Trad Gang

With the hunting season SLOWLY approaching I was wondering what type of camo everyone plans to use this year.
I have some old tree bark camo that I used years ago but may go with a 3-D type this year.

THANX

Mix of mountain mimicry and Optifade...both in Sitka Gear. The camo works great but I am more concerned about the clothing itself. Where I hunt, the camo pattern is secondary to the capabilities/material/construction of the clothing.

Blaze orange.   :knothead:

Well, the biggest boar I have ever been able to get a shot at I walked up on while I was carrying a cup of coffee, wearing Wrangler jeans and a bright red USMC sweat shirt that still smelled like a mix of the bar I was in the night before and the crown and coke that got thrown on me and I was a little bit hung over.

So I think I'll try that again.

cabelas outfitter camo... same as JC basically cuz i love the berber fleece and wooltimate materail but its also a really good pattern

I got a deal on one of those leafy suits so I'm going to look like a fat bush I guess. The good thing about this is that I can wear anything under it. I can dress for the cold or light for the warm days.

Like JC, I'll be wearing Mountain Mimicry and Optifade from Sitka Gear.  While I think clothing material, stand site selection, and hunter stealth are more important than camouflage pattern, the two afore-mentioned patterns are really good and more open than the two or three patterns you see on all the hunting shows (which I think are way too dark for most applications).

Mossy Oak Brush and Mossy Oak Treestand for my  elkin trip in Colorado and for whitetails in Alabama.  It may or may not matter but preparation is part of the fun.

Rancho Safari leafy suit for warm weather and when I wanna pack light. And my home made 15 lb. Ghillie suit for when it's cold.

I mix n match my camo. Predator on top or bottom. Game hide pants or mossyoak depends on mood n terrain. I think this hepls to break up outline. Always try to go opposite on top n bottom

I mix n match my camo. Predator on top or bottom. Game hide pants or mossyoak depends on mood n terrain. I think this hepls to break up outline. Always try to go opposite on top n bottom

A mix of all different kinds

KOM blowdown and various other gray and plaid wools.

Predator Deception or RT AP Green

I don't own any 2 pieces of hunting clothes that are the same camo pattern, and what I do have is 15-20 yrs old.

Be scent free, be still, watch the wind, then it won't matter what you wear.

If the camo hunting clothes industry depended on me to make a living, they would have gone broke years ago.

Whatever my bleary eyed, hung over hand grabs first at 0dark:30 Probably two pairs of pants.

Deer are such inconsiderate creatures. Why in God's name they feel the need to be up & about at 4AM is a mystery to me.

Predator Deception......the same as the past 7 or 8 years.

Winterhawk1960

The wind.

Whatever I can find in the back room. Don't do the scent free stuff...did breakdown and buy two pairs of camo pants from Cabela's for $9.99 ea. and another short brimmed floppy lid.

sitka mountian mimicry and optifade mixed with predator deception and cabelas outfiter.

Early in the season while it is still hot on most days it will be some lightweight cotton camo I have had for a while. Later I will switch to ASAT, some surplus BDUs and a cheap store-brand camo fleece jacket that I have had for a couple of years. Nothing too complicated or too expensive for me.

Hi All,

I'll be wearing my usual, a red/white checked flannel shirt, and blue jeans.

Warmer weather, Jeans and flannel shirt.  Cold weather, wool suit pants over wool underwear, checked wool shirts and drab colored wool sweaters.
I'm a GoodWill Industries, Pro Staff Member.

ASAT, and Max1

QuoteI'm a GoodWill Industries, Pro Staff Member  

George...you KILL me!  that here is hilarious.    :)  

for me...whatever I have thats clean.   and depends on season.  late season I have columbia wool bibs I got cheap, or swedish mil surplus pants(even cheaper).  and some plaid shirt.  wife got me a plaid heavy wool coat last christmas that I love.

forgot to add the most expensive thing I'm wearin usually is the noggin tops irish flatcap.   :)

The wife got me one of them leafy suits so I guess I'd better try it out.

ASAT all the way

ASAT

Have a cotton set for early season.

ASAT Dayone Wool Insulated w/windstop bibs and parka for when it gets nippy.  Bring on the cold  :readit:

ASAT

Have a cotton set for early season.

ASAT Dayone Wool Insulated w/windstop bibs and parka for when it gets nippy.  Bring on the cold  :readit:

I'll wear whatever is clean, and doesnt smell bad. Over that, an ASAT leafy suit. THats it. Oh, and clean underwear. Mom always told me.......

Whatever has been put on a sale rack over the last 10 years.First part of the season will be shorts/tee shirt and bug suit.

QuoteOriginally posted by Autumnarcher:
I'll wear whatever is clean, and doesnt smell bad. Over that, an ASAT leafy suit. THats it. Oh, and clean underwear. Mom always told me.......

Why's it gotta be clean?  

I will reach for a combination of Max-1, Predator Fall Grey, Predator Fall Brown, ASAT, Cabelas Outfitter, and tan/green plaid.

If I get dressed in the dark I just grab whatever pants and shirts I can find.

Brett

I'm with George, I have become the goodwill and surplus king, although I do have some wooltimate from cabelas and would like to save my pennies and get me some of that new high speed wool! Jason

I was thinking of the bed-sheet approach, you know, complete with eye holes, cover the whole dang thing with rubber cement, and roll down a hill for a toss....sort of your basic DIY oak leaf, twig crusted low-cost 3-D conglomeration.

Looking forward to hunting in my new 3D Leafy Suit as well!  Mossy Oak Camo, complete with a beanie cap and Primo's spandex face mask.

Picked up this suit at BassPro for $49 and I would recommend it.  Very light and cool for early season and large enough to bulk up underneath for midseason.

Always wanted a Leaf Suit.
First season hunting with a recurve, really excited about this season!

Let's see..

I picked up a couple new synthetics ****s on clearance Realtree AP hardwoods...

I picked up a few pair of lite pants on clearance in the original mossy oak..

My ASAT 3d suit over shorts and cotton t-shirt in the early season...

I have some wool.. Some green... some columbia gallatian camo

My ghillie suit when it's kewl enough...

In reality I don't think camo helps half as much as the companies try to market it...

But I believe it helps us ground hunters... and unfortunately here in the south, the wool doesn't get used too much till gun season...

(http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/aa102/Redriderxx/ASAT-1.jpg)

It's taken me a few years to accumulate and not take a second on my house but.....Sitka Mothwing Mountain Mimicry...

A.S.A.T. all the way...nuttin better..

Asat, predator fall brown, mossy oak treestand and Max1.

A mix of sticks & limbs,old tree bark camo and natural gear.

Sitka Gear, Optifade and Mountain Mimicry from base layers all the way out...awesome stuff!

I will wear 4 different types this season:
ASAT cotton
ASAT bucksuede
ASAT Sitka
ASAT wool

ASAT, ASAT and more ASAT.

dang I ai'nt got no camo sorry.bd

ASAT Camouflage from Day One Camouflage has been serving me well for many years...quality stuff and awesome pattern...Y Change?
  :readit:    :cool:

For the early warm weather season I'll be using my cotton ASAT gear. As the weather turns cooler I'll switch to wool earthtone plaids.

I Luv this name dropping camo!! I'm with George Stout on this one,save the thousand bucks spent one set of Sitka Gear Etc. and load up at Goodwill, Army Navy stores etc. You'd be surpised how little you would spend for some decent clothes. Dead deer can't tell the difference!!!   :)    :)

Predator in the early season as green wool in late season.

ASAT, Predator, Max 1, Cabela's Outfitter, Mossy Oak Treestand, Skyline Horizon, Treebark -- depending on when and where I am hunting. Also, when in my groundblinds that are black on the inside, I prefer all black clothing.

For deer the camo pattern is not as important as quiet material, lack of movement and staying downwind. For turkeys everything is about eyesight, so movement, pattern and color are paramount, with quiet material still an issue if the wind is not blowing hard. My biggest complaint with most camo is not which of the good camo patterns I use, but which material makes noise. Still, with turkeys, even the best camo patterns will get you spotted if you don't blend in with the surrounding conditions. For instance, I had turkeys spot me this spring when sitting still in my ASAT leafy suit because I was surrounded by green vegetation and the ASAT was shades of brown and tan. Not a problem for deer, but the turkeys, who can see colors, spotted me from 70 yards away and knew something was wrong. They took off but later came back and spotted me again. I then set up a ground blind that blended into the green vegetation and had no problem with spooking them.

For deer hunting from a treestand, most patterns that work well on the ground will also work well in a tree in the early season when the leaves are on the trees. After the leaves start changing to reds, yellows and browns on deciduous trees, ASAT, Predator, Cabela's Outfitter, Mossy Oak Treestand, good old Treebark, and probably a number of other patterns I haven't used (including the Mountain Mimicry and Optifade used in the Sitka Gear) are good patterns. In the late season when the leaves have all fallen and you mainly see sky with a few branches when you look up, there is nothing that works as well in a treestand as Skyline Horizon camo or some similar pattern. Skyline has a reversible coverall with Horizon on one side for late season treestand hunting and Apparition 2.0 on the other side for late season ground hunting. The coverall is about as versatile as you can get for late season in a fairly light and inexpensive ($80) garment.

I have stood out in the open wearing a white t-shirt and jeans and had does and fawns walk directly towards me with no concern, even though they came within 20 yards and I am sure they saw me. I have successfully hunted in non-camo clothing like others here say they use, and think it can be fine in many conditions. In my five trips to Africa I have never worn camo and have gotten close to many animals, but the animals there do not see a lot of hunters in the areas I was hunting. Hunting deer does not require the ultimate in concealment if you do not care about getting a big, old, cagey buck. But the old ones did not get that way by walking up on hunters that were easily seen. Those bucks (and many old does who are leading groups of deer) are constantly on the watch for danger and know what to look for. They can spot a form that looks out of place, and that is where good camo comes into play in a big way. Overall, I like ASAT and Predator the best for general use because they are so versatile. I am convinced that the open patterns with lots of contrast and fairly distinct lines work the best in the majority of environments, although specialty patterns absolutely have their place and I use them where appropriate.

I wash my clothes exclusively in Sportwash to prevent UV brighteners from getting into my camo. I don't know if deer really do see that stuff, but there is evidence they do. Besides, Sportwash is good for cleaning and getting scents out without adding new ones. I use it for all my laundry, including my daily clothing, bedding, etc.

Sorry about the lengthy post.

Allan

Never found a use for camo. Just jeans and a fannel shirt.

amar911,  I must say you are probably supporting the economy much better than I am 8^).  I know I'm not much in fashion, but I stay warm, quiet and comfy.
Hope you all do well this season in whatever garb you wear.

Rancho Safari ghillie suit. Can not be beaten!

George,

I am definitely spending a lot more and probably not getting a lot better results. But if I can't be a great bowhunter, I have to at least try to look the part!    ;)

Allan

I know I have not hunted as long as many others on this site, but I have primarily hunted deer for most of my 20 years of bowhunting. I have hunted many seasons almost every day from Oct 1-Dec 31, and have had more encounters in one area where there are 60-80 deer per sq mile than I can even remember. I can say for sure that camo can help, and it can make 0.0 difference in the field. Color, background, something out of place, the deers' familiararity with an area, etc etc seem to all be factors. I have used everything from treebark to flannel and of course blaze orange. From countless experiences I cannot really pinpoint where one pattern works all of the time vs another vs when each one works and which is best. I have decided one thing over any camo pattern: I do my very best to absolutely not be in a place where they can see me. I started literally pruning holes in fence rows and bushes/shrubs vine tangles or blowdowns so that they cannot pick me out. This is foolproof, just don't let them see you. Of course I have problems where there is just no place good to sit, and then I do my best with what I have, but brushing myself in is my best answer to date. If the wind is right, I can count the nose hair on the deer that walk by and I am happy and feel stealthy! It takes a little more work as I almost never sit in the same spot more than a couple times in a season. I also use treestands where it makes sense but the ground is nice when you don't need to carry anything. I started taking cell phone videos of the deer I pass on they are sooo close at times. Kind of fun as I just hate getting spotted by those old long nose does that seem to know every blade of grass in their core areas.

.....but for elk this year I cannot pass the chance to help the economy and try ASAT and predator.....

ASAT works.  It worked for years.  It hasn't had to change and "evolve" its pattern since the beginning.  It works on all game all over.  I see more and more people wearing ASAT these days.  I have had it on my back for 20 years!  I have worn through the original cotton ones and am working on the Ultimate 3D these days.  I am sure other camo patterns work.  I have used them all too.  I just prefer the ASAT year after year.  Now... if Jeff would just offer ASAT Wool in his line I'd be tickled silly.

Okay, I just went on the ASAT website.  I saw some disturbing things on there:  camouflage drawers and pink ASAT.  We don't care what the animals see when we squat in the bushes, and we don't care to see a hunter in pink ASAT do we?

QuoteOriginally posted by Three Arrows:
We don't care to see a hunter in pink ASAT do we?

Depends on what SHE looks like.

Allan

We have a great herd of bachelor bucks right down on my neighbor's micro vinyard.  However, there's lots of tourists in Leavenworth hiking the ski hill trails behind my house (where the bucks bed).  I figure they're so used to tourists I'll just put on shorts and a loud T-shirt, and carry a camera along with my firehawk.  Shoot, I otta just be able to walk right up to `em!!

Walmart camo pants and a Predator Brown jacket I've had forever. In cold weather I break out the wool.

I'm anxious to try out my new Cabela's Ultimate Bowhunter's Vest II. More pockets than an Amishman's jacket!

same as last year... whatever I could afford!!  lol

As long as it doesn't get too cold, I'll be wearing a Teresa Asbell plaid shirt and old dress wool pants from the Red Shield Store.  If it gets too warm, I have a couple of favorite Pendleton shirts.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v450/Fletcher610/Buck05.jpg)

predator is the best camo in my opinion...take a predator shirt and another of any brand you want hang them up against a folige background then step back to 20 yds and look at them....predator is broken up the rest are not...that little test sold me on it....been using it for 15 years

Totally depends on what stand I will be hunting...I have several sets, and use them all. Natural gear, Skyline apparition, the new mossy oak tree stand are some of my favorites. I also have a set of WWII camo that was my dad's, and I think I will give that a go this year too.

I'm wearing blaze orange.Got a moose tag for here this year and a blaze orange vest is mandatory.What camo pattern would compliment blaze orange? I don't want to clash.

Carhart pants and a plaid shirt.