is Camo really necessary?
 

Would Hunting Whitetail be any less plausible without wearing Camofladge?

Many jurisdictions require hunter orange during the gun seasons and some have minimum requirements. For example, CO requires a minimum of 400 square inches on the front and back of the person while WY allows just a hunter orange cap to be legal. Camo helps break up the human form and definitely ups your chances of not being seen, but remaining still is a big factor in an animal not seeing you.

Absolutely not! How did primitive man kill with spears and bows eons before camo? Our grandfathers hunted and killed deer before WW2 when deer populations were a fraction of what they are today, most did so in old work clothes or if they were "serious" they wore a red flannel suit. Of the "big 3" defenses on a whitetail (nose, ears and eyes) I think their eyes are the weakest. You can beat their eyes, you can "confuse" their ears but flatout defeating their nose is TOUGH without playing the wind. If you can hide behind a blind of some sort (natural vegetation is the best) then it really wont matter if you are wearing a Santa suit!

I honestly don't even care about camo during gun season, now I take my orange off while on stand. (Im a landowner and in TN I don't even have to wear it on my own land but I still usually do while moving on the ground.) The "contrast" is what gives you away when wearing bright orange. If legal, orange camo IS a little better than stark, unbroken bright orange. But again, that's just contrast, not really color perception. If you wear a white sheet over your body and take off through the spring woods, you'll look like Casper going through and will EASILY be identifiable. If you wear that same white sheet in those same woods in December while the woods are blanketed in snow, you'll blend in awfully well. That's contrast for you! For bowseason or turkey season yeah I'll wear camo but I honestly could careless what kind it is and might have 3-4 different kinds on me at once between my hat, facemask, shirt, gloves, pants, boots etc... I DO believe in keeping my face and hands covered as they are usually the most likely parts to be moving and that detecting that movement is what a deers eyes do best for them. They can't see precisely at long distances but they can flat out pick up movement, particularly at "bowrange" distances.

The whole "camo fad" has become a big indu$try since the late 80s with it's primary concern not being "gettin close to critters" but more likely "gettin close to hunters wallets!" "Earthtones" like browns, olives, grays, tans etc... that will blend you in fine for any deer hunting over 20-30yds, and if you sit still they'll work fine well inside that range even. In fact the vast majority of "tree like/shaped" camo becomes a dark blob at distances much over 30-40yds anyway.

Be still, move slowly when you must, hunt the wind and try to see them before they see you! :wink:
HL

Breaking up your outline, keeping odd sounds down, and not revealing movement is key. I can testify that movement at close range will send them running for the hills, regardless of how good your camo is. Also, it is said they see blue, so don't wear blue. Keeping your distance, if you can, is also key. Sound and light intensity drop off according to the square of distance. So twice as far = 1/4 as much light and sound. Otherwise, I think camo is most important to those selling it.

The same way primitive tribes hunt today. They apply to their bodies natural camouflage of ash, mud, or char, and wrap themselves in skins and furs, also natural camouflage.

For what it's worth, camo DOES pay itself back in hunting success, and doesn't usually cost much more than any other "cold weather clothing". Scent covers are worthless.

I killed all of my deer for about a decade wearing a BLUE denim carhartt wool lined jacket. Occasionally threw a ghillie poncho over the top. Once that jacket finally needed replacing, I simply bought a camo jacket, for about the same price as a new Carhartt. It's undoubtedly noticeable how much easier it is to move undetected in camo vs. that old blue jacket.

Our archery season is often too d@mn hot to wear anything more than a T-shirt. I've adopted to wearing camo under armour heatgear on those days (it was 93degrees at 5pm last season one evening), as I've noticed I get busted a lot more often when my arms are exposed in a T-shirt than when wearing full sleeve camo.

I do, however, like to keep multiple sets of cold weather clothing. I do a lot of wood cutting in the cold, so I have a set of carhartts (bibs and jacket) that perpetually smells like 2 stroke exhaust. I have another set for snowy weather work that's waterproof. Then I have my camo clothes, which I TRY to not let smell like cow$hit and chainsaw exhaust. I got a great deal on some snow camo a few years ago, only have $150 into a pair of bibs and the jacket (something like 20% off of half price), and my other set is "standard" green/tan.

No, camo isn't necessary
 

But I'm so old, I can remember when camo wasn't generally worn by the military.
If you're young, how do you really avoid camo.
And avoid a gps and use a compass; avoid a electronic distance finder and use your eyeballs; sight a rifle with a mechanical electronic device, while some oldtimer is using a big orange vase to sight in.
Some things can still work, but can never be accepted again. By newbies anyways.

No. But it is big business!

Bingo. We have a winner. You can hunt effectively using brush and things of that nature to break up your outline and by moving very slowly and quietly or sitting still. But none of that puts any money into the pockets of those that make or endorse camo.

I always get a kick out of the shows that have hunters decked out in full camo when they are sitting in blinds that are completely enclosed. I've never seen a deer yet that can see through plywood or plastic.

Does camo help break up the human form? Yes. Does it help with hunting? Yes. Is it absolutely necessary? Nope.

Camo
 

I only wear camo when I bow hunt.Rifle season , I wear my wool, green plaid coat now, Carhart or wool pant's depending on the temp's. There were a lot of deer and other game killed while wearing the old red plaid
Pennsylvania Tuxedo. I think learning hunting skills is still the best way to hunt , than buying every new gadget that come out.:cool:

I doubt I ever wore any cammo my first 20 or so years of hunting deer ... about 1985 I think was about when I bought a bunch of Army "woodland" seconds at a local garment factory.

I have always worn darker woodsy colors ... browns, greens, charcoal. And I now ware cammo stuff 99% of the time. Of course, it is hard to qualify a XXL hunter orange vest as cammo !! I read that deer are more or less color blind anyway. That may be, but according to what I have experienced these past 45+ years, deer are extremely sensitive to movement,especially a quick movement.

I do think that woodsy colors do help "hide' the hunter, but certainly the "latest-greatest" cammo pattern is not a magic bullet. My opinion is that the cammo craze is more a product of industry hype rather than a hunter's "need" being met. Just wish I had thought of it !!