Camouflage necessary for waterfowl?

mosinmaster

mosinmaster

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For blending in, I don't really have the budget to buy Mossy Oak tops and bottoms. I know that back in the day people just wore brown/tan jackets and got the job done. I was wondering if these jackets would blending in with the marshes and reeds.

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http://www.dickies.ca/mens-clothing/mens-outerwear/Blanket-Lined-Duck-Jacket-D17001.jsp


Or any of the 'duck brown' jackets from dickie's line: http://www.dickies.ca/mens-clothing/mens-outerwear.jsp
 
That jacket is $85, about the same price as a waterfowl jacket. Cabelas (US) is having a big clothing sale, might want to check it out.

url]http://www.cabelas.com/product/Home/Giant-Hunting-Wear-Sale-Waterfowl%7C/pc/105625080/c/106903080/Cabelas-Northern-Flight-Wading-Jacket/750771.uts?destination=%2Fbrowse.cmd%3FcategoryId%3D106903080%26WTz_l%3DHome%253Bcat110998980&WTz_l=Home%3Bcat110998980%3Bcat106903080[/url]
 
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If you watch for sales, you can beat that price on camo...

Camo is not "required", but it sure does help. Ducks and geese are keen observers. They are wary of anything that looks out of place, and the more you can hide yourself, the better.

If you are hunting from a blind, your attire doesn't matter quite as much obviously, but as said, if you look for it, you can get all camo'd up pretty inexpensively.
 
I was reading and people say that motion gives you away, and your pink face staring up at them is also a giveaway. Otherwise, back in the 30's and 40's people just went out in plaid jackets or brown coats and just sat in the reeds and shot them just as well as we do today...

I also have a US woodland camo parka I use for deer hunting, would that work? Doubt it.
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And German flecktarn pattern?
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I suppose the desert pattern would work:
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mosinmaster said:
I was reading and people say that motion gives you away, and your pink face staring up at them is also a giveaway. Otherwise, back in the 30's and 40's people just went out in plaid jackets or brown coats and just sat in the reeds and shot them just as well as we do today...
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Absolutely correct. Those are the biggest giveaways.

Can it be done without camo? yup. But it's all about increasing your chances. Lots of things factor in also. You might get early season birds that'll be foolish enough to come near you, but once they've been shot at a couple times they get very wary.

"They" used to do all kinds of things back then that we have "improved" over the years. Guns have changed, camo has changed.

Like I said, it's not required, but it does help alot.
 
Camo is not required, but it is nice. In lieu of camo, darker colors work better than lighter colors. Movement is a huge enemy, combined with light colors you will stand out. Skin showing is another factor, as well as jewelry, watches, glasses, Thermos, cups etc. etc. etc. Gloves and a scarf or neckerchief are a plus. Try and get the shine off of exposed skin. Facepaint, dirt or dust work well. I usually have a wine cork and a cigarette lighter in my gear. Burn and end of the cork and wipe it on your face, cheap and easy.

Just remember that movement and shine are bad.
 
One other factor that cannot be overstated is that birds are quite intelligent as far as recognizing patterns. We've all heard about "educated" birds that have learned to spot hunting setups. Back in the day when people wore their plaid sweaters to shoot ducks, the ducks were not as exposed to hunters during the fall. Depending on what you are gunning for, you might be faced with larger flocks of ducks with many older (wiser) birder in the formation. The older birds have seen more duck hunters in their lifetime than you have - and they are still around. They aren't geniuses, but they are not dummies either.
 
they can see the whites of youre eyes ,,look down and only look up when you are ready to shoot..also keep youre ammo hidden. :)
 
I grew up hunting waterfowl before camo for hunters existed. Lots of birds got shot and eaten. LOTS. It is absolutely not necessary. Most camo is meant to work on human eyes, not game animals or birds. If it was meant to work on animal or bird vision, it would look like what animals wear. Do cougars wear camo? Coyotes? Wolves? Deer? THAT is what works as camouflage for animal vision.

Birds can see color (that is why they wear it), so avoid bright red for example, but it is motion of any color that will ruin things.

Wear something earth toned. Stay still. Your face, glasses, glints off guns, etc. are bad things, but staying still is more important than any camo. Don't forget to stay still
 
Cover your face and hands for sure, and reduce motion to a minimum. OR hide in a blind where you can't be seen. Two sticks, burlap and some mud/reeds will do the trick.
 
For anyone on a budget, try Walmart(sorry, I know). They have waterfowl camo in Mossy Oak and Wetland. These usually go on sale at the end of the season also.

DF:D
 
If you don't want to spend money on waterfoul specific clothing, and I can't blame you actually, then there are easier ways around this.

If you can, use a blind. Unless you are wearing blaze orange, and maybe even if you are, it is unlikely the bird will spot you if you are covered under a blind. Blinds typically also have the advantage of letting you move about without letting the birds see that until the last second. But blinds can be expensive, or at least difficult to manage or construct.

An very inexpensive way to deal with this situation is to swing past the hunting section of even Canadian Tire or Walmart. Pick up a package of the pre-printed Burlap. For about $10 you get a big chuck of non-reflective, ratty looking fabric which, if you pick the right pattern, will blend in with your surroundings quite well. With a little imagination, you can use it to make a very simple blind (a few tent poles help), or a tunic/poncho, or simply drape it over yourself. For $10 you get all the advantages of camoflage, as well as wearing pretty much any jacket you want.
 
Hey mosin... I have some camo fabric I use for waterfowl... I just use my regular deer outfit in realtree ap hd and make myself a "smock" of this burlap stuff with a hole to put my head through... I got a freezer full right no wand they never turned away from a call.... if you need a bit let me know and I will send you some....
 
thebigslide said:
Back in the day when people wore their plaid sweaters to shoot ducks, the ducks were not as exposed to hunters during the fall. Depending on what you are gunning for, you might be faced with larger flocks of ducks with many older (wiser) birder in the formation. The older birds have seen more duck hunters in their lifetime than you have - and they are still around. They aren't geniuses, but they are not dummies either.
Click to expand...

Back in the day in the US, hunters virtually wiped out game populations through out a good part of the US. They shot everything that could be eaten. Several species of ducks were driven to almost extinction levels. All those hunters wore on their backs was either brown canvas or wool (sold and muted plaid) coats. None had camo shotguns either - all were wood and bued.
 
When we were kids, we'd go duck hunting with my Dad, Grandpa, and uncles, none of whom had anything camo. My brother and I would wear our green and gold hockey jackets and blue jeans, and maybe a blue or black hat. Dad wore jeans and a black jacket all the time.

We'd get our limit every time we went out, and I used a 20ga single shot cooey! When we'd leave the pond with our limit, the ducks would still be coming in. There was no feed ever used, and no blinds, just stood on shore beside a bush or tree.

No movement is the key to fooling ducks. That said, I do own camo, mostly because its water proof, quiet, and lite, but I'm not naive enough to think I have to have it.
 
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