There have been many questions on ghillie suits lately...
I AM NO EXPERT!!! However, I have been using a ghillie for about 5 years and have been abused by them in the military for another 10 years.... I just took what i learned and adapted to my passion, hunting whitetails!!!
They are hard for us to comprehend as we see the world very differently than most game animals... But ghillies work very well against the human eye as well... But can be DEADLY on game!!!
First of all ghillie suits work by using depth... Many military snipers shun black as black is the absence of light (a shadow if you will... Ghilles do not reflect and absorb most light...
These pics were posted a few weeks ago when one was asking about making a ghillie suit...
Ghillies can vary as much as bows, so I am not trying to be pinned down to hard fast rules but help understand what they can and CAN NOT do...
These pics were taken mid-day in mid-July in a suburban back yard at a range of 3-5 yards... By me and my 7 y.o. daughter....
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/sgtslasher/Hunting/GHILLIE/DSCN2776_3.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/sgtslasher/Hunting/GHILLIE/DSCN2777_3.jpg)
Notice the biggest things noticed are the skin tones... face and hands.. IN the first pic the hands scream while the shaded ugly mugs is noticable but almost irrelevant... since the face and hands move the most while hunting... use gloves and a facemask of some sort(usually I use a turkey face mask_ a handkerchief with an elastic band basically..)
The basic principal that ghillies utilize is lack of depth... 3 dimensional camoflauge if you will. But they are not cure alls or silver bullets! They help you blend in if you use them as they are intended... They break up the silhouette. They make it harder for anyone or anything to focus on you as you now have greater depth... The other thing they do is absorb light in a a much higher capacity than printed camo does... Thus making you appear much deeper in the field of view that you trully are... We are predators and have much greater depth of field since we use binoccular vision while game animals utilize monoccular vision over 90% of the time...
Furthermore Deer are colorblind so to speak... Their balance of rods and comes and the make-up of their eyes and retinas as such make them see very well in low-light in comparison to us lowly homo sapiens... But it makes them see some colors better than others.. So much so, they lack the color spectrum we perceive and are stuck more in either grays or tans(depending on whose trying to sell you something...). If we look back to kindergarden we were introduced to basic colors, red, yellow, blue.. Well, the best way I can relate seeing color as we are unsure just what the other sees when we look at the same object, is that actually when light hits an object we are inundated with reflected light waves in all colors of the spectrum, but in different proportions! However, the waves come in proportion to what is absorbed or reflected by the color of the object... If it is in direct light more waves are reflected towards our eyes if it is in shade or ambient/reflected light less waves are reflected towards our eyes... STICK WITH ME; I know it is getting a little deep, but it''ll make more sense in a minute... with Supposedly blaze orange is non appearing, but a deep blue screams at them.... Anything in the red is hard for them to see, but colors in the violet spectrum are more prevalent...
So if we begin to think of camo as a depth(or deep texture so to speak), tonal, and reflecting (or absorbing) light... we begin to understand how a ghillie really works and make the most of any situation that we use camo or stand set-up. We need to limit our use of colors in the violet spectrum and blend more of the colrs in the blended or yellow red spectrums.. ( WHITE AND BLACK are different as one is maximum reflected light and the other is absense of light, theoretically- a well respected Marine/swat sniper I asked when making my ghillie, told me, "forget the stynthetics and use green, gray, tans, and browns... The reflection of light and absorption of light will give you the lights and darks of your camo." Figured he knew much more than I would ever learn hunting, so ... I pass it along as gospel)
So the reason the tans browns and green used in most ghillies works so well is depth, absorption of light, and the long strands break up the silhouette... If we take these principals and use a stand set up with gloves and face mask in the shadows amongst foreground and background... we are 60% ahead of the game!!!
Lets look at the same phots, in sepia and B&W...
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/sgtslasher/Hunting/GHILLIE/DSCN2776-1.jpg) (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/sgtslasher/Hunting/GHILLIE/DSCN2776_2-1.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/sgtslasher/Hunting/GHILLIE/DSCN2775_3.jpg) (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/sgtslasher/Hunting/GHILLIE/DSCN2775_2.jpg)
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/sgtslasher/Hunting/GHILLIE/DSCN2777_2.jpg)\\ (http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a6/sgtslasher/Hunting/GHILLIE/DSCN2777-1.jpg)
We notice that even at close range... in the Bright open of a suburban backyard... if one used gloves, a facemask, foreground, and background as cover- it is understandable how proper use of ghillie is almost cheating , when on the ground..
BUT GHILLIES TEND TO SMELL!!! AND THEY ARE HOT SO YOU SMELL EVEN MORE!!! AND WE ALL KNOW, YOU CAN"T BEAT THE NOSE!!! (you can wash and store it in a better methods and increase your chances...)
You can get away with some movement (MOSTLY SLOW MOVEMENT, drawing your bow should take 20-30 seconds, not 2-5 seconds)
Use light, wind direction, foreground and background(backcover) to your advantage!!!
I am sorry, but with all these posts, I figured a lil better understanding will help understand how to use a ghillie, if you want you make the sacrifices to use a ghillie....
It is easy, but a lil understanding helps make it so much more effective...
Feel free to chime in as I am no expert,,,, But I am always looking to learn something, and this is a discussion post... I know just enough to get myself in trouble!!!
I will break it out of mothballs (actually dirt, leaves, and pine boughs) and get some better pictures with background and foreground and show the colors either tommorrow or next week as time and weather allow!!
Cool!! Thank you for your time and efforts.
I am paying attention!! Is hanging my ghuillie outside under a covered roof where it will remain in the fresh air a good thing. Is using dirt, leaves, ect helpful?
Thanks in advance!
God bless,Mudd
To me it sounds good!!! before the season I dunk mine in a bath tub of hunting soap... Then I hang mine for a week or so, under an oak tree... then put it in a rubbermaind container with some dirt... some acorns, leaves and pine boughs...
If I sweat much in it, I may turn it inside out and let it sit in the sun (supposedly sun kills the bacteria.... )
Who knows???
"sin kills" Yes it does!!!!! Thanks for making that point!
God bless,Mudd
PS: seriously thank you for the info too!
I'm also paying attention. Some very helpful information :thumbsup:
QuoteOriginally posted by Slasher:
To me it sounds good!!! before the season I dunk mine in a bath tub of hunting soap... Then I hang mine for a week or so, under an oak tree... then put it in a rubbermaind container with some dirt... some acorns, leaves and pine boughs...
If I sweat much in it, I may turn it inside out and let it sit in the sun (supposedly sin kills the bacteria.... )
Who knows???
Oops sun...been a long day..
Not a big deal.... but your truthful statement was!!
I loved it!!!! Thank you so very much for all the effort and information you've so freely given. I know it has already helped me and others too I'd imagine.
I love my ghuillie! I wore it in front of my home one Halloween and not one person who walked by me saw or identified me as anything other than another piece of shrubbery by the front deck..lol It was a blast even if I wasn't allowed to scare anyone..lol Now if I can just get that close to my intended targets without them getting scared off...lol
God bless,Mudd
Really good post. Do you have any tricks of the trade for dealing with the string getting past the shaggy bow arm? and anchoring up against such a large brim?
I use an old dark colored tube style sock with the end cut out and pull it over my bow arms sleeve. I wear my arm guard over that.
Works for me!
God bless,Mudd
Great post Gary.
I bought a Shaggie this year and I am getting back on the ground. That is how I started bow hunting in 1968.
I can't wait for this season to start. This year I am as excited as I was to bow hunt back then. I am tired of looking at the same terrain all day from a tree.
Anyone ever get their gillies smoky to cover up the smell? I never have, but may try it this year. They are a blast to use while hunting, and can be pretty fun to try out on your friends as well.
Great post, thanks for the discussion. What you wrote makes sense. I've been thinking about getting one and this might have pushed me over the edge.
Thanks for taking the time to explain that.
It's the most thorough explanation I've read.I look forward to anything else you post.Thanks again.
Slasher,
Thanks for the post!! It cleared away some of the questions I had and helped clarify some of the stuff I already knew.
Im going to a ghillie this year because, driving a tractor trailer across country every week, I dont have the time to do all the necessary scouting and stand placement that I've done in years past.
Hopefully I can make a kill or two and post the pics.
Thanks,
Bare
looks to me that that ghille is made from an old army jacket, i can see the sleeves (cuffs), is that home made? where can one get those rope strands or whatever they are? that would be cool to make one.. thanks for good imfo.
Yep... I used an old faded BDU jacket and boonie... A size larger and long..
I have about 8-10 hrs of my time and $20 of materials although I had some on hand...
A few yards of burlap some rit dye... Green, brown, gray dye..
I cut into 18x22 in squares and then pull the thread from the burlap while leaving some natural... Cut out net to fit around the jacket, stitched it in with dental floss... Then a lil shoe goo over the tie dental floss . hit with a lil OD spray paint to knock out the shine! Then just tie in the bundles of thread... alot of work, but I found it worthwhile...
thanks for the imfo, now im on a mission to make me one. be nice to have one when huntin an area that doesent have a lot of cover to hide a man. like open woods.
Thanks for the photos. They really show the importance of face and hand shrouding.
I used to wear glasses with my facemask, until my buddy told me he could see the sunlight reflection when I turned my head.
Wear contacts now when I hunt.
ttt Good info to review
IF YOU USE SMOKE TO COVER SCENT THEM BE CAREFUL. GHILLIES ARE USUALLY MADE OF HIGHLY FLAMABLE MATERIAL!
****EVEN WITH THE RETARDING CHEMICALS.
Thanks for all the pictures and advice,I would like to make or buy one myself,
Kurt
slasher; you say you only have 10 hrs. into your suit?? i have more than that in just my head cover!!!!!! at this rate i'll be lucky to have the suit done by opening day!!! anyway thanks for takeing the time to share.
I have a ton of black burlap will this work fro my gillie.
QuoteOriginally posted by Tyler2045:
I have a ton of black burlap will this work fro my gillie.
I would reccomend the natural beige like you get at wally werld of a fabric store fore less than $2 a yard...
I considered a ghillie 2 or 3 seasons ago, and didn't get it because it looked like it would be too hard to move thru the brush and woods with everything catching on stuff. Do you guys wear yours in or pack it along? What I did do was purchase the boonie hat portion of the ghillie, and that alone VASTLY improved my outline breakup. I feel I've increased my close range encounters (point blank even), I just need to learn how to get the shot off without getting busted on the draw.
hey trapperzeke you should checkout guru's ghillie build-a-long in the how to forum. his "bow blind" will solve that problem.
I made a ghillie "poncho" out of an old volleyball net and various brown.tan, green burlap strips of varying lengths and widths to pull over whatever clothes I am wearing... once I get to where I want to hunt I put it on . ...cut the strands that interfered with the bow..
Made a headpiece out of a chunk of net and some velro which I can strap on top of a boonie or whatever....
the netting also allows for putting bits of natural vegetation in if you have time...like a pine bough in the head net...I have even used some pieces of fake plastic trees/vines like they have at michaels and it adds depth too..
I'm no expert either, but if you want to kill odors just stick the suit into a plastic bag. If you have an ozone generator attach it to the plastic bag opening, then just turn it on. It will get rid of any odor in about an hour. The only smell that will be left is fresh air, you know like when you hang your laundry out to dry.
I have a small air purifier for the car and it works great on hunting clothes.
Ken