Best clothing lines for backpack sheep hunting?

[recurveman]

heading in on the 7th to take a look around and then stay for the hunt. Just trying to get my fill of dehydrated meals and maybe pet a grizzly bear . Should be interesting.

Are you waiting until next year? You have your ram already spotted!!!!!!!

 

[idig4au]

Mountaineering people go higher, further, and longer than that any sheep hunter, and have been doing it since way before Sitka and Kuiu came along. So I still buy from mountain brands most of the time. If I had to pick one it would probably be Outdoor Research, but thankfully mixing is allowable.

Nothing wrong with the high end hunting brands either (I use some of that too), but Kuiu vs Sitka vs whatever isn't going to be what makes or breaks a sheep hunt.

What he said...

 

[Geetar]

heading in on the 7th to take a look around and then stay for the hunt. Just trying to get my fill of dehydrated meals and maybe pet a grizzly bear . Should be interesting.

Are you waiting until next year? You have your ram already spotted!!!!!!!

Yea I missed the deadline to get a tag and so I just went on a scouting mission to see how I liked it and if I could hack it. It will be next year for me. Take a pair of scissors and clip some griz hair off when you pet him. It will make a good silencer for your recurve lol

 

[Sheepies Irae]

Alaska seems better everytime I learn something about it like this. I live in lower 48 so I’d have to move there but it might be worth it.

Believe me when I say the thing that keeps me an Alaska resident is the sheep. Not the annual 1k$ check.

 

[Jimss]

Not to stir the pot but to make a point.....looking at an earlier photo in this post with the hunter dressed in Kuiu camo with a giant, solid-colored grey backpack. Does the backpack starkly stand out in the photo? That is one reason I chose a camo backpack and what camo will do to blend you in with the surroundings...especially a giant backpack! You might also notice that the hunter is wearing the same camo pattern on his tops plus bottoms. The only thing I would change with the camo in those photos is wear different camo on tops vs bottoms to get rid of the human profile. Vias is a great camo pattern and coloration but the human profile is still fairly apparent. One of the things I've noticed is around 70% of hunters wear the same camo on tops plus bottoms. For super spooky game it may make a difference? You can likely tell I am super nit-picky!

 

[Sheepies Irae]

The first sheep hunt I went on we wore polyester slacks from value village, leather boots, had heavy barney’s packs, old school wool shirts, and grundens rubber rain gear. My Dad wanted to show me that you can hunt sheep on the cheap and it makes you no worse off (except perhaps a weight penalty), and he did a solid job.

Today, I run KUIU vias but have historically used all solids to save money. I am almost sold on the vias simply because I had a young ram who couldn’t see me in the open at about 60 yards. I am equally as unsure whether it was the camo or the fact that I stood real still.

I think camo works but is really not worth buying until the rest of your sheep gear is dialed in. I spent years adjusting my gear before even thinking about shelling the cash out for top of the line kuiu gear, because solid grey eddie bauer accomplishes the same task for a third of the price.

Even then, UL hiking cottage companies offer a lot better gear for sheep hunters than KUIU does if you are willing to baby your delicate gear. If you wanna be a really great sheep hunter, focus on weight first then worry about color, then worry about camo factor.

That all being said, if you have infinite money, I tend to agree KUIU vias is the best camo pattern for sheep just based on the idea that it’s based on snow leopard hide. Debatably, Snow leopards are probably the world’s best sheep/goat hunters around. There’s a reason animals are the way they are and it’s theoretically because they’ve evolved for hundreds/thousands of years to avoid being seen by their prey.



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[Kotaman]

Not to stir the pot but to make a point.....looking at an earlier photo in this post with the hunter dressed in Kuiu camo with a giant, solid-colored grey backpack. Does the backpack starkly stand out in the photo? That is one reason I chose a camo backpack and what camo will do to blend you in with the surroundings...especially a giant backpack! You might also notice that the hunter is wearing the same camo pattern on his tops plus bottoms. The only thing I would change with the camo in those photos is wear different camo on tops vs bottoms to get rid of the human profile. Vias is a great camo pattern and coloration but the human profile is still fairly apparent. One of the things I've noticed is around 70% of hunters wear the same camo on tops plus bottoms. For super spooky game it may make a difference? You can likely tell I am super nit-picky!

If you're being busted because of your grey colored backpack, you have more problems going on than your gray colored backpack. To answer your TWO questions: NO. Sheep hunters get "busted" for two reasons while sheep hunting: 1. Sky lining themselves. 2. Movement. Camo or pack color is irrelevant.

 

[Jimss]

You are certainly right about movement and skylining! My preference is a camo backpack and different combos of top/bottom camo while stationary or moving. Top notch camo stationary is amazing! It seems like a solid colored backpack and the human profile would alert game a lot easier than if they blend in with excellent camo? I'm colorblind and it certainly makes a lot of difference to me!

Breaking up the human outline with different tops and bottoms just makes a lot of sense to me....even if it's the best camo color and pattern available. It may not matter much but the little things are important to pull everything in my favor! I just returned from a sheep hunt a week ago. I'm sure I would have gotten a ram if I wore levis and an orange t-shirt but I sure looked good in Kuiu and Sitka!

 

[wind gypsy]

My guide this year said he previously had a client leave a negative review because he wore a solid grey jacket

 

[Bambistew]

I think camo has its place, and if I bow hunted more, I would wear it. I do think it helps when stalking animals at close range, but at longer ranges, say 100+ yards, I'm not convinced its effective. IMO, An animal will see the movement not the colors. I've had animals walk within feet of me when motionless, and camo-free. IMO, they can not see as well as humans. Think about it, how easy can you see detail at 100 yards vs movement. I don't think camo is a requirement to kill sheep. Would it help? Maybe. Could you prove it helped? I doubt it. Also why do all sheep hunters seem to need a long range rifle and camo?

I had a camo backpack when I was in highschool. Set it down one day to put a stalk on an elk, and it took me an hour to find it again. haha I'll stick with easier to find solid ones, and I learned a valuable lesson...

There are tons of inexpensive options out there made from the same type (plastic) materials that are very durable, dry quickly and provide the same comforts as the major top "hunting" brands. What the hunting brands have done is provide a whole suit for you to purchase all at once, and took the guess work out of mixing and matching. On the other hand you only have to buy clothing every so many years so it's really not that big of an investment on lifetime of wear perspective. I'm just not convinced that any "brand" is required for any sort of hunting.

The only camo I consistently wear is a $7 fleece baseball hat I bought at walmart about 15 years ago. I wish I could find another one like it mine is getting worn out. Pants/shirt/pullover in each of these pics are less than $100 combined...

 

[BigSlapper]

I have a mixed bag of clothing, however, most used seems to be my Kuiu Verde line. Comfortable, tough ... and invisible!

 

[Geetar]

I think camo has its place, and if I bow hunted more, I would wear it. I do think it helps when stalking animals at close range, but at longer ranges, say 100+ yards, I'm not convinced its effective. IMO, An animal will see the movement not the colors. I've had animals walk within feet of me when motionless, and camo-free. IMO, they can not see as well as humans. Think about it, how easy can you see detail at 100 yards vs movement. I don't think camo is a requirement to kill sheep. Would it help? Maybe. Could you prove it helped? I doubt it. Also why do all sheep hunters seem to need a long range rifle and camo?

I had a camo backpack when I was in highschool. Set it down one day to put a stalk on an elk, and it took me an hour to find it again. haha I'll stick with easier to find solid ones, and I learned a valuable lesson...

There are tons of inexpensive options out there made from the same type (plastic) materials that are very durable, dry quickly and provide the same comforts as the major top "hunting" brands. What the hunting brands have done is provide a whole suit for you to purchase all at once, and took the guess work out of mixing and matching. On the other hand you only have to buy clothing every so many years so it's really not that big of an investment on lifetime of wear perspective. I'm just not convinced that any "brand" is required for any sort of hunting.

The only camo I consistently wear is a $7 fleece baseball hat I bought at walmart about 15 years ago. I wish I could find another one like it mine is getting worn out. Pants/shirt/pullover in each of these pics are less than $100 combined...

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Thanks for the advice sir. I see yours is an experienced opinion. Guess I should have clarified more or left the word camo out when I asked the question. What I was really looking for was what clothing types sheep hunters use. Reason being I’m a total newbie to that department. I can’t answer the question about the long range rifle. I plan to stick with my 06 unless I upgrade to something different in a few years. Reason being is I shoot it well and I’m not planning to go beyond ranges I’m comfortable with. Seems to be a push in the hunting community to see how far we can shoot these days. I haven’t bought into that one yet.

 

[Kotaman]

Mountaineering people go higher, further, and longer than that any sheep hunter, and have been doing it since way before Sitka and Kuiu came along. So I still buy from mountain brands most of the time. If I had to pick one it would probably be Outdoor Research, but thankfully mixing is allowable.

Nothing wrong with the high end hunting brands either (I use some of that too), but Kuiu vs Sitka vs whatever isn't going to be what makes or breaks a sheep hunt.

For me it comes down to supporting the companies that support my passion. Some of these mountaineering companies are pretty "green" when it comes to hunting and I choose NOT to support that. I don't care how good their stuff is, if they don't support hunting, I don't support them.

 

[AKYZ450F]

hmmm, no camo and no scopes....

?????? hip boots and maybe a carhart coat??? nawww.... must be photoshopped!!

Either that or the sheep of old were blind....

Bib overalls??? The guy must have had these 3 rams just walk into camp....

Same with this guy...

Neat pictures Really like the 1895's