.

I imagine the deer wonder how a bush shaped exactly like a human cud be driving.
 
My attire usually consists of a set of 5.11 or Arcteryx LEAF pants in a khaki sand/beige or "Crocodile". The pants are all about the pockets and flexibility of movement, not the camouflage pattern. Up top, a Brit issue DPM pattern smock. Desert pattern for the prairie region, dry season in the foothills, or in the cattails, and the woodland DPM when in the spruce and pines of the Boreal region. Once the snow is down I dig out my old CF parka and winter whites.
 
I wear RealTree Hardwoods with a hood and veil and it's very effective. I get a kick out of hunters on a quad that pass extremely close to me at slow speed on the trail and are totally unaware that I am there. I've had guys look straight at me and it's obvious they have no idea I'm right there. LOL
 
To my mind's eye, given that deer color vision is so-so, but also since their motion perception, hearing and smell are amazing, any camo pattern that blends in and maybe serves to obscure the movements you make should be good to go.

I think it's much more important to have clothing that doesn't smell out of place (or at least so that the smell doesn't carry too well) and doesn't make a lot of swish-swish noise as you move.
 
Just get some nice hiking clothes that break your pattern up a little bit. You don't need to spend on camo. A deer is going to smell or hear you before it sees you.

I like the Ascend pants and jackets at Cabela's. They're decently light, very water resistant, and comfortable. Most importantly, they don't break the bank.

If you do everything right, you could hunt naked. A deer isn't going to run away because it dislikes your fashion choices.
 
I've strayed away from camo and the only articles of camo I bought years ago that I like. I've gone towards buying efficient outdoor wear at a reasonable price, with wool and plaid stuff. Play the wind and watch how you move (camo or not), no need for camo.
 
I don't get too hung up on the pattern, but the fit/function is important. Have been really impressed with the Skre gear I have, they go on sale at least once a year and their Solace pattern is great for the type of hunting I do.
 
LawrenceN said:
Of great importance is to wash your outfit in something like Woolite or any other detergent that doesn't have UV brighteners. Whitetail see in the UV spectrum and if you've washed your clothes in normal laundry soap there's a great probability that it will make you glow to a deer's eyes.
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This would depend on how well deer see blue and blue-violet. Fluorescence generally shifts wavelength from shorter to longer (higher energy to lower energy waves). UV-excitable dyes most often emit in the blue range, not in UV.

Moot point anyways, because I think the luverly fresh smell of swiss meadows and orange blossom is a lot more of a giveaway than whatever inner glow the laundry detergent will impart to the cloth.
 
AB3006 said:
This would depend on how well deer see blue and blue-violet.
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Quite well. They can't see the other side of the visible spectrum (hence why blaze orange isn't a big deal for them), but they see blues and greens just fine.

Humans have 3 sets of cones (for blue, green, and red parts of the spectrum respectively), deer only have 2, lacking the ones that see red. Deer have more rods than we do though, so their low light and peripheral vision is assumed to be better than ours.
 
Suther said:
Deer have more rods than we do though, so their low light and peripheral vision is assumed to be better than ours.
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Not to mention the tapetum lucidum.

Suther said:
Quite well. They can't see the other side of the visible spectrum (hence why blaze orange isn't a big deal for them), but they see blues and greens just fine.
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Makes sense that their acuity for the green part of the Vis spectrum should be pretty high.

I do still think though, that sound and smell would be the bigger problems to overcome during hunting.
 
AB3006 said:
I do still think though, that sound and smell would be the bigger problems to overcome during hunting.
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I don't disagree. Id put movement on that list too. I'm an "every little bit helps" kind of guy when it comes to hunting though, and we know things like camo and UV brighteners DO have an impact so I think it's worth taking into consideration, even if it's lower on the list of things that will ruin your hunt.

Plus I find that clearance racks of camo stuff in the late winter/spring is often the best place to find a good price on clothes that have the other features you've talked about, like fabrics that don't go swish swish as you walk, especially water resistant stuff.
 
Slowly moving to all solids. Tans. Greens. Beige brown. My biggest bucks and my first elk were all killed in solids. That’s enough proof for me.

That being said I have lots of badlands kiui and SKRE camo I’ll continue to wear for many years I’m sure and if I can find it on clearance or blowout I’ll buy more. When I bought my SKRE merino wool it was cheaper than any of the non hunting brands..
 
so many good responses! Seams like I don’t Need to overthink it, thanks for everyone for their opinions. I feel like I should be set with the hiking gear I already own for deer. If I get into birds which I probably will eventually… I’ll make sure I match my surroundings a lot more
 
It might depend a bit where you hunt and how you hunt - I am sure Eastern Canada bush and hunting from a tree or ground blind near a bait pile might be different than pushing poplar bluffs on bald prairie or prairie coulees like I did. I am sure I was well over several dozen head of whitetail before I first wore any camo - easily the second or third rifle by then. What I wore did not seem to be important for where and how we hunted. However, my scent and my motion seemed to be a really big thing. As previously mentioned on this thread - get something that will keep you warm and dry - these days that is mostly camo gear - my attitude was that the camo is probably not doing anything for me, but not hurting me either, if the gear is doing the other things properly.
 
As others have mentioned, movement and smell are going to be the biggest things that will give you away. I personally think anything that helps break up your outline has to help somewhat and I try to wear as much camo as I can when hunting.

I also highly recommend quality clothes. Cheap stuff will work but quality gear will keep you warmer, drier, and let you move better. Windproof clothing is a huge asset. A lot depends on how you hunt and you definitely may not need high price clothing but if you're out there all day or multiple days on end, get good stuff.
 
Depends on where and what I'm hunting. I've use it all from Gilly suit to just what ever I wear any other day.

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The only hunting for which I make sure I am camoed-up is waterfowl and turkey hunting, which I have largely discontinued. Otherwise, I feel a bit silly wearing the stuff. I still have a bunch of camo hunting duds, which was chosen for other attributes like warmth, water-proofness and/or quietness, or which were received as gifts. I am too thrifty to not wear stuff I already have, but it's worn for hunting, not to look outdoorsy when I go into town.

Hell, I probably have pieces in a dozen or so different camo patterns...and I don't know the name of any of 'em! :)

Nowadays, my most-used and most practical camo gear is white cover-ups for coyote hunting in the snow.
 
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