Amen Nucker! Couldn't agree with you more!

I have an old Chuck Adams book, think the title is something like, "How to Bow Hunt Deer." If I remember, it says that a plaid shirt will break up your outline. I don't recall if he said its as good as camo, or if you dont have camo, but that was before all the pattern wars. There may have been Jim Crumley tree bark around at the time, but mostly all you saw back then was woodland camo.

I was doing my best interpetation of a stump with a bow at full draw when I missed my biggest buck. He ducked and I was shakeing so bad I don't think I could have hit the broad side of a barn. The shot distance was 25 yards. The only camo I was wearing was the little 3 finger tab. Don't always need camo, butfor turkeys it sure helps.

2 fast points......

ONE - I was gonna say that there's surely been a LOT of deer killed by guys in those old large plaid flannel shirts. It couldn't have been THAT bad......AND....there were a LOT less deer back in those days (in my parts) than there is now.

TWO - One thing I do when I'm in MY DB blind......is wear BLACK. It's what the background is inside there.....so it masks my presence more than anything else I could think of......a long sleeve black t-shirt.

Jeff

I love when references are made about plaid shirts, this reference only backs the open pattern effectiveness. I have a plaid shirt that is black, tanish yellow and tan and it's one of the best corn field stalking shirts I've ever owned, it's because it's contrast and open pattern not unlike Enigma and Predator however MO and RT blob.

Unfortunately nuckers post is obsolete because as a bowhunter I cannot sit still. I'm constantly glassing, I have to stand and draw my bow without giving away my location. I've worn MO and RT with mixed results about doing this, with ASAT and Predator I've been able to stand and draw without detection.

I could care less what anyone else wears in their neck of the woods, it doesn't affect me and the way I hunt, all I know I've worn them and I know what has and hasn't happened wearing them and after bowhunting for 24 years, I'll stick with my open patterns and I'm excited about testing Enigma on archery whitetails, fall turkeys and spring gobblers. I'll let you know.

There are plenty of patterns out there that truly work well. They aren't the big (2), and have a very difficult time competing with the distrubution that these big companies have. Consider that about 90% of camo is purchased at Wallyworld, Bass-Pro, and Cabelas. I don't see much Predator, Intrusion, or ASAT on the shelves of these places when I go into them......

I don't think Camo patterns do much at all to help deer hunters avoid deer. I have stood in plain sight on dozens of occasions in solid blaze orange from head to toe and had deer look right at me from less than 10 yards and not "see" me.

One thing I do think they help with that hasn't been mentioned is that it does seem to help all of the little critters notice you less. In a stand, squirrels, birds and even predators all seem to be MUCH better at noticing a guy in solids or non-camo than deer. In a good camo I notice the woods seem to quiet down faster and seem to "accept you" better. If anyone gets what I am trying to say. For example Blue Jays LOVE to harass guys in blaze orange, even sitting still in treestands, but guys in camo tend to get looked over more often.

I'm just curious what a leopard, cheetah, or tiger would say if asked the same question? All three rely on concealment, as solo hunters, to catch prey. I think I'll stick with the lessons given to me by mother nature. Hopefully by the end of 2006, I'll have 36 animals which can give you their opinion as well.

Just like fishing tackle... A LOT of it is produced to catch the fisher's eye rather than the fish's eye.

I think some stuff works better than others but, I still catch a lot of fish on a plain black rubber worm, if you catch my drift...

With that said, I'm going to order some new ASAT for the fall.

I wear a "modified" green pilots flight suit and i disapear in the woods here in Texas. I also like the ole standard Army camogreen teen shirts and pants...The prices for Camoare ridiculous in my opinion, somebody mentioned it before on this forum and I will repeat it, A deer is brown and it disapears in the woods...