The Hidden Truth in Camouflage
We are just starting to learn a great deal about camouflage and how it is perceived by game. It would seem we have come a long way in camo over the years since the standard patterns developed by military of odd shapes of green, tan, brown and grey yet those patterns were not far from what was needed.
Today hunters can choose patterns boardering on the obserd that resemble trees, leaves, dirt, bark, etc. It was not long ago when trebark was the best we had. Now with Mossy Oak, Realtree, and countless others, we have choices plenty. However, did you ever stop to think about how game perceive these “advances” in camo? Many of these, from a short distance, appear as just a dark blob because of the great detail present on such a small scale in the patterns. Some of these patterns actually work against us when they should be breaking up our outline.
Some new patterns (and some old ones) do a much better job of laying lighter shades with just a few dark shades to help the hunter blend in much better. Others are finally giving us what we need to blend into the tree stand background such as Vertigo camo which supports tree lines with open gaps to mimic sky and branches. Even Mossy Oak has pioneered newer colors such as brush camo that focus on lighter shades that help you blend into your surroundings better. If you think about it, that is really what nature gave deer to help them blend in. Simple shades of tan/brown that just work. Next time you pick a new pattern, keep in mind that some of the simpler patterns may do a much better job of hiding you than the busier patterns that market well but then…no one is selling to game!
Get em…out there!
Rawly
Some newer patterns such as Vertigo do a good job of mimicing the habitat in the tree stand
More open camo such as Mossy Oak's Brush do a good job of hiding hunters and keeping them from looking like a dark blob at a distance
For hunting in snow, nothing hides the hunter better than a shaded snow camo!
AMEN Jeff! I watched my son and cousin walk out across the Nebraska sandhills wearing contemporary camo patterns and believe me, they were very easy to see as big gray “blobs”. Some of the popular camo patterns on the market are great for specific situations or backrounds, but while hunting in Nebraska you may be faced with a variety of habitats and none of those popular camo patterns match all of them. I have killed turkeys in Nebraska sitting with my back to oaks, cottonwoods, cedars, soapweeds, corn stubble and just plain grass–which modern camo pattern matches that? I know what a camo manufacturer would tell me–I need to buy 6 different camo outfits to match them all. Do I need to carry my wardrobe with me so I can change to match hunting conditions?
Ever wonder why nature’s predators are just plain tan colors (e.g. mountain lions) or spotted colors (e.g. bobcats, leopards) or how can an orange and black-striped tiger hide from anything? The key is a camo pattern that blends in and break up the outline of the predator. Light backround colors with random dark shapes or lines do that best–there is a reason those predators wear the coats they do!
I still like the old-fashioned original brown camo that was developed for WWII (the green pattern was probably originally developed and that works well in the spring, but I prefer brown for all-around use). I have seen a camo company or two come out with some “retro” camo offerings and I am all about retro!
Daryl B.
Just wanted to chime in. I bought into the “Box Store” camo for a while. One day sitting in my stand I looked accross a field about 300 yards and could clearly see my buddy sitting in his stand wearing Mossy Oak. He was a huge green/black blob in the bare tree and I could actually see every time he moved. Toward noon I got down and walked accross the field and it didn’t get any better.
Some of the best camo I’ve warn is Sticks-N-Limbs, ASAT, and Predator Fall Grey. I now wear almost exclusively Sticks-N-Limbs because it’s so affordable and I’m very hard on hunting clothing. There isn’t anything fancy about it unless you pick it up from Day One, but I just do not get picked out in a tree anymore. None of these are “pretty” to us, but they absolutely blend in to environments like nothing else.