Whats your opinion on ghillie suits

[Robert501st]

I bought the Mark Anthony ghillie made by Bushrag several years ago. I’ve seen ghillies used by snipers, or more accurately, not seen them used by snipers. Ive had squirrels and raccoons almost walk into my lap before.

For ground hunts I’ve found the pants aren’t necessary because I’m almost always backed into or behind good cover and kneeling for the shot. Only issue is they get stuck on and pick up every single stick, twig, leaf, and cockle burr you pass if you wear it walking in to a stand. I don’t put the jacket on unless I’m either at my spot or still hunting my way around.

[Ognennyy]

Do you really need one?

- Are you willing to tolerate a little more hassle? Several people have mentioned already that you will be hotter wearing it, it will pick up all sorts of sticks and burrs, and good ones are expensive.

- Are you doing a lot of run-n-gun setups? Boogieman mentioned deer noticing changes in their environment. While I'm not certain how much they really notice those changes, I think a ghillie suit when used properly (sitting directly on the ground) can really help minimize that effect.

- Proximity; the closer you have to be to where you expect the deer to be when you shoot, IMO, the more a ghillie suit is called for.

- How much of a connection to nature, or how much of an adrenaline rush are you after? Again this deals with proximity. A few people have pointed out that having good cover will do wonders for making your silhouette less visible. But that only works up to a certain range.

A ghillie suit was originally designed for concealment in very up close and personal encounters (read; whatever you're hiding from is close enough to step on you). And they're very effective at that. It's my belief that they are most called for if you plan to be within 5-10 yards of a deer when you shoot. Their best use is to sit directly on the ground with your back up against a tree, rock, stump, etc. etc. with the expected line of deer travel off to your dominant shooting side. The closer you situate yourself to the ground the more you eliminate your silhouette line, and therefore the closer you can get to something without being detected.

If you're not trying to get extremely up close and personal a ghillie is probably not necessary in my opinion.

This vid has great information on how to set up for sitting directly on the ground for extreme close encounters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Rw9XYIFnU A lot of the things he talks about (how to get cover for your legs) are made obsolete by using a ghillie suit.

[Tufrthnails]

In my opinion they are hot, combersome, and hard to shoot a bow in. That said I think that a person could be really successful in one. I use a leafy suit during bow season hear in FL. I feel like I do get away with more movement wearing it, but that could just be in my head.

[ghoasthunter]

you dont need to look like some guy from star wars just break up the human profile a confusing pattern like first lite, sitka, or kryptek even old school flanel will do a great job then cover up your head and shoulders with a leafy mask or camo netting. the first thing any animal will pic up on is forward facing eyes of a predator its in all animals genetic code to do this. or at least thats what i read in a article.

[Horizontal Hunter]

In my opinion they are hot, combersome, and hard to shoot a bow in. That said I think that a person could be really successful in one. I use a leafy suit during bow season hear in FL. I feel like I do get away with more movement wearing it, but that could just be in my head.

I also felt that I got away with more movement with the leafy suit and some well placed brush to break up my outline. This will be my first year with the preadator suit.

The predator kill suit is inbetween a leafy suit and a traditional ghillie. Instead of using jute twine it uses a mesh suit and mesh strips. It I started much lighter and much more breathable.

I hunt on the ground 100% at this point.

Bob

[john1984]

I think the head net is most important. So it hides your shoulder/head silhouette.

[elk yinzer]

I don't have a lot of ground hunting experience specifically for deer, but I've encountered a whole lot of deer on the ground scouting and hunting other stuff. Today I came across 3 does blackberry picking and stalked within 20 yards wearing solid gray pants and a green t shirt. Deer see movement imo, period end of story. Ghillies I see as a confidence thing, if it makes you more confident ground hunting, probably worth its weight in gold because ground hunting whitetails is darn tough to do.

[BassBoysLLP]

Love my ghillie. I definitely noticed a difference vs. no ghillie. Great investment.

[Scratchman]

Do you really need one?

- Are you willing to tolerate a little more hassle? Several people have mentioned already that you will be hotter wearing it, it will pick up all sorts of sticks and burrs, and good ones are expensive.

- Are you doing a lot of run-n-gun setups? Boogieman mentioned deer noticing changes in their environment. While I'm not certain how much they really notice those changes, I think a ghillie suit when used properly (sitting directly on the ground) can really help minimize that effect.

- Proximity; the closer you have to be to where you expect the deer to be when you shoot, IMO, the more a ghillie suit is called for.

- How much of a connection to nature, or how much of an adrenaline rush are you after? Again this deals with proximity. A few people have pointed out that having good cover will do wonders for making your silhouette less visible. But that only works up to a certain range.

A ghillie suit was originally designed for concealment in very up close and personal encounters (read; whatever you're hiding from is close enough to step on you). And they're very effective at that. It's my belief that they are most called for if you plan to be within 5-10 yards of a deer when you shoot. Their best use is to sit directly on the ground with your back up against a tree, rock, stump, etc. etc. with the expected line of deer travel off to your dominant shooting side. The closer you situate yourself to the ground the more you eliminate your silhouette line, and therefore the closer you can get to something without being detected.

If you're not trying to get extremely up close and personal a ghillie is probably not necessary in my opinion.

This vid has great information on how to set up for sitting directly on the ground for extreme close encounters https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4Rw9XYIFnU A lot of the things he talks about (how to get cover for your legs) are made obsolete by using a ghillie suit.

These really are the questions.......hassle, sure, it's all a hassle. The heat for me is not huge. NH opener is 9/15 their may be a few summer days in there, but it cools off quick. Run and gun, yes, maybe 1 or two out of 40-50 hunts will be preset. I usually saddle up but, AM hunts I often end up on the ground. I like the ground because you can really nuance your set up. Connection......I want all of it, have been seeking that face to face shot. Buck or doe doesn't matter. The whitetail adrenaline vids get me pumped for that stuff. I also may or may not have the script to that bow ninja video memorized....... A while back I heard Barry Wensel say that bow hunting was not a game of how far, but how close. Ever since I heard that I have thought that every time I consider a setup.

[Scratchman]

I don't have a lot of ground hunting experience specifically for deer, but I've encountered a whole lot of deer on the ground scouting and hunting other stuff. Today I came across 3 does blackberry picking and stalked within 20 yards wearing solid gray pants and a green t shirt. Deer see movement imo, period end of story. Ghillies I see as a confidence thing, if it makes you more confident ground hunting, probably worth its weight in gold because ground hunting whitetails is darn tough to do.

Yup. Confidence will keep you still when you think no one is looking but they are....................

[Scratchman]

you dont need to look like some guy from star wars just break up the human profile a confusing pattern like first lite, sitka, or kryptek even old school flanel will do a great job then cover up your head and shoulders with a leafy mask or camo netting. the first thing any animal will pic up on is forward facing eyes of a predator its in all animals genetic code to do this. or at least thats what i read in a article.

But I want to look like a guy from star wars...........I'll be the head cover up is the key ingredient, if you do you best to have good back cover.

[Scratchman]

This is what mine looks like with the added Sneaky Leaf:



I'm sure it's fine for deer as is but I will also use i to hunt bear on ocassion and they differentiate color better than deer.

The sneaky leaf just gives it more depth and helps with the blob effect. IMO

I highly recommend that you order it early and air it out. It had a very strong smell to it when it first came out of the package. A wash in scent free soap and a few days to air out and it was fine.

I used the scent free soap as it doesn't have any UV brighteners not its scent free properties.

I hunt 100% on the ground as I am too old and busted up to be climbing trees.

Bob

This is the route I will probably go.

[DaveT1963]

I have been using ghillies for years - my system evolved over the last decade to the lightweight mesh suits (kill suit from APC) and my customized hammock hunting seat or waldrop pack saddle. I found ground hunting is the single best way to get away form the crowds as it lets me hunt deer where they like to go - treeless, brushy tangles or overgrown weed/CRP fields. With my hammock seat, a couple PVC tubes and my pruners I can be set up in minutes just about anywhere I can find a 2 inch sapling... with my waldrops - anywhere.

[JoeRE]

In my opinion you can get away without a ghillie for deer hunting in most situations. Deer just don't have that good of eyesight and you can get away with slow movements as long as your outline is broken up. I've been in just a few spots where a ghillie was useful for deer hunting - if I can set up next to something that breaks my outline up and not be skylined that's all I really try to do for deer. For turkey hunting a ghillie really comes in handy, I have used one for quite a few years hunting turkeys with a bow, without a blind. I hate the idea of sitting in ground blinds. I have had turkeys walk within feet of me and have no clue I was there, wearing a ghillie. I have had deer stand 10' away and chew their cud, me just a lump in the woods. The deer were all upwind of course There really is nothing in comparison to 3-d camoflage. All the 2-d patterns out there are nothing by comparison.

Don't get hung up on terminology, you can create an effect similar to a ghillie by hanging a few small branches or bunches of grass off the shoulders of your jacket or sides of your had if you need 3-d camouflage fast and don't want to tote a ghillie around. I sewed paracord tie offs onto my hunting clothes so I can tie on some vegetation and look like a clump of grass or a bush in a few minutes.

[headgear]

I tried a friends once, didn't like shooting my bow with it. I have enough faith in the open camo patterns to hunt on the ground without a ghillie.