I think Camo is a realy nice way for some one to throw away $$, I have taken Deer, Turkey, and an assortment of other game with out any camo.
I want any and all oppinions.

Never had the money to buy all the neat camo stuff and I'll admit I don't have as much game under the belt as many. Not because of the camo just have to get time in the woods. When I have deer walk up to within 20 yds as I sit against some fence post or rock or turkeys that that feed 25 yds away in cut corn field I just don't see the need. Don't move quickly, don't make noises, and don't get winded.

I say its a waste of money.

Mind you nowadays Camo sometimes is cheaper then non-camo with all the specials stores put out.

I myself dont see a need for it as most hunters I know have hunted without it more then with it. Funny alot of them killed more without camo and now that I say I dont want to wear camo in my hunting group they all start saying I have to and I have no choise because it "Works better"

I've went up to animals during non-hunting seasons better without camo then I do with camo (I tested it ).

Dimitri

it depends on the hunting pressure in the area.

if the game is hunted hard then yes camo is needed. if no ones hunting the area then you really dont need camo for early in the season.

deer are color blind and turkeys see colors well.

Ive been within 20 yards of a flock of Turkeys with hunter Orange and a plain Remington 1187 shotgun and they never new I was around.

Well think of it this way humans have been hunting for what 40,000 years atleast ??

And Camo has been around for what the last 40 years ?? Humm thats like 0.1% of the time. And last I checked hunters still brought home meat without it before

I myself think if you really want to "blend in" with the enviroment wear a pair of Olive Drab pants and shirt. Camo is exessive in my books, no matter how much camo your wearing if you move the animal will spot you so any real reasoning to wear it ??

Dimitri

I get a kick out of the "out-of-staters" that come up here to Maine. (where there is a 2 pcs of hunter orange law.....one hat and one that covers the torso.) They deck themselves up in all the latest camo patterns from "Take-Your-Money Outfitters" that they've paid $100's for and promptly don their orange vest and orange cap. Daaaah

Blaine

Stupid, Aint it? Same here, except for Bow season, when you can wear only camo.

We have something similar to the 2pc rule.

Basiclly with a vest and hat you meet the required square-inches.

In bow hunting season your not needed to wear the Orange but then agian it doesnt tell you you "need" to wear camoflague

Dimitri

Varmint callers get obsessed about camo, too. A friend wore a Santa Claus suit on one of the calls and positioned himself in the open while calling and still coyotes came to the call. His point was that being absolutely motionless was far more critical, but, the moment he initiated even the slightest movement the game was up. I agree with his sentiment, however, absolute stillness is not part of our human nature and I wear a Ghille suit in some situations where we may be on stand for thirty minutes or more. Let me attest, a Ghille suit is a marvelous thing when calling coyotes or bobcats that have been called before.

Likewise, when hunting camo can be advantageous during a stalk IMO and less so when still hunting. My observation is that the older and wiser game may associate the human outline with danger and react earlier than if one were wearing patterns that breakup the outline.

Camo and scent control are two things that go together and here, too, there are divergent opinions on their effectiveness. My opinion, after four decades of calling and 1,500+ coyotes, scores of bobcats and three mountain lions, is that scent control and camo can be advantageous under some circumstances and give the hunter and added edge.

Hunting horseback (another topic for sure) is an eyeopener as well. In many cases you can ride very close to game before they react or spook and I suspect that is because of the scent of the horse and the outline of the rider combined with the horse is a more "natural" thing than a biped hunter who absentmindedly used too much Old Spice cologne or some stinky deodorant that morning.

Howdy I like my Camo. ( IMO ) the better your outline is broken up and the better you blend in the better chance you have at not being seen. The more animals are pressured the harder they will look for danger and if it takes that buck 5 extra seconds to figure out what I am those extra seconds could be the difference between a empty or full freezer. This is just my opinon, but I will stick with my camo
Joe

Is CAMO (or Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform DPCU as we call it) really needed?

Well, if memory serves me correctly most animals are colour blind. However, having said that, even though they don't see colours they do see shapes and patterns.

The main reason camo is a mix of colours is because it was designed for military use....and soldiers DO see colours. The idea of the different shapes or patterns on camo is to help the wearer blend in to the background. As I remember there are a number of facets to camouflage:
Shape, Shine, Shadow, Size, Sillouette and Movement. You could add Smell to these as well. Each an every one of these has an effect on whether or not you will be seen, by an animal or a man. I have had animals come up pretty close to me when in cams and also in civvies, but I was sitting still in shadow with the breeze in my favour. It only took a slight movement to give myself away.

The Australian Army DPCU was computer designed to disappear into the background of the aussie bush, and it works well....even better after you have worn it for a few days cause it gets dusty and dirty. We call it "rabbit ears" or "jelly beans" because thats what the pattern looks like, but it is the shapes of the bush.

I suppose, at the the end of the day camo cannot hurt, in fact it will most likely assist. This is of course assuming that you do your bit and don't wear your wife's Chanel No5 or fancy smelly deodorant or sit there sucking on a cigar or cigarette (it is surprising how far you can smell these things in the bush because they are alien to the environment).

All of us use a form of camo at one time or another. Using a blind is camo, getting behind a scrubby bush or pile of sticks etc is camo etc etc etc. Doing anything that breaks up the shape of, or hides, our body is camo.

I wear cams because I have them on hand (and I got them at the "right price") and they are also pretty tough, so don't get knocked around as much as a pair of $150 LEVIS can. I'll certainly be wearing them.

So there ya go, thats my $2 worth, but it comes from experience.

Time to get off my soapbox.

Cheers, Vince

In my experience when big game hunting being still and using cover is as big a factor as anything else. Standing up on the open prairie and being "sky lined" will make the game run as fast an anything, regardless of what you are wearing.

Duck hunting is an other story, unless you are covered the birds will spook. Here camo does make a difference. My son and I did a little experiment. We set up two decoy patterns about 400 yards apart. He had the dog, and was wearing camo jacket and camo waders. I had on brown waders and light brown hooded jacket. As we were set up on opposite each other we could see the birds approach each others decoys. Without question he had better shooting and closer shots. Gadwalls and the teal didn't seem to be bothered as much as the wood ducks and mallards. Switching spots with my son to determine if it was my poor setup or the camo, we found, That I didn't have as many birds come in to the decoys and the ones that did were farther away.

longwalker

The only camo i have is what i got for an incredible deal.....which is a winter coat and bib and a few other items. I've only harvested 2 deer while wearing them and why i remember is because an old hunting buddy of mine and i got into an argument about camo.
One day he wore full camo attire and i wore street clothes, however, my clothes were washed in baking soda. Only 10 yards away from eachother, deer came within 10 yards of me and as soon as they caught sight of him, they bolted.

I guess it's how ya wash yer clothes as well

Since I have sat on a haybale in an open field and had deer and turkeys walk within arms reach of me, not knowing I was there until I moved or they smelled me, I think camo is vastly overrated. Breaking up your outline has more to do with what is behind you than what you are wearing. If you skyline yourself in camo you are still skylined. Scent and movement are the things that prey animals notice more than anyhting else. I have gotten within 30 yards of whitetail deer by crawling on my hands and kness through an open field. He didn't care, because I did not look like a person.