Camo?

[Huntingboys7]

I have always been a rifle hunter and have not been in full camo. This year is my first year seriously archery hunting elk. Do I need full camo or will black and brown carhart work pants work.

[ctdad]

The color is fine. If they get wet, they'll be heavy but the color is fine imo

[Miller1]

I think camo is way overrated, I don't think Fred Bear wore camo

[Swede]

Sure it is over rated, but it has some practical points too. I tailor mine a little, so I don't have baggy sleeves that will catch my bow string. I have hunting clothes that I set aside for hunting. I have them ready when I want them. The varied pattern works as well as plaid to break up my outline, and I have soft clothes that don't make much, if any sound when I brush up against anything. Could Fred Bear get good hunting clothes in his day? Absolutely, but I appreciate modern synthetics too. They wick away moisture and minimize scent. I have some fairly expensive hunting clothes and some cheap ones. I wear what is suited for the conditions.

[brun]

Carhart is great stuff and durable, but it's very noisy for bowhunting. Camo may be overrated and it is certainly overhyped, but I think it is of some use and I will take any edge I can get when bowhunting. Fred Bear may not have worn camo, but I bet he would have if good stuff was available.

[ishy]

More important is setting up in the shade, usaing the available cover, being prepared for an animal to come in anytime you call etc...

[twinkieman]

While hunting without camo will work just fine, there are advantages. A lot of camo clothing allows you to move with less restricted movement. My camo, is stored away from everything else, I only wear it to hunt in. If I didn't hunt in camo, I would still have to buy clothes for hunting only. If it helps one time, it is worth it. Also as stated in a previous thread, it is my Uniform

[under H2O hunter]

Camo is NOT over rated. How many of you guys who say its over rated have hunted in something other then camo consistently? Very few I suspect. What you wear is important. Not so much as color or pattern but from the aspect of noise control, comfortability, warmth to weight ratio, and durability. Yes there are a ton of different companies out there that offer camo. What you need to look for is camo that fits your needs. Does it keep you warm but allow moisture to be wicked away from your skin? Does your camo allow you to move quickly and quietly? Does it have enough pockets and storage space to hold all of your crap? This is whats really important when it comes to camo. The pattern doesn't really mean shit except how good it looks in photos. I am a huge believer in Sitka and Kuiu Camo. People often debate the higher cost of these camos compared to other camo available the fact is that these camo companies have done a lot of R and D to develop a camo that is specifically designed for the modern hunter. Todays hunters are more mobile and willing to go the extra mile. Which requires a clothing that will not shred apart. It allows the hunter to carry the necessary items for the hunt. It is light weight but warm. I know that there will be guys who say that its designer camo and not worth the money. Just like there are those who think that owning a Ferrari or Lambo is a waste of money. To each their own I guess but if given the choice I would rather drive a Ferrari then a Ford. Both will get you from point A to point B. But one feels and looks better which in turn can give one a better sense of pride and confidence to get the job done right.

[Screaming_btf]

You can hunt without Camo but why? I personally feel that Camo does have a sig. advantage when in the 30-50 yard range or farther especially out in the open. Also mentioned the performance benefits from some Camo (non cotton at least), moisture wicking, lighter weight, packs smaller, washes easier in the field, greater range of movement, 4 way stretch, much quieter when moving. I would imagine you are going to need to be far more mobile than you were rifle hunting and performance clothing Camo or not should be a top consideration.

[BrentLaBere]

James and Bryan,
I will agree with you to a certain extent. Aren't you guys really saying its performance gear that makes the difference and not the camo you are wearing? I am asking because I dont want to be twisting around the message you are saying. Camouflage can really only mean one thing. It has nothing to do with how the material performs. That is something else altogether. I agree with both things. You need clothes that will help you blend into the surroundings(not "camo" patterns sold). Its also very beneficial to have gear that will work for you in extreme settings.

[ishy]

Another thing to consider is what type of terrrain are you are hunting, I'm in the North Idaho jungle and if you can see over twenty yards you're probably on a road. Little different than if you're going to be hunting in sage brush.

[Screaming_btf]

James and Bryan,
I will agree with you to a certain extent. Aren't you guys really saying its performance gear that makes the difference and not the camo you are wearing? I am asking because I dont want to be twisting around the message you are saying. Camouflage can really only mean one thing. It has nothing to do with how the material performs. That is something else altogether. I agree with both things. You need clothes that will help you blend into the surroundings(not "camo" patterns sold). Its also very beneficial to have gear that will work for you in extreme settings.

I am saying both perhaps i got off topic. I personally think Camo and the pattern used is very beneficial especially when bow hunting. Breaking up the human outline or making it more difficult to understand what your looking at matter imo especially at moderate to long range which can make the difference when closing ground or being noticed when in the open. When in my camo I have been walking in the open and startled animals many times that herd a sound and knew something was around look through me in open country and then just start feeding again. That has not happened to me before in solid colors, they will instantly see me then take off. In more dense cover with trees and bushes to break up the soundings I have had animals walk by me in solid colors if I was still and did not move. Now if I was given the option of a great camo pattern but it was cotton or some heavy material vs. a nice colored solid setup of high performance gear I would choose the performance gear to wear. The great things is you can have both :>

[under H2O hunter]

I would choose the performance gear to wear. The great things is you can have both :>

I totally agree that is why I choose to wear Head to Toe Sitka, My son will only wear Sitka, and I ended up outfitting my girlfriend this season from head to toe Sitka. I think I sold a kidney or two to pay that bill but hey if your gonna go hunting with the boys you got to look like em she says. Power of the Vigga Ga.

[Csrbowhunter]

I really like asat camo for out west. It's not what looks good on the rack but works well in the field. I also like Sitka open country. If you are just hunting elk you might get away with no camo just brown clothing. But you plan to hunt whitetail you better have camo! Elk can't see very good but pick up on movement. I've had many elk almost step on me while hunting.
I turkey , whitetail and elk hunt so camo is a must!

[mjblowers]

ASAT camo, in my opinion, is the only way to go. I use it for duck hunting, elk hunting, deer hunting... anything hunting. Anywhere.

ASAT stands for All Season All Terrain (or something similar) and it truly is. Even in bleach white snow.

Truly the biggest appeal to me about it is I am in no way tempted to purchase any clothing when walking through the aisles of Cabelas or various stores. 100 different camos to pick from that claim to be the best for this scenario or that scenario. ASAT is one camo for all scenarios.

Maybe it does maybe it doesn't have anything to do with it, but it's gotten me within less than 20 yards of wolves and bears, within slapping distance of elk and I literally have had to move out of the way of a buck as well as a bull moose (although I've been told Moose have God awful eyesight).

EDIT: I love making calls from the trees to my hunting buddy. The camo does weird things with your eyes - I'll literally be out in the open but the camo along w/ the backdrop just breaks you up so good it always makes for a good laugh.

[brun]

I am also a big fan of ASAT. It breaks up your outline extremely well. When I first saw it I thought it looked dumb, but I became interested and did a lot of comparing with other camo in the field. To the human eye I think it is unquestionably the most effective. To the animals....Who knows?

[foxvalley]

I believe the right camo for your hunting erea is important,not so much the pattern,but the light or darkness of the camo itself so you don't contrast to much against your surroundings, or blob. ASAT breaks up the human outline extremly well.
But you are really missing out if your not useing the high tech materials found in the higher end camo, that will wick moisture away from your body,and then evaporate it using your body heat. We climb about 600 ft. before light, and are drenched with sweat at our starting point,but within 5-10 min. as we get ready to hunt,we feel dry ,and very comfortable,and in a few min. more most of the moisure has evaporated.
I remember the days back in the 80's wearing army surplus camo, and cotton from head to toe,I still can't believe we all didn't die from hypothermia,LOL, and remember being wet and cold"all the time".

[mjblowers]

I believe the right camo for your hunting erea is important,not so much the pattern,but the light or darkness of the camo itself so you don't contrast to much against your surroundings, or blob. ASAT breaks up the human outline extremly well.
But you are really missing out if your not useing the high tech materials found in the higher end camo, that will wick moisture away from your body,and then evaporate it using your body heat. We climb about 600 ft. before light, and are drenched with sweat at our starting point,but within 5-10 min. as we get ready to hunt,we feel dry ,and very comfortable,and in a few min. more most of the moisure has evaporated.
I remember the days back in the 80's wearing army surplus camo, and cotton from head to toe,I still can't believe we all didn't die from hypothermia,LOL, and remember being wet and cold"all the time".

I don't know what you consider high tech, but I believe 100% merino wool is as good as it gets, which in my opinion is as "high tech" as one would need. You will not find any of my merino wool that smells. It wicks, it breaths... it's amazing. First Lite makes an ASAT version. The only reason I justified the purchase is I basically got the whole set up at half price... and bought a used pair of the pants off craigslist :p.

[CrazyElkHunter]

Choose a pattern that matches the area and pursuit. When I am in open country, I wear Mossy Oak Brush. When I hunt in oaks, I wear Mossy Oak Obsession. Mossy Oak New Break up is a pattern used all over the world for all situations.
In the 60's , 70's and early 80's we wore military camo or Levi's and plaid shirts like Chuck Adams and Fred Bear and killed a lot of animals. Like everything else, If it increases your odds of being more successful and you blend in, why not.
Oh! Forgot to mention, I am big game pro staff for Mossy Oak Camo.

[jrnorton4]

http://www.bowhunter.com/featured/why-f ... -all-time/

Fred Bear wore camo before camo was cool...