Rifle glare

[FishfinderAK]

How OCD do you guys get about hiding glare during your Dall sheep hunts?
I alway cover my watch, paint my poles, and avoid sunglasses etc on mountain hunts.
Going on a sheep hunt in a couple weeks and am kinda worried about my stainless Tikka. I was considering just rattle canning it. But don’t really wanna have to remove and resight the scope this late in the game.
Do you worry about rifle glare spooking sheep?

 

[TriX10]

Instead of painting the barrel, you could look into a field rifle cover. This way you are taking out 2 birds with one stone. Protecting the barrel from obstruction (water, dirt, mud) and from game potentially picking up on any glare.

 

[ColeyG]

There are lots of shiny things in the mountains. I think they tune into movement a lot more than anything else. Obviously something moving around and flashing would be a problem. As such, I try to keep flashy stuff tucked away while moving. By the time spotters and rifles start coming out, I am usually moving slowly or stationary trying to get set up.

I usually store my sunglasses on my head/hat when I am not wearing them. It can be easy to forget to tuck those away as I transition into stalk or close quarters mode. The lenses on sunglasses can throw quite a glare as well.

I have a Tikka T3x and in my opinion it is pretty subdued as it comes. I haven't done anything to my scopes or rifles to reduce their visual impact.

 

[Yellowknife]

There are lots of shiny things in the mountains. I think they tune into movement a lot more than anything else.

My experience as well.

I've never even thought about it. My experience is that they can and will key in on movement at ridiculous distances, but if will walk right up to a motionless object. Every ram I've ever spooked has been by either movement or scent. Rifle barrels are thin and round and not particularly flashy. No more than a silver stick at any distance and unlikely to be an issue IMO.

 

[duchntr]

Nope no rifle cover, I wear sunglasses and I use a stainless rifle. If it make you happy rattle can it up, but by no means is it necessary.

 

[jkdrgn]

I guess I'm the odd man out, I like to hit my rifle barrels whether blued or stainless with a light coat of flat brown, black, or whatever. It probably wouldn't matter, but it's cheap insurance. I have noticed other hunters by the glint on their barrels. I paint my tripod, bow limbs, and anything else that can glint with the same. It'll wear off after a season or two, so just hit it again, don't take the scope off or anything, just cover the lenses, and give it a dusting.

 

[TalusHunterCA]

There are a variety of gun socks and protective rain covers that you can use. Also, I usually have any semi-custom rifle barrel bead-blasted to a duller finish and never hunt with a glossy stock.

 

[thinhorn_AK]

Never even considered it. I still won’t ever consider it.

 

[Decker9]

When I bought my first stainless tikka, my partners watching me stalk a goat all commented on how well the camo worked, but all said my stainless barrel stood out like a sore thumb in the sun. Since then iv always wrapped my stainless barrels.

 

[FishfinderAK]

Hmm thank you for all the input.

I’ve had similar experiences watching hunting partners rifle glare in the distance.

I wish I would’ve taken care of this 6 months ago. But for now I might just cover the scope lens, eject port, and muzzle and give ‘er light dusting of Krylon camo. Then do a better more professional looking job this winter.

 

[Formidilosus]

Just because a human sees it and notices it, doesn’t mean animals will. I have yet to see any indication that animal care about shine from a barrel or sunglasses.

Camo and shine is for humans, you’re not hunting humans.

 

[B_Reynolds_AK]

Alaska Hydrographics do a great job of Cerakoting barrels and actions if you are worried about it too much. The coating is great for protection as well. I always go with a dark grey color that blends in with alpine terrain really well.

 

[jhm2023]

I don't get too worked up about glare, but I do try to keep the sun at my back so I don't get lit up. I've taken a lot of animals with stainless rifles while wearing sunglasses and a watch. I turn my watch so the face is on the inside of my wrist, a habit from my sneaky days in the sandbox. There are a lot of shiny things in the mountains like rocks, water, airplane pieces, etc. Last year while glassing a band of rams I noticed several shiny things on the ground around them and one sheep even picked a piece of it up and was playing with it. Turned out being a bunch of plexiglas and air plane pieces. I did get my rifle cerakoted a flat charcoal color after last season, but that was because the salted cape in my pack rubbed my rifle and caused some rust.

 

[ChrisAU]

Might look into this? Can even get it in Vias:

https://www.gunskins.com/products/rifle-skin?variant=48598608469

 

[Molon Labe]

How OCD do you guys get about hiding glare during your Dall sheep hunts?
I alway cover my watch, paint my poles, and avoid sunglasses etc on mountain hunts.
Going on a sheep hunt in a couple weeks and am kinda worried about my stainless Tikka. I was considering just rattle canning it. But don’t really wanna have to remove and resight the scope this late in the game.
Do you worry about rifle glare spooking sheep?

If an animal is close enough to be worried about reflected sunlight off a shiny piece of equipment it is probably too late...it already saw you moving.

I wouldn't worry too much about removing a scope and rezeroing it. You should be shooting a couple times a week anyway as you get closer to opener.

I always have sunglasses. Eyes need to be protected. Sun is brutal when it is out...