Open Country vs Subalpine

[sf jakey]

Kuiu verde seems to me to be a better pattern for archery elk than the vias. Vias seems more oriented to longer distance and more open country late season. Sitka SA also seems more oriented to early and OC to late. Up wind and no movement is all i know absolutely works though. I also dont understand a camo short sleeve shirt. Your arms move more than anything, yet they are uncovered? Stupid

 

[jspradley]

Option C- It doesn't matter.

 

[gotstuffguys]

I know this post is 4 years old now but wanted to know if anybody had anymore updated oppinions...meaning any more hunts that were blown or worked with particular camo etc. Im a firm believer in a couple things that i believe are huge when close stalking or at distance stalking. The first is of ultimate importance and that is scent and wind....ive seen elk ignore a hunter that looked like they stuck out like sore thumb and he got within 15 yards and stuck a nice bull. Ive seen them wind a guy at 300 yards who crossed their wind and they were gone gone and i mean really gone! LOL! Their eyesight is not like our clear vision...they have wider view to catch movement but not for clarity. Scent and close movement is key.

Also, as long as your camo is the right color for the season and if you can wear two different patterns to really break up your outline (unless your top and bottom dont "match" up into one big form of the camo), then i believe that helps as well. Im 55 years old and have hunted elk and western rockies critters since i was a child of 9 or 10 year old. Believe first elk hunt was when i was 9 ish??? Anyway, the camo that they had back then looks like the sitka ltd run that was mentioned earlier in this post...atas. Colors that go from dark to lite also break up your outline believe it or not and thats why hunters in the old days that wore tan brown or green pants and grey wool upper or jacket actually broke up their outlines. I actually read an article about one of the cofounders of Sitka that went on to start Kuiu noticed this on some hunts to africa. He noticed that wild dogs, snakes and other predators didnt have camo patterns but some of them went from lite to dark to lite color changes that were drastic and not blending so they were hard to spot in the landscape. Same as brownish deer standing behing brush with entire head and shoulders sticking out but yet you looked by it three times before you spotted it! LOL! And dont say you have not done this! LOL! Goes back to my personal belief of wear the right colors for the season you are in and if its early august elk bow hunt then more browns, tans and blacks with a bit of green or if in the timber add a bit more green. Middle of october to november prior to snow fall, in fact where i hunted in oregon this year, grey buck brush, green reprod and browns, reds and blacks of treebark etc. Once snow flies, get on some white camo white over coat etc.

Anyway, woke up on the couch and got on the interweb and found this few yr old article which got me thinking. Agree with me or disagree or somewhere in between....experience doesnt lie and colors for the season and scent/wind is everything. Todays new POOPH and other natural smell covers etc cant do any harm and help for sure in my opinion but hey we all have our own opinions so chimn in on this. thanks

 

[Ditt44]

Once you move beyond motion and scent control, I think the color palette matters most, as you noted. Open County blends well with EV2 and neither of them blend well with Sub Alpine. OC and EV2 have a similar palette of more muted tones where SA tends to be more vibrant. Matching the tones/shades to your environment will definitely help but this all varies by pursuit. Long-range rifle hunting, doesn't matter what you wear. Archery, I think you are better off in camo but you know you can deer in solids. To me it is more about how comfortable the clothing is before the 'look'. I am all in on Sitka and have pieces in all patterns and a few solids. If I'm exposed in archery, it's full camo. Sitting in a blind or semi-concealed ladder stand, I may opt for my grey timblerlines. In a box blind, doesn't matter but I want to be warm and comfortable.

If starting out or refitting your gear, I would get the color palette most similar to the majority of your hunting style and environment and go from there. Any pattern will work fine just don't stink, don't fidget and keep your nose out of your phone.

 

[Desk Jockey]

IMO opinion there is something to be said for blending in With the color palette of your background. I hunt a lot of northeast hardwoods and there are leaves when bow season starts but by now and until season end in January, there is very little foliage. I still wear a good bit of subalpine, but I have to think I look like a man shaped dark gray - or whatever they see green as - bush to a deer against a back drop that is mostly light gray hardwood bark. It works, but it can’t help.

 

[Maverick1]

4 years later - it still doesn’t matter. Movement and wind direction do.