Is camo overrated?

[dan]

You know I still think the good old Army issue woodland camo blends better than most hunting camo.

[Singing Bridge]

In my view most production camo is highly overrated. Sitting still, moving on the buck at the right time, anticipating the bucks approach and positioning the stand or blind and many other factors like playing the wind take top priority with me- camo is very secondary. My hunting mentality is the buck is going down hard irregardless if I'm wearing the best camo or a pair of drab jeans with a hooded sweatshirt.

[Beauford]

U-V Killer?
If you don't wash your outfits for eliminating odor, and camo might be overrated. Has anybody used certain wash to kill the U-V from your outfit. What can a deer really see?

[matt1336]

I have- but never tested w/ a black light.

[publiclandhunter]

The UV thing has been proven scientifically, so I have to believe it has merit. I use it on the pop-up blinds that I sometimes use.

I agree with Dan in that the good-old army camo is still a fine choice, especially early season. A good surplus store is hard to find these days!

PLH

[Indianahunter]

What can deer see? I think this is a great topic as I have been thinking about it quite a lot lately reading about Optifade camo. You have one camp of scientists and reputable colleges saying they only see black and white. You have another reputable group that says they see shades of yellow and blue, but no red,and no green. Then of course you have the other group that says they see ultra violet light glowing blue like Luke Skywalker's light saber.
I think other then the deer, only God knows for sure!

Here is what I also think. Whatever green, brown, blue, yellow, and red look like to a deer, if those colors are in your camo regardless of what color deer perceive them to be, wouldn't they still look like everything else that color in the things they see every day? I mean as long as the color of your camo is the same as your surroundings wouldn't you blend in? (aside from the possibility that you're glowing )

So now on to camo types. You have detail oriented patterns that attempt to make you look like specific elements in the woods. Then you have large contrasting camo that attempts to break up your outline rather then resemble something. And now we have Optifade which is suppose to fool a deer's eyes by using macro and micro digital pixel imagery.

I wouldn't never blow anyone any smoke for the camo they wear. That being said....Resembling camo like Realtree, Mossy Oak, Lost all have the right colors, but they try and put an entire forest worth of detail in the width of your chest and the length of your body. The woods is full of voids between details, the obvious effect is blobbing. I can spot someone in this type of camo moving around 200 yards away, now imagine a weary old warrior deer?????
I have never used the Optifade camo nor do I know anyone who has it, so I have never seen it in action in the real world. I do think it could be pretty effective though because of the contrast.
Contrasting camo patterns like Predator and ASAT. Neither one are particularly attractive to the eye, but I was sold when I seen them in action on someone else. Predator is my personal favorite of the two mentioned here. If you have the right predator camo on for the right terrain that stuff honestly becomes almost invisible. Even when I was staring at a guy at 30 yards in a tree and knew he was there the pattern was confusing to my eyes and I knew exactly where he was. That spoke volumes to me.

All of this to say.......I think you could wear a tux in a tree if you are playing the wind, have sufficient cover, and don't move around a lot. I have had too many encounters wearing street clothes in the woods and having close encounters with deer to say any one camo is the MUST have camo.
I personally think the contrasting camo does more to make you truly blend in so you are not as distinguishable but I think it is equally important to match the color scheme as closely as possible so they see whatever colors yo are wearing how they see that color naturally. The only time I think it really matters is when they see movement and have to look directly at you. But even then they are most likely going to bolt.
Other then the possibility of glowing I think you could wear any camo and kill deer if you know how to hunt them. After all it happens every year I have never met anyone who is loyal to any single camo pattern that doesn't have a story detailing how a deer looked right at them and didn't see them.
I don't know how a deer sees, but if it fools me up close, then I have to try and assume it will fool a deer and that is the best I can do since I haven't had the pleasure of a audible conversation with God or a deer.

[Mike]

I use predator for early and late treestand hunting, and just picked a couple new ones to try this year, one is a leafy mossy oak brush suit, the other is a straight up ghille suit. I am excited to try it out early season, it will definitely add a new wrinkle to ground hunting. I have had pretty good success off the ground but think this will really help out.

It seems to me the big boys find spots that offer no good treestand sites so this seems an interesting option.

[Autumn Ninja]

I haven't used the ENIGMA or Predator, but I will have at least one of them by season. I think the material is an often overlooked aspect and I really like the Wolfskin material that ENIGMA has. That is probably the one I will get first.

I cant remember your address...PM it to me with your jacket and pant size...I'm sending you some Natural Gear...Happy late Birthday!!!

[DEERSLAYER]

Sweet. Thanks Autumn Ninja! PM sent. Sunday was the 16th anniversary of my 29th birthday.

[3dog]

Sweet. Thanks Autumn Ninja! PM sent. Sunday was the 16th anniversary of my 29th birthday.

Now that's funny right there

Back to camo, lot of great points brought up on this topic and possibly a few camo patterns to check out in the future. As always, I believe the most important camo is using what's around you. Shadows in particular come to mind, ever notice how a buck often likes to lay in a little dark hole? Same goes for me, if I'm hunting off the ground those dark little holes are prime spots. Concealment is great and shot opportunities are better because you not hiding behind/shooting thru something. Another thing is shade of camo, the same camo in two different shades can be worlds apart. I noticed this thru filming my hunts, right away I could see that faded colors blend in far better than shiny colors. You'll never catch me out in high def camo, that stuff sticks out worse a sore thumb. Somebody else mentioned UV killer and it if works, I believe it does. #1 it dulls the camo colors and #2 it's not hard or expensive to apply (1 spray down each season). When I started using 3D camo in conjunction with UV killer my ground hunts were immediately more productive. Animals would get closer without noticing me and if they did notice me they would hang around longer, unsure of what I really was.

[dan]

3Dog, do you where that gillie suit or whatever you call it while hunting from a tree? or just from the ground? I was thinking that in most treestand aplications it would add to the size of the blob and make a hunter stand out more... Thoughts?

[3dog]

Yeah, I wear it in the tree too, mostly early season before it gets cold and I switch to bibs. Good queston, I agree it does make you look bigger but I can't think of the last time I got picked off in a tree with it on. Last year I shot 2 does at close range only 2 sticks high, both looked at me but flicked it off. I havn't had a big buck in range with it on in tree so can't offer opinion there. Think the biggest thing it does is break up your human shape and outline so your not immediately recognized as danger.

[publiclandhunter]

Due to inactivity, the size of my blob in the tree is getting bigger.....a diet and exercise is in order!

PLH

[dan]

Due to inactivity, the size of my blob in the tree is getting bigger.....a diet and exercise is in order!

PLH

Im getting to be a "tree Blob" myself P.L.H.

[Uncle Lou]

Dan,

dont be so hard on yourself. I know Richard said you looked like you put a few on in Madison this last April, but his wife put him on a diet right before the trip so he might of said that out of some freudian (sp?) thing

Anyway, I love lighter camo patterns, drab colored clothes, and I believe you need to watch your UV. I black light and kill anything that glows. Once you kill UV you are good until you let it get in the wash with normal detergent - they have UV brighteners.

Couple things to keep in mind:

1.) It is usually your sweatshirts, t-shirts, long sleeves, and pants, or your warm weather gear that get in the "normal wash" that get brightened.

2.) The other main culprit is - A lot of the major camo companies have their stuff made in China and they add UV brighteners to it to give it shelf appeal.

If you dont have a black light you need to get one and check for UV glow.

Check out http://www.atsko.com/products/uv-protection/u-v-killer.html