Camo vs solids

[TNbowhunter]

I've always bought into the Bob Fratzke (author of "Taking Trophy Whitetails" - an excellent off-season read, btw) methodology: big, bold patterns are great, but light reflection is even more important.
Notice what a lot of the folks here saying they wear plain colors mention for fabric: wool! Wool and fleece absorb light; they don't reflect it. Reflections magnify movements and catch deer's eyes like nothing else (just think about how visible someone shining a mirror up toward a plane is). Our white faces, especially if oily, reflect lots of light, which is why I'm big on using a face mask, too (unless you have a thick beard, which will absorb lots of light). This is especially true when duck hunting, as a pilot friend who's flown over lots of duck blinds has repeatedly emphasized to me just how visible our faces are from the air.
I've had tons of deer seemingly stare into my soul while in fleece and wool, even if not camo, without being able to identify what I am or even that I'm a threat--they just seem to sense that something is different or "off," but they can't figure it out and eventually move on. On the other hand, I've busted more deer than I care to admit with even miniature movements when wearing more reflective clothing like a rain jacket.
All that to say, my best advice is: (1) be still; (2) be REALLY still; (3) no seriously, stop moving!!; and (4) wear light-absorbing clothing and a face mask whenever possible.

 

[OspreyZB]

One piece of camo that has made a difference for me is some netting or mesh to cover your eyes. I have a bushrag ghillie suit that has a flap of see through mesh sewn into the hood. There's a night and day difference when I'm using the eye cover vs not. I've had deer look right through me at 2 yards with the netting on. Without it they almost always look me in the eyes when they get really close. They don't always spook, but they always look. One of the bucks I shot this season looked me dead in the eyes from 60 yards away. I was kneeling on the ground completely still. I squinted and we had a stare down for about a minute, then he flicked his tail and started browsing again. I flipped down the eye cover when he wasn't looking. He made his way towards me, looking in my direction several times and I shot him at 7 yards in the front of his chest as he looked through me.

 

[LarkHarrison243]

I can see how solids could hide movement better. I remember hearing Andre D'aquisto say something along the lines of, take two 55 gallon drums, cover one with your favorite camo and the other in a solid color. Put them 100 yards away and spin them. The camo one will look like a spinning blob and the solid one will be hard to tell it's even moving.

Makes sense

 

[Deltahuntr]

That's it I'm never hunting in camo again. From here on out it's flannels and Carhartt jackets for me

Alright smart ass, you can be a poser if you wanna. I know you got the big head right now. You had a good season. You’ve heard the stories and seen the pics, I’ve done some killin in the past. Neither of us compare to them boys from Plaucheville! Ask Mr Tensas and he will tell about them Carhartt wearing freezer fillin fellas.

 

[TNbowhunter]

One piece of camo that has made a difference for me is some netting or mesh to cover your eyes. I have a bushrag ghillie suit that has a flap of see through mesh sewn into the hood. There's a night and day difference when I'm using the eye cover vs not. I've had deer look right through me at 2 yards with the netting on. Without it they almost always look at me when they get really close. They don't always spook, but they always look. One of the bucks I shot this season looked me dead in the eyes from 60 yards away. I was kneeling on the ground completely still. I squinted and we had a stare down for about a minute, then he flicked his tail and started browsing again. I flipped down the eye cover when he wasn't looking. He made his way towards me, looking in my direction several times and I shot him at 7 yards in the front of his chest as he looked through me.

I don't wear an eye cover, but always squint so deer can't see my eyes when looking right at me. It's been really surprising how many deer I've squinted at that settled right back down after a minute or two.

 

[Kurt]

Spent 2 weeks hunting on the plains this year. Seen 30-50 guys probably and everyone of them stuck out like a sore thumb except one. He was carrying a silhouette decoy on his back. He literally disappeared walking away from us.

I told myself right then my hunting clothing was going to change.

So what was he wearing? Besides the decoy.

 

[Exhumis]

My hunting partner has a favorite jacket that's coyote /brown and he kills just as many if not more deer than I. He definitely sits stiller than I do. I've noticed my deer sightings went up since I started wearing a face mask/face hood.

 

[Bigterp]

I don't wear an eye cover, but always squint so deer can't see my eyes when looking right at me. It's been really surprising how many deer I've squinted at that settled right back down after a minute or two.

Man I always do that, feels weird but works

 

[Wirrex]

Spent 2 weeks hunting on the plains this year. Seen 30-50 guys probably and everyone of them stuck out like a sore thumb except one. He was carrying a silhouette decoy on his back. He literally disappeared walking away from us.

I told myself right then my hunting clothing was going to change.

What about all the guys you didn’t see? Just saying.

 

[Wirrex]

Man I always do that, feels weird but works

I started doing this a while back and am convinced it works. Always try to give them a side profile so they can’t see two eyes.

 

[Droptine85.mt]

I’m as bad as anyone about being OCD and thinking I need the latest and greatest. Deer season 2020 I will be doing solids and flannel colored shirts. Wear what’s comfortable, not what is appeasing to the eyeballs.


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[denots]

I don't wear an eye cover, but always squint so deer can't see my eyes when looking right at me. It's been really surprising how many deer I've squinted at that settled right back down after a minute or two.

I do the same exact thing. I used to just stare at them all big-eyed and excited. And they would just keep staring back and bust me. I think even when a deer has my wind and knows I'm where they're looking, when I close my eyes or squint they can't pinpoint me. They generally calm back down

 

[Kenbama]

I do the same exact thing. I used to just stare at them all big-eyed and excited. And they would just keep staring back and bust me. I think even when a deer has my wind and knows I'm where they're looking, when I close my eyes or squint they can't pinpoint me. They generally calm back down

X3 This is the first year I tried this. Seemed foolish to me but why not. I do think it brought good results, so I will continue the pratice of not staring stright forward.

 

[raisins]

If you set up really well and everything goes well, then you will succeed without camo. I don't think that means that camo cannot help in marginal situations though. I want every advantage.

The ultimate camo is a ghillie suit, I'd bet. I don't own one but have seen too many videos of people stalking from the ground with one to doubt it.

I do own a leafy suit and with the hood up and face paint, I'm convinced it makes a significant difference. Deer don't need to think you are a branch so much as not recognize you as a human, and a ghillie followed by a leafy are the best to do that because it breaks up your human outline.

Leafy suits are about as easy as camo to use. I'm not interested in a ghillie because they are so big and bulky.

 

[swampsnyper]

I think the material has more to do with it than the color. The more knap it has, the more it will absorb light in a natural way like things in nature. Like deer hair, with the right light, it can look dark, almost black in the shade, brown, tan, grey, changing with its surroundings because nature usually absorbs light in the same way. Flannels and wools kinda do the same, it’s just not as fluffy. Another reason ghillie suits work so well.
It’s hard to get a single camo pattern to match every stand location. Even that same location looks different in bright sun or shade or wet vs dry.

 

[Exhumis]

X3 This is the first year I tried this. Seemed foolish to me but why not. I do think it brought good results, so I will continue the pratice of not staring stright forward.

X4. I think there's something to this. It's almost as though they can feel you staring at them. Like it gets their hackles up. Kinda like when the hair stands up on the back of your neck. I was watching a doe make her way to my setup this past season, she wasn't even looking my direction and wind was in my favor. Tree was between us and I wasn't silhouetted or skylined. She wheeled and looked straight at me, right into my eyes. I shut my eyes and looked away and she cooled off. Crazy.

 

[Navy Chief]

X4. I think there's something to this. It's almost as though they can feel you staring at them. Like it gets their hackles up. Kinda like when the hair stands up on the back of your neck. I was watching a doe make her way to my setup this past season, she wasn't even looking my direction and wind was in my favor. Tree was between us and I wasn't silhouetted or skylined. She wheeled and looked straight at me, right into my eyes. I shut my eyes and looked away and she cooled off. Crazy.

It might be a predator reflex, if they can see a predators eyes then the predator is looking at them. If they can't see the eyes then the predator is not stalking or hunting them.

 

[CrackbottomLouis]

From the way I understand it deer really only see blue and its derivatives, whites and UV. So, all our earth tone camo is solid to them because they don't differentiate between different shades of browns and greens. Covering face and hands, breaking up shape with 3d suit or ghillie, washing clothes in a uv dampening detergent, not wearing blues/purples and limiting movement as much as possible is what's important. Again, this is just how I understand it. I am far from an expert so if someone with more knowledge wants to edumacate me with different info I'm all ears.

 

[Kurt]

Earth tones, subtle patterns, quiet fabrics, and the right camo ( read in here colors, regardless of whether it's camo or solids)for the right place. The beauty of carhartt is it's tan which is pretty common in the woods. I wouldn't wear BDU camo in an oak flat, but low in the hemlocks it's perfect. The particular pattern is of less importance than matching the surroundings. A deer's camo is simple mostly brown, some white, and a little black. Their coat does have a sheen in the light which adds subtle differences to the brown field, much like the sheen off of the leaves, pine needles, hemlock, and the oak leaves on the forest floor. They don't use heavy break up patterns like we could get away with in a late season tree, in the open forest because they don't live in trees. They are appropriately camo'd for where they live. They appear light when their bedded on a sunny slope of an oak ridge, and their brown darkens in the shade of the dark woods. If I'm on the ground in the oaks I like the tan base colors of advantage camo. If I'm on an oak flat in a tree I wear Natgear, If I'm hunting the dark woods of a hemlock pine mix in a tree or on the ground I would wear BDU, or mossy oak break up with an outfitter brown berber fleece vest. I definitely mix and match. Look at the camo of birds and fish, light under and dark over, mammals too. I'd say evolution selects for the the right pattern in the right place, and the good lord makes it possible. IMO everybody has it right about movement. I've had deer melt away right before my eyes inside 20yds, when they were still, and I've picked them off as they moved from a 100.

 

[raisins]

From the way I understand it deer really only see blue and its derivatives, whites and UV. So, all our earth tone camo is solid to them because they don't differentiate between different shades of browns and greens. Covering face and hands, breaking up shape with 3d suit or ghillie, washing clothes in a uv dampening detergent, not wearing blues/purples and limiting movement as much as possible is what's important. Again, this is just how I understand it. I am far from an expert so if someone with more knowledge wants to edumacate me with different info I'm all ears.

They have yellow and blue reactive cones (color receptors) and then rods that detect light versus dark. They have more rods than humans and rods help with motion detection. Humans have red, green, and blue cones. So, our color palette of the world is significantly different.