Hunting clothes on the cheap?

Milsurp will do you just fine. I have had great finds on Etsy as well - really good stuff.

primalmu said:

Obviously I know my chances of bagging anything are lower without camo, .

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Not really. In many places you're going to put on a bright orange vest anyways. Being still is far far more important.

I just wear dark earth tone colors.

$70 spend on a packable blind will give you way more benefit that the most expensive camo hunting gear in the world. Camo clothes for hunting is more about fashion than it is taking game

Also watch Craigslist, second hand stores and garage sales. I have hunted off and on for 30 plus years, always successful to some extent and have never spent big money on cloths. Only got expensive when the wife and kids joined in but that is priceless anyways...

Camo clothes for hunting is more about fashion than it is taking game

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Pretty much that. Im as much a sucker for camo as the next guy, but, frankly, our predecessors killed an awful lot of deer, etc, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt.

I have killed more animals with blue jeans on than anything else. From dove to deer, they don't seem to care. Animals seem to be much more aware of movement and noise than anything else.

Even with coyote wearing basic earth toned clothes and NOT moving about you can still be quite successful.

Use the terrain to your advantage and hunt the wind

quiet fabric

Sally Ann and Goodwill can be good sources of affordable hunting clothes, in desert tones if that's your coyote hunting habitat.

More important than color is that the fabric make as little noise as possible when you rub up against grasses, brushes, etc.

Deer are color blind. Its more about movement than the clothes you have on. Waterfowl and turkey hunting is a different matter, but many many birds were killed with duff colored coveralls before the advent of professional "camouflage."

It really is more about how you move and where you move than anything else.

I have killed more animals with blue jeans on than anything else. From dove to deer, they don't seem to care. Animals seem to be much more aware of movement and noise than anything else.

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This!

Coyotes are canines.
They can't see colors.
They see in shades of grey.
They have an acute sense of smell.
And they see movement you or I would never notice.

Thats how they hunt 24/7 to survive & eat.

They do have a photographic memory though.
If it wasn't there the last time they passed by, they will for sure see it when it is suddenly there this time.

Thats how they hunt on the same path they use every day.
Anything different or out of place in thier memory from the last time they passed the same point is either food, or danger.

You can do as well finding a coyote trail / path they use every day hunting for food, and setting up a brush blind downwind.
And setting in it in blue jeans.

But only after they get used to seing the brush blind for a few days.

High-dollar camo is a marketing thing you don't have to buy to be a hunter.

Good boots and maybe some good binoculars is where you need to spend your coyote hunting money first.

rc

This!

Coyotes are canines.
They can't see colors.
They see in shades of grey.

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Nope. Canines are dichromatic and not trichromatic like humans. So they do see color, just not the full range that we see. Like deer and hogs, they seen the blue end of the spectrum in color and not the red end.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/canine-corner/200810/can-dogs-see-colors

The above article has a graphic showing what range dogs can see. You don't want blue camo.

In many places you're going to put on a bright orange vest anyways.

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This is a common misconception. Deer don't see color the way we do. Their vision is very weak in the red end of the spectrum. While blaze orange screams out to humans, to deer it's just another shade of green / gray.

Regardless of color something that blends in to the back ground spectrum and is broken up is going to be harder to pick out moving by you or anything else.

natman said:

This is a common misconception. Deer don't see color the way we do. Their vision is very weak in the red end of the spectrum. While blaze orange screams out to humans, to deer it's just another shade of green / gray.

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EXACTLY

So they'll see a pair of blue jeans and grey sweatshirt as the same color as they will a $400 scent lock suit.

Not a misconception. Just a realization they don't see what we do. As a herbivore and prey animal they look for motion more than anything

I would check out Wal-Mart about this time....it might be a bit late, but they will clearance their camo stock after hunting season..usually around Feb-Mar.

But as most stated...it's not that important. My father-in-law and his buddy kill more deer than everyone else and they wear brown overalls.

It is more important to be comfortable enough to be still.....which can be hard when it is cold.

Also...depending on how you are hunting...your blind or stand does most of the work for you.

I also use the hunting laundry soap and shower with green soap...but I don't have any delusions that it is going to make or break the deal. They say that most laundry soap leaves a residue that deer can see.

Keep the wind in your face, be still and quiet and sort of be aware of where you walk too. They can smell where you walk. So your path can impact your hunt....although not always bad. Last year I took a doe when she stopped to smell my path. Just because a deer smells you, doesn't mean they will take off running.


Also...it is just fun to get all camo'd up and stalk around like a predator...so if you want the latest and greatest gear...that does't make you a tool...it makes you an enthusiast.

What would be easier for you to see moving, a solid gray or blue pattern against a broken up blue and grey pattern of limbs and leaves or a broken up blue and gray pattern.

twofifty said:

Sally Ann and Goodwill can be good sources of affordable hunting clothes, in desert tones if that's your coyote hunting habitat.

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I've picked up camo at a local Thrift Store (second hand goods, similar to Goodwill). I've found several sets of used Army digital camo (might be good for desert) as well as new and nearly new NATO Woodland Pattern apparel. This is probably a little late in the year to check for sales at sporting good stores, January thru March seem to be when they unload leftover stuff.

In many places you're going to put on a bright orange vest anyways.

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This is a common misconception. Deer don't see color the way we do. Their vision is very weak in the red end of the spectrum. While blaze orange screams out to humans, to deer it's just another shade of green / gray.

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R.W.Dale said:

EXACTLY

So they'll see a pair of blue jeans and grey sweatshirt as the same color as they will a $400 scent lock suit.

Not a misconception. Just a realization they don't see what we do. As a herbivore and prey animal they look for motion more than anything

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They can see blue just fine. The misconception I was originally referring to is "Why wear camo when you're going to be wearing a blaze vest, which sticks out like a sore thumb.".

Blaze stands out for humans. It's just another green thing to a deer. They do see blue rather well.

Now your point about motion is well taken because deer to look for motion more than detail. I'd sum it up by saying that while camo helps for deer, it isn't nearly as important as it is for turkeys or ducks. They see colors very well.

Let's flip this around.

An animal's hide is colored and patterned to make it harder to spot by natural predators.

Now throw in a hunter:
If a deer just stands still amongst cover and dappled light, he is pretty near invisible to me except for the horizontal line of it's back (not too many horizontal lines in the woods) or maybe sunlight glinting off the rack.

However, soon as that buck moves in my peripheral vision I stand a much better chance of noticing it.

My conclusion is that movement is what gives us away, rather than the colour of our clothing.

It is true that you don't have to have camo to hunt deer. But, I suspect if a deer could kill you if he spotted you at even a fraction of the distance you could kill him you would be scrambling to get some break up pattern or not step foot in the woods.

Just another point on camo....as you hunt through the years, you will probably slowly accumulate camo for different temps. The last several years for me have been just about cost free. I spent a lot on camo and other gear in the beginning.

Oh...I do see camo in garage sales from time to time....though finding your size can be a bit hard.

I know lots of guys and gals who have killed more deer than Lyme Disease wearing plaid jackets and blue jeans. Using a blind and staying still work much better than high dollar camo suits containing "Scentlock".

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

I am a desert rat native; I wear cotton trousers with a cotton button up shirt or wranglers and a tee-shirt.

I wear blue jeans and a long sleeved shirt, hoody, or winter coat depending on the weather. I've hunted deer for over twenty years, and have yet to fail to fill a tag that Ive had desire to fill. I dress according to the weather, not according to what the latest Cabela's catalog tells me is the latest, greatest camo pattern. Maybe our deer here in SD are mentally/physically handicapped or just don't know any better, but no buck yet has complained about my attire as I was field dressing him, and I have some awfully nice deer on my walls.

It is true that you don't have to have camo to hunt deer. But, I suspect if a deer could kill you if he spotted you at even a fraction of the distance you could kill him you would be scrambling to get some break up pattern or not step foot in the woods.

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Um....ok? What does this have to do with anything? We're not talking about hunting predatory deer that can kill a man at hundreds of yards. We're talking basic game animals without super abilities that really aren't all that difficult to fool without buying fancy clothing in which to do it in..... If we were going to war, sure, cammo would certainly be a good idea, but that isnt at all what we're discussing in this context. Its like the old self-defense argument "Well, if you don't think a .22 is sufficient, why don't you let me shoot at you with one?" Just like no one said they wanted to be shot with anything, no one here referenced militarized deer that can launch offensives against hunters.