How important is your camo...really
 

A bit ago I asked what everybody's favorite camo pattern was. I have mine, just like everyone else. I have no doubt that a good pattern matching your surroundings is imperative when you are chasing gobblers. But tell me, how important is that camo pattern when you are in your deer stand?

I remember the first year I hunted there was a guy in our group that had a set of full-blaze orange coveralls that he wore during gun season. He told me that he wore the same outfit for bowhunting, and as long as he broke up his outline he didn't have any problems being seen.

The biggest deer I shot walked 15 yards from me while I was wearing just a brown fleece pullover. No camo. Just a good backdrop behind me to hide my outline.

I'm not going to throw away my camo's, but seriously, are we going a bit overboard for deer hunting? What do you all think?

rw

Well back in the day it was plaid shirts and coveralls. I've stalked game in blue jeans and t shirts bowhunting and got it done. Is camo a replacement for good hunting skills? I don't think so. But it does make a difference breaking up outlines and blending. It slows your movements in backgrounds. I've switched a particular camo because in the area I use to stalk game in the open it blends better than anything out there. In the woods it lightly colored so it blends like a animal does in the woods.

You don't need camo but I can vouch for it working better. The difference between the ole darker camo I used to use and the new lighter camo I use now I get spotted 50% less and get alot closer. That's a huge difference in what I do. It's not vanity it truly works better I have to admit that outright.

Any bright or dark color has the STOP sign effect on game if your moving. It's a solid object moving. Same can be said about camo if your look too dark or too light then deer know bushes don't move. Pick the best color blend in the area that your hunting in. To my knowledge that's the best camo. So in certain circumstances a perfect color fleece pull over could be in fact be a great choice if it blends well in the background.

Dunno...I just wear surplus BDUs, but I didn't see too many deer last year either!

If you're able to hide yourself well with limbs, brush, etc then it probably matters less. If you're still hunting and can't control what's covering you (if anything at all), it probably matters more.

That being said, I spotted a doe last season while still hunting, and I was actually in the middle of a logging road (hadn't made it into better cover yet). As I crept along the road after spotting her, she eventually noticed me. She looked right at me (of course I was motionless...which is tough to do on a VERY windy day when you're caught in an awkward position!!) and stared me down for a minute. Then she went back to eating, and I went back to creeping to try to get into position on her. She looked up and stared at me a NUMBER of times and didn't spook. She knew something wasn't quite right, but wasn't sure what. When I finally got into position, I took the shot but my gun misfired (I was PISSED!!) and that empty click was all she needed to get the heck out of there.

All that while on an open logging road in surplus BDUs.

I have been really interested in some ASAT camo, but not really sure if I should invest the $$$ in it. I've been looking around quite a bit, and if I do buy some new camo, I think that's the one.

Really that is the whole purpose of camo, breaking up the human outline. For that reason I use Predator and also the new Scent Lok Vertigo patterns. I don't like a lot of the othe popular patterns because once you get 50+ yards away it just looks like a dark human outline. Granted the big names are getting better with there patterns.

Like everything else we argue about, it really is affected by a lot of variables. I hunted on the ground, with a solid green army field jacket and jeans for years and got quite a few deer with a bow. My state bow season used to stop before the rut really kicked in, and now that it is extended, more people are killing deer. It has nothing to do with better camo. The deer are sex drunk and just don't pay attention.
There is definitely a difference between solid orange and camo orange, unless there is snow on the ground, or you are sitting in front of a pile of white rocks. If you really watch what goes on in the woods, it soon becomes obvious there are no absolutes when it comes to animals.
We had a very tame pet fox for years and he would freak out when I or someone else he knew walked toward him with camo on. He was absolutely afraid of it. I wear photo-grey glasses (dark glasses) and have either had deer walk right up to me to check them out or run as soon as they spot them. Depends on the animal. A lot of the questions on this forum start out "Do deer......". Wild animals are individuals just like your pet dogs, and as far as camouflage goes, it probably depends on the deer you are dealing with at the time.

I mainly use Predator(like ASAT), Natural Gear(Natgear) and ASAT for my camo patterns.

I've had SEVERAL close encounters wearing ASAT that I know it works to the point where if someone told me it didn't work, I'd about fall down laughing. It works and I think because it does so well in breaking up the outline both in shape and color. I've killed many deer with compound/recurve from the ground wearing ASAT and know it doesn't blob into a solid pattern or which I think attracts visual attention.

I think many realize you can wear whatever color you want in a treestand and kill the wisest buck or lead doe. Then you can be in the best camo pattern out there and get busted too. LOL! If you match your camo pattern to the specific spot, be low profile, move wisely, reduce your air scent and ground scent and take advantage of any cover you can, all that will increase your camo's effectiveness.

It also depends on the cover in your deerstand, how high up you are, if you're within the deer's peripheral vision and if you can keep your movement down when it comes time to take the shot.

Many variables play out when it comes to using camo and the moment of truth. Using prowess and the not so common sense, you can make yourself more successful in the process of hunting.

iSnipe

I started hunting before we had camo, still killed deer...It does help you but it's not the end all either...

Back in the 70s, I wore Vietnam zebra stripes, even played around with tie dying clothes for bow hunting...As mentioned, it just helps break up your outline...

Camo for turkeys is very important....for deer...not so much. I believe the camo is like fishing lures...they are made to catch fisherman more than fish. Movement is what will give you away most times no matter what you have on. I have hunted in plaid shirts before but most times now I slip on a leafy suit over my street close because it's easy. When it's cold I use my old camo bibs that it old as the hills. So any style or brand will work for deer I believe.

Camo is nice, but it is far more necessary to remain quiet, make minimum movement and hunt the wind.

+1. Exactly what I was going to say! :cool2: