Camo Clothing

[JimD]

Hello all,

I wear camo insulated clothing every year.
Something I get one sometimes I don't.

When I was a kid my Uncle would take me hunting and he wore his US Army jacket some wool pants and a red vest. He use to even smoke in the tree stand and hand me the butt when a deer came into view ( I was seven). After he fired he would take the cig back and tell me not to smoke.

Is camo clothes really necessary?

Thanks,
Jim

[dukkillr]

Seems like we just had this thread.  Check around.  Short answer, no.  Camo is more for the hunter than anything else.  Some would disagree but I think tobacco products in the stand is a bad idea.

[Skunk]

I've never actually looked through the eyes of a deer, although with technology, that day may come, but I'm thinking Dukkillr has it pretty much spot on.

As to the smoking, I have a friend that never is successful at deer hunting. He is so addicted to smoking that he has himself believing that smoking while in the stand is a good way to bring in the deer, although it has never once been proven by him.

[JimD]

I agree completely.

Smoking is a bad idea in the tree stand and anywhere else.
My uncle use to smoke filter less cigs ( I think Winchesters?)
He died of the Big C in the '80's

But he did get deer. Ability trumps camo.
He was real good with that Springfield rifle

Thanks for the conversation.
Jim

[Land_Owner]

Most States REQUIRE Fluorescent Hunter Orange - over 500 square inches above the waist - and still we kill deer.

You can wear plaid...paisleys...tie die...a pink Tu Tu...go neked even; and still kill deer if conditions are right and you do your part (someone else is going to have to recommend these though - I just listed them for their potentially humorous aspects.  Don't try these in the woods!).

[Empty Quiver]

You can get by without, though it may cover some mistakes you make in your site selection. The pattern can make a huge difference though, MO breakup on snowy corn field or snow camo in a ground blind in oct for example, make you stand out. I feel large open patterns work very well in trees and at distance. The close intricate patterns are good with solid backgrounds and close up situations.

Motion is the true enemy of staying concealed. It is how you pick up a pine squirrel at 75 yds out of the corner of your eye. You don't think your vision is any more acute than that of a deer do you? In a stare down situation I honestly believe a headnet that obscures your eyes is more important than any other item you can wear. The shine of your eye and the motion gives you away as being alive, not another tree trunk.

[GRIMJIM]

I got my first deer with a bow in blue jeans and a harley shirt.

I do normally wear camo though.

[hunt-m-up]

Depends, at a couple hundred yards with a gun, no; at 10 yards with a bow it helps conceal movement, which as Empty said, is the real culprit. Most of my camo is at least 5-10 years old, pretty sure I'm out of style by now and the top and bottom seldom match. I'm not a very good camo consumer.

[Graybeard]

Chuck Adams is perhaps the most widely known bow hunter out there and has likely got more animals in the book both P&Y and B&C books than anyone else. In the early days before he became famous and got rich from that fame he didn't bother with camo and in fact made a point of the fact he felt it wasn't necesssary. He did and does all his hunting on the ground not from trees.

He wore jeans and plaid flannel shirts/jackets in those days. Now that he is famous he won't be seen without the latest camo pattern from which ever camo company is sponsoring him at the time.

The injuns didn't use it or need it nor did the early white settlers and all any of them had was close range weapons. Camo is for the hunter not the game. I like it so use it but accept that I'm buying it for me so get patterns I like the looks of and don't worry about game being spooked by it.

[BIG Dog454]

I believe deer are color blind,(and so are woodchucks), I believe that a solid color jacket coat or shirt, is easily spotted by them because nature has colors that are broken up; ie. camo.  I have had good luck using flannel or multi colored shirts etc. and have had bad luck when I would wear a solid color (ie. a white T-Shirt). So I believe in the multi color hunter orange for deer and stick to a multi, camo for ground hogs.

[Graybeard]

I agree with you. I think that's why those bold block plaid print shirts and jackets worked so well. In fact I think they are more effective at breaking up your outline than most camo patterns are. Heck most of the camo patterns I see have so little contrast and such small size tonal patterns they appear as a solid at much over spitting distance.

I also like to wear different patterns for pants than for top and cap or hat yet another for that same reason it keeps me from looking like a solid blob of a single color or shade.

[JonD.]

I have taken several deer in jeans and a work coat. I have cheap camo clothing and do use it, but I don't believe its a must. Myself, I think most of it is a money racket.

I have an uncle who has never wore anything but jeans/coat solid blaze orange hat and vest, who also smokes the whole time he's hunting and pees off the side of tree when he needs to. He kills a lot more deer than I do.

[Swampman]

I still wear some camo but I'm not replacing it as it wears out.  I'm convinced it's all hype.  I do like the old blob camo for it's retro look.  I'll buy it when I find it in thrift shops.

[Graybeard]

I suspect the old Woodland pattern you call the blob is actually more effective than almost all the newer patterns but it's not as good looking so doesn't sell as well. I too still use it at times when I see it available but mostly I admit to buying what appeals to my eyes since I'm the one wearing it and I want to be happy about what I'm wearing. I don't figure it has one bit of impact on my hunting success.

[squirrellluck]

The best pattern I have ever used my wife found in walmart sewing dept. Nothing but leaves and out of focus at that. Worked extremely well on ground. But I killed lots of deer before I owned camo.

[Empty Quiver]

One more thought on the subject. The camo'ed gear is many times better suited for hunting. I'm talking about the quietness of cloth, water resistance properties, light weight , things like that. Well worn Carharts are pretty good but by that time mine smell like diesel fuel and BO that will never wash out. They are usually insulated for a person who is working not sitting in a blind for several hours as well.

Sure if you look hard enough you can find dull woolen gear that will fill the bill. It is many times easier to just look for the camo wall and pick out your size and go on with life.