best camo ?

The best camo is comfortable and quiet. I might be wearing 3 different patterns at the same time. I don't care what it looks like.

First Lite makes some camo called ASAT that comes in a very light Merino wool. It is great pattern, never stinks (100% merino wool) and really breathes. That being said it is not cheap. I've been using it for 4 years and am completely satisfied, it doesn't matter if it's hot, cold, rain or sun, I can always put on more layers or strip some off to regulate my temps. The particular ASAT pattern has been discontinued, but there is still inventory for sale.

There are some truly awesome camouflages, and hunters get to take advantage of careful planning and lower budgets than expeditionary military forces, so can buy exactly what is needed.

But, almost any camouflage is better than none. And, if not a military, mix and match. Sure. So if cheap, go find a surplus store (or eBay) and get whatever.

• Woodland is okay if it's woodsy enough. Not as great in open fields, esp in fall/winter when it's all tan.
• Some euro patterns are very good, and is sometimes dirty cheap, like Flectarn as mentioned above.
• Multicam is really very good, even in open terrain, and since it's issue, can now be found quite cheap. Some very good UK surplus is in a very similar pattern as well. Like this stunningly good hardshell.

Then, follow all recommendations on washing it well. Add permethrin to keep the ticks off also.

I also keep a few little scraps of camo net. Toss it on the rifle, your binos, over your head when sitting down, etc. Keep an eye open for Camo Net Repair Kits like this (out of stock). Usually come with packs of wire ties, and/or twine which is fine for the house, and a couple chunks of nice camo netting.

I get the deer in close quite as I use a flintlock, and don't wear cammo nor scent "block". I often wear wool and linen reproduction clothing as well. Just not bright colors. Folks have been harvesting deer for centuries without special patterned clothing, and remember, cammo clothing is made to look good to human eyes. IF you must have some..., take a black and white photo of you in the stuff and see an image closer to what a deer would see.., would be my advice. You'll be amazed at how those neat patterns become a solid color in the Black and White spectrum.

SO..., wearing non-cammo..., move slowly, doing your best not to step down and snap twigs. Wear clothes like wool that don't make that much noise when up against twigs or thorns. Wool sounds like hair against those objects because it is. Gortex or cotton canvas makes an artificial sound in the same setting.

Break up your outline with natural vegetation. You can dress in a $400, charcoal coated, ghillie suit and stand or sit in a meadow, but if you're the only "bush" in the middle of that meadow, the deer will probably notice you, and shy away not giving you a shot. On the other hand I've stood next to or stepped into a hedge or up against a lone tree trunk, and the deer didn't notice that the flora which they had seen before, was 300 lbs. fatter that morning. In fact back on the 6th, the doe I harvested at 33 yards didn't know what hit her.

For scent, learn to read the wind. (If I can learn it anybody can) I don't hunt up in tree stands so wind is a factor for me. I don't because the fields that I normally harvest deer are surrounded by hedges, not many thick trees that would support me nor stand steady in a wind if I did get myself and a stand up into them. The only thing that I've done with scent on my clothes, is I use plain lye soap for me and to wash the clothes. I have also held my outer layer in the smoke of a hardwood fire. I think it may have helped, but since I've harvested deer with smokey clothes, I know it didn't hurt. The other thing that I do when I move into a place where I'm going to stand for a while, I use my foot and scrape down through the leaves to the loam underneath. This kicks an earth scent up into the air, and keeps me from stepping on any unseen twigs. You know the twigs I mean..., the ones seem to find a way to SNAP just as the deer you've seen approaching is almost, but not quite, in position to shoot....making the deer turn and leave ?

The last thing is I cover my face and my hands. A dark bandana and gloves work fine. I figure me in brown and gray, with my pasty white face and hands...a large white spot moving from side to side as I scan, and a pair of smaller white spots moving around as I scratch or adjust my gear..., might as well be waving a bright flag around the woods. (Hey the guys from Duck Dynasty blacken their faces, right? )

LD

Best to blend into the culture and environment, when I think of hunting Florida I can't get this image out of my mind....

Ha, ha. The way to tell a native Floridian is he's the guy not wearing shorts. He also doesn't say, "Back home we do it this way."

In the swamps and woods of southern Louisiana...?

Propper brand 100% rip-stop cotton woodland Pattern BDU's.

Light weight, durable, comfortable. Roomy enough to wear sweats or thermals underneath when it's cold.

Get'em from HERE for ~ $23/piece on sale.

Wash'em in cold water w/ a little No-UV-Brightener powder soap, and add baking soda in the rinse.


Breaking the human outline at range is the purpose, and woodland pattern does that well.

After that - it's slow, natural motion and wind/scent management.




GR

FL-NC said:

Its Florida, so its not cold like it is up north. I mostly use the older military BDU pattern uniforms. Every branch of the US mil used them for about 30 years, so they are out there and available- and cheap- I bought a nearly new top for $5 at a thrift store last week. Lightweight material, so you won't get heatstroke, and it will dry fast when it gets wet. Get them a bit loose side, you will sweat less, and when its chilly, you can wear layers underneath. The newer multicam is better camo, but it is usually pricier- I only use that when I am hunting turkey.

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I'm in complete agreement with this philosophy. I don't really think camo is absolutely necessary, particularly in my case since I'm mostly hunting hogs at night or twilight. But still, when I can go to the thrift (second hand) store and buy woodland camo clothing for around $5-7 an item, why not get it? It works as well as anything else, and if I get blood on it, who care?

Animals don't see in B&W. They each vary, but their vision is often more like colorblind humans, where colors just look /different/.

Much good camo (and there is bad camo) is designed to be "multispectral." It has the same patterns in all reasonable bands, so into the UV (but that's also the detergent thing) into at least near IR, and so on.

Yes, anything that disguises you is fine. I often wear solid uniform clothes, and they work. But in some cases you are a big obvious human shape, so breaking it up to look like a tree or bush helps. Don't forget pack covers, and painting/socking your gun also, as those are also really non-natural shapes.

troy fairweather said:

i am a big guy most camo out there does not fit me. i was wearing all camo up to about 5 years ago. now i where red or green flannel and brown pants.since then i have walked up to more deer them any other times wareing camo. the deer see u but just don't seem to care much. i think every 10 or so years deer get used to camos, you have to change them up.

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This is good advice. Being in the right place, planned well in advance and scouted thoroughly matters a great deal more than color.. I started wearing less camo when the price started getting ridiculous and it became a fashion statement. Now I wear the old ragged camo I've had for years, mixed with some faded brown, rust, and green (never blue). Since we are required to wear hunter orange, it's obvious deer don't care about color. They care about movement and smell. Have shot the last 5 deer out of my blind where they can't see me anyway. I do wear a camo face mask because they can see my white face.

Ol Marine Digital Camo, military woodland camo, German Camo.. or just mix and match realtree and mossy oak.
I use blue jeans sometimes, camo top, and my camo snake boots or leather boots. Born and raised Ohio, lived in Florida since 04' .. turkey is what i worry with my use of camo. I found a surplus store here sells old jungle boots new for about 35 bucks. Im an Army vet and i like the Jungle boots in Florida, just wear a wool type sock. Mosquitos here are so bad you need a machete to cut a path through at times, use a theracell, and deet 20% around openings to keep out red bugs /chiggers, ticks and creepy crawlers.
TTYL

vanh said:

after an unplanned hiatus from hunting, family illness, I need to get back into the woods. I need some opinions about the best all around camo pattern to use for deer and hog in florida. I grew up hunting in wiscinsin and Michigan, when the guys still wore jeans, flannel and wool, but the times they are changing. I would appreciate any help you can give me. thanks much, vanh

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kenboyles72 said:

You don't need camo to hunt, most critters can't tell the difference between that and normal clothing. When a critter does spot you, it's either your movement or scent. I have walked up on deer, as close as 25 yrds and never moved till they smelled me, while wearing just plain 'ol clothing. Here's another thought on that, what if you put on all the latest/greatest camo and then throw a blaze orange vest on top of it? That camo aint doing you a bit of good since it's covered by that bright orange vest. If deer, yotes, hogs, etc can't see that bright vest, then what difference does it make on what you wear?

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deer see in a different color spectrum, blaze orange is greyish colored. They see blue very well, like we see blaze orange. Wear muted colors, browns, greys, greens, black.. cheap tan pants are a decent option. But you can get away with blue jeans up a tree stand, just try to hide big movements.

I been looking for the old chocolate chip desert pattern. I think it would work ok around this part, for florida hunting.
Problem is im a Big Guy i need at least a XXL-Long Top.. hard to find that top on any old shelf, unless i cut the sleeves down some. But it would be nice to have the option.

I’ve found the best Camo in general is being a good hunter. If you move in a deers line of sight the deer will see you. If you don’t they won’t.

For hogs anything works as long as your down wind.

A quiet material in earth tones. Look to where you want to hunt for which colors are best in that specific hunting area. Lots of good mil patterns out there but they weren't specifically developed for hunting and might be a bit overkill.

that bcuk said " what is that ups man doing out here" lol. nice buck.

earlthegoat2 said:

I’ve found the best Camo in general is being a good hunter. If you move in a deers line of sight the deer will see you. If you don’t they won’t.

For hogs anything works as long as your down wind.

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And I would argue the type of hunting matters. Bow hunters (and handgun hunters) are typically getting a LOT closer to the game than rifle hunters. Different emphasis on different factors....

I've owned this 3D coverall for 20 years, bought it at Bass Pro. I've been thoroughly impressed with it. I got it for duck hunting and I could stand out in the open in a pot hole and so long as I didn't move, the ducks didn't even notice. Now, since I've had to quit hunting ducks, I don't use it so much. Not necessary in a box blind. I do use it in my tree stand in bow season and I use it during turkey season and I used to wear it in open tripod stands on my other place. I get an occasional goose hunt in the rice fields and take it along. You never know when you'll be in a ditch. Laying out in the open for snow geese, we usually wear a white tyvek suit.

This is a goose hunt and I'm the guy in the middle with the leafy wear 3D camo and my 10 gauge H&R broke open.

To better test your camo, take a photo and convert it to B&W....that’s how most four legged animals will see it:

MaxP said:

And I would argue the type of hunting matters. Bow hunters (and handgun hunters) are typically getting a LOT closer to the game than rifle hunters. Different emphasis on different factors....

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Yes this is absolutely correct. Still though, I am a traditional bow hunter myself and rarely use camo. Many trad bow hunters use traditional camo as well. Plaids, fedoras, and Stormy Kromers.

I have to concede though, there must be a good reason turkey and duck hunters use camo. I don’t hunt either so I have no perspective on that.

Still:





Study on deer vision: https://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/big-buck-zone/2014/07/video-new-study-sheds-light-what-deer-see

Highlights:


Another fun one about the shape of their eyes as well as their color vision: https://www.qdma.com/can-deer-see-blaze-orange/

troy fairweather said:

i am a big guy most camo out there does not fit me. i was wearing all camo up to about 5 years ago. now i where red or green flannel and brown pants.since then i have walked up to more deer them any other times wareing camo. the deer see u but just don't seem to care much. i think every 10 or so years deer get used to camos, you have to change them up.

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As a friend of mine says, "wear camo to hide from people"
Ware street cloths to hide from animals.

I mostly hunt in an orange "construction" shirt, and my old paintball pants. Only things that run from me are pigs, or sheep near the road.

Camo can certainly help, but too many think it magic.
It can't make up for being silly.
Guys stomp across an open field, get to back edge of field and climb up in stand...........never knowing who or what watched them come in.

No matter what you wear, sneak in and out.

BTW, I bought a new wool red/black coat for next yrs deer season, when I tote my old pump .35 rem 760.

Also, I rather dislike camo on bows/arrows, and have grown to dislike even a camo stock on a rifle/shotgun.
All black looks better to me.

I've painted stocks, gets old after a while. Need to strip my 700 Tupperware and go solid color. Or just buy an HS precision.
The webbing paint stuff looks good, not too pushy.

BTW I don't use UV brightener or scented laundry soaps.