Camo and archery hunting

[KMT]

Ok. This has probably been discussed before, but I figured I would throw it out for discussion. I finally broke down and bought a new pair of camo pants to replace my old favorites. I was putting all of my gear together yesterday and noticed that my old pants were so faded that they were effectively just a "solid gray" pant from any distance over 15 yards. I use the pants for archery season (deer and elk) in Colorado.

Do any if you use a solid colored pant or shirt for bow hunting? If so, what color?

 

[Titaniumman]

I still wear camo, although like many people I think it's directed at catching hunters and not hiding from game. Fred Bear, Glenn St. Charles, Ben Pearson, etc. did pretty good without it. Movement, noise and wind trump camo I think.

 

[sk1]

i prefer camo, but would be willing to bet someone in olive, bown, or coyote brown type solid colors would do just as well as far as animals vision is concerned....possibly any color for that matter, but i would rather match the colors of the area you're hunting, camo or solid

 

[JG358]

I use grays and browns. I have lots of camo as well but more times than not, I'm wearing a gray hoodie in my hero shot pics.

 

[KMT]

I have two pairs of soft shell mountaineering/ hiking pants that are green or gray that seem to be of higher quality than my hunting camo in regards to weight, ability to dry quickly, and provide more stretch for climbing or stepping over logs. I may try them early in the season instead of camo.

 

[2rocky]

When it comes to pants I seldom have had a shot at a game animal standing on my own 2 feet. Usually I'm on my knees. If I had solid pants I liked, I wouldn't hesitate to wear them bowhunting.

 

[dotman]

This year I will be in all solid colors with a variety from kuiu, first lite and outdoor research. Guess i'll findout if camo maters this year

 

[Lawnboi]

Good camo breaks up your outline. Best thing is it hides you from other hunters.

I buy all my technical stuff in camo, and use it backpacking year round. No reason for me to buy solid colors, i dont mind wearing camo just backpacking or fishing. Its multipurpose that way.

I dont think camo is needed, its certainly not as important as movement, and wind are. But it still has its place in breaking up your outline. Pretty easy to spot somebody wearing darker solids from thier silhouete

 

[HellsCanyon]

I like Lawnboi wear camo year round when in the outdoors... Usually get funny looks from the Granolas in the summer time but they'll get over it!
As far as it being effective, I can't answer that question but I can tell you that I've noticed game being MUCH more likely to stick around if I'm wearing a face mask than if I don't. I think there is an instinctive nature of animals to pick out faces and eyes that we don't quite fully understand. It may just be that the facemask breaks up the outline of my face, but I can definitely say that it is effective. For that reason I also believe that camo is effective to a point.

Mike

 

[Lawnboi]

Hunting stands around here in WI really shows how much camo matters as well. Its pretty common to get pegged in your stand by a deer and have a staredown for a while. I think a good broken up outline helps you win those staredowns.

Im with hellscanyon, dont care what people think if i wear camo year round for my outdoor activities. Granola eaters dont mind the camo as much as the glock hanging off my belt though!

That being said there are only a handful of camo patters that I think really work at breaking up your outline, those being asat, kuiu, and sitka. All the other 'blend in' patterns seem to blob up

 

[fillthefreezer]

i like to wear camo when summer hiking so as not to be confused as a granola, the .44 helps with that too


i think lots of camo nowadays with the pictures of sticks turns into a dark mass for game as opposed to some of the better camo(vias, asat) that actually break up the outline of your two legs..

 

[bowinhand]

I haven't seen any difference in wearing camo or solids, Heck they make us wear blaze orange during gun seasons. from what I read blaze orange looks like bright yellow or white to animals. I think WIND and MOVEMENT are much more important to worry about when hunting than camo. I think camo has a mental effect on hunters that are trying to gain any edge they can. I like to wear different subdued colors such as vest pants shirt ect. to help break up my profile and grow a beard for the face mask. The good thing about solids is you can wear them around and not have any weird looks at all.

 

[dotman]

You would think that wearing solids would keep the weird looks away but the 44 changes that

 

[Goober]

I am a firm believer that camo is for hiding from hunters, not animals. That being said, I use alot of camo. But I also hunt in plaid, and solid colors. Most of the everyday clothing that I buy is neutral, earth-tone colors and is effective for blending in. I think the keys to staying undetected are overlooked by most hunters due to a belief that there camo is hiding them. These are my do-or-die rules:

1. use the shadows. This is huge, and hugely overlooked. Stay in the shadows as much as possible, and be aware of your own shadow.
2. Hide your face. rub some mud on it, paint it, pull up a neck gaiter. Your face is brite, and you move it alot, and animals pick it out easily.
3. Use terrain. Stay low, don't skyline yourself.
4. Use cover. Get something between you and the animal, but just as important, keep some behind you as well.

I think if you do those things well, you got a pretty good chance to stay hidden, with or without camo. But I wear it. I prefer the "open" patterns ASAT, Predator.