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Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

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Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby 7mmfan » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 1]

For a while now I've been in the process of upgrading my hunting clothing to a system that fits my hunting methods better. I'm trying to go with more solid colors and away from the selling point of the new high end camos. I am trying to avoid browns for obvious safety reasons, so that leaves me greens and grays.

I've always been of the mindset that color doesn't matter much as long as you monitor your movement and use cover. I still feel that is the only real way to go visibly undetected. That being said, I've always purchased hunting clothing that was as close a match to the natural vegetation and color scheme of the landscape that I would most likely be hunting. It makes me more confident, and in the end that's what is most important I think.

We all know that cervids are color blind seeing in the gray scale and ultra violet. Blue seems to be the color that they see the best. My question lies in the gray scale range. If they see all browns/greens/grays/reds as shades of gray, does one need to worry much about matching the surrounding color scheme? Would a slate gray pant and jacket blend into the yellowish/brown tones of the shrub steppe climate that most of us frequent? Assuming everything is a shade of gray? Or would the stark difference in tone be obvious against the lighter background?

The science behind their eyesight is interesting and I wish there was more readily available information out there.
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby Swede » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 2]

I have found plaid red/black to be as good as any camo. I like to avoid solids, but large checks and stripe patterns work fine. The benefit of camo seems to be in the fitting of the clothes. I have my wife fit them to suit me for hunting and they are used for that only. I try to avoid baggy fits especially on the sleeves.
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby wawhitey » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 3]

I just worry about what keeps me comfortable, and is quiet. If im warm and dry, i wont be fidgeting. Movement is what gets a guy busted. And swishy clothes. Lot of the high dollar hunting clothing advertised as silent makes a huge racket compared to wool and fleece. But my favorite cold weather hunting coat is s green and black plaid wool coat, and when youre tucked into a bunch of fir limbs, i think it really is as good as any actual camoflauge pattern. Ive fooled the eyes of deer, elk, moose, cougar, coyotes with that coat on, so it must work. Lions probably have the best eyes of any of them, and mine last month was still creeping straight toward me at 5 paces, plaid wool coat and solid green wool bibs, solid brown beanie, sitting up against a clump of small little fir trees.
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby Swede » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 4]

Whitey, Well said. I completely agree. Movement is 100 times more likely to get you busted than the wrong pattern on your cloths or no pattern at all.
Now, if I can get you straightened out on this scent thing, you will have it all together. lol
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby wawhitey » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 5]

Swede wrote:Whitey, Well said. I completely agree. Movement is 100 times more likely to get you busted than the wrong pattern on your cloths or no pattern at all.
Now, if I can get you straightened out on this scent thing, you will have it all together. lol


I already told ya, mine smell like flowers.

Well, maybe tomorrow they wont. Gettin down on some bear chili tonight.
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby VT Sasquatch » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 6]

Do you think UV brighteners are really seen by game?
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby jmez » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 7]

I don't

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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby 7mmfan » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 8]

I agree that movement makes all the difference regardless of what you're wearing. We all have to move at some point though. Really trying to get to the science at the base of these color choices, not the reality of movement and such. I was curious what the science of gray scale eye sight would have to say about wearing gray in a shrub steppe environment and how badly you would stick out.

My gut tells me that even though they're seeing the environment in gray scale, the darker shade would stand our significantly over the lighter more natural colors.
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby Swede » 01 16, 2020 •  [Post 9]

I don't know if UV brighteners make a difference or not, but why take a chance? I use Arm and Hammer unscented soap with no UV brighteners. I have no scented anti cling towel in the dryer either.
Whitey has me wondering if he uses a plug-in rectal scent and noise suppressor? How else could he make these claims?
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby VT Sasquatch » 01 17, 2020 •  [Post 10]

I am close to the end of my second straight season without getting a buck. It had been about 10 straight years before that where I did get a buck. I’m in Pennsylvania so it is all whitetails. For a while, I was taking things for granted somewhat. I have not used cover scent or scent control products in over a decade. I stopped worrying about the little things like UV brighteners. Now, after struggling the past 2 seasons, I am starting to reassess what might be going wrong.

I am going to start washing my gear in detergent without brighteners. I bought a black light and some of my gear illuminates with it. I also want to try that UV treatment.

(In fairness, I did shoot a buck this year with my 6.5 Creedmoor and was unable to recover it. I must have made a bad shot. That is 100 percent on me)
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby >>>---WW----> » 01 17, 2020 •  [Post 11]

UV brighteners! Yep they do exist. But have you ever been in a place where they use a black light to check for UV rays? I have noticed that about the only color that really shows as UV is white. White T shirts and white shoe strings shine up like a diamond in a goats rear end under a black light. Nothing else seems to stand out all that much.

I don't know if a deer or elk can pick out UV . But one thing is for sure! If you remain motionless, you will go undetected!
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby wawhitey » 01 17, 2020 •  [Post 12]

Swede wrote:Whitey, Well said. I completely agree. Movement is 100 times more likely to get you busted than the wrong pattern on your cloths or no pattern at all.
Now, if I can get you straightened out on this scent thing, you will have it all together. lol


I actually do use unscented laundry detergent, fabric softeners, soap, shaving cream... but thats year round. I just cant stand the smell of all the chemical perfumey crap they put in most detergents and whatnot, i find it horribly offensive to my nose. There is no added expense to that, a guy needs all those products in his day to day life anyway, i just choose the ones that dont reek like a french whore house. The only scented soap i use is home made bear fat soap lightly scented with essential oils of fir / spruce, pine etc. No artificial scents. But im all out of that stuff. Last couple bears ive tagged were loaded with thick fat, but with temps in the mid 90s my concern was the meat, so the fat stayed on the mountain.
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Re: Camo/clothing color. Does it matter?

Postby Lefty » 01 17, 2020 •  [Post 13]

VT Sasquatch wrote:Do you think UV brighteners are really seen by game?


Absolutely. Simple optical Science (physics)
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