After our recent hunt it got me to thinking about how i appear to animals out in the field. Most see only black and white....except for those turkeys!!! So i changed these photos to b&w to see....these certainly blend well into the surroundings.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/huntsmanlance/8-08-07025bw.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/huntsmanlance/8-08-07003bw.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/huntsmanlance/8-08-07007bw.jpg)
But I was thinking....hmmm who am i really hiding from? I love the looks of camo and of course greens but i am seriously thing about making some clothes out of different shades of grey.
They would help with other hunters being able to see me and not "accidently" shooting me while still helping to keep me camoflauged from the critters.
Anyone else wear greys instead of the modern real tree camo greens?
Lance
I'm starting to get stuff to make a gray ghillie suite, heck the American Indians didn't use real tree camo
Lance & mysticguido
I read somewhere on turkey hunting most of the old timers wore grey. They said it did not reflect light with the green tree canopy. For the life of me I can't remember were I read it.
Cool pics THANKS for sharing.
Mike :campfire:
Lance....what you are wearing blends very well. The soft rounded edges don't create an outline. Besides that....you look like the Sherrif of Nottingham ;) . Camo is mainly for people's eyes.
I've bowhunted in bluejeans and a flanel shirt and took deer...and i'm sure a lot of people have, The gray suit idea is great, but i like the stuff you've got on in the picture above...
Can you imagine what the wheel bows would say if you showed up to check one in in that!! I would pay money to here that conversation!
I like that robin hood camo above, thats the coolest camo yet!!! :bigsmyl: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
I usally wear what's in season. Depending on the time of the year and what kind of woods I'm hunting in. Shades of greens, browns, blacks, greys, reds, oranges, even yellows, when fall hits and the leaves change. The main thing is to do just what you have done, blend in, break up your silloute, something at your back so you don't stand out like a sore thumb. Course I have been caught out in the open before by a couple of deer and just froze there, kinda hunched over and the wind was right. Even though my knee was shake'n a hundred mile an hour, along with my heart, they never paid no mind to me. I had on charcoal grey trousers and a forest green shirt and a brown fedora. I like to wear "casual" clothing when hunting, I beleive they are a lot more comfortable, to me any way. I'm not all that big on commercial camo.
As far as being dressed like you are, we use to wear our 18th century clothing,(French & Indian War period), for hunting and trekking in the woods, or canoe floats down the rivers. people would freak out when they saw us. You should see how they acted when they saw some of the "Naytives" of the time period, you talk about leaving the scene in a hurry, man it was a hoot. Some folks would walk up and ask what we were doing and what we were. We would start out mess'n with them and then come clean. But you do get some looks, I'll tell ya that. Run into a game warden one time and he was a bit speechless at first, that he took a wrong turn some where and winded up in the twilight zone LOL!!!
Jerald
One of my absolute FAVORITE early season tops is a Columbia synthetic pullover in just a light green/almost grey. It has some windstopper thing in it, and a hood. It's almost like a darn golf pullover!
I shot at two deer in it last year in one day. One at four yards (hit a tiny stick in the thicket I was kneeling in) and one at 11 yards that wandered up on me in an open bowl about 20 yards across in the woods. She played "what are you" with me for about 3 minutes before taking a step--I drew, shot, and put it right through her backstrap...just too close and shot too high...
I love that thing!!!
My second favorite are the columbia/cabelas outfitter style camo in subtle, muted camo colors...not the new high-definition (and too dark!!) stuff on the market.
Take Care,
Marc
Here's a red/black buffalo plaid coat, and a green/black plaid shirt:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/oldearcher46/woolcheck.jpg)
I think one of the most effective patterns I have used are the old style red/black and green black wool coats. I have had stand there and just stare for 20+ minutes. I also like the Predator stuff. I like bigger patterns. I think the new stuff is designed more for us than the deer. I also us my old fatigues during early season because of all the green in them.
Nice looking bow, too, Lance!
dang lance i almost missed you i that first pic. only that strand of gray gave you away.... :bigsmyl: .....sorry i just couldn't help myself..... :help:
The thing that got me to thinking about this was because right before i went on the hog hunt i heard another one of those stories where an archer was shot because he was wearing full camo and was stalking through the woods.
Make sure to go to George D. Stout's thread about is it now or then...in those he changed some photos from color to b & W. (i dont have any photos of me in modern camo!)
So it was neat to see what it looks like....notice also how blue jeans just blend!!!
and Gene yer just jealous that ya dont own such a purty bow! :D
and John i dont realize just how much grey i have until i see photos! :scared:
anyone else have some photos you can turn from color to b & w and post to see how they look?
Not to start an argument but how do we know that is how animals see. I read something a while back that they dont see B/W but colors and maybe colors we cant see. I believe it said shades of blue and green looked florescent.
Jim my understanding is it has to do with the number of rods and cones in the eyes. To see color you need a certain number of them. Most everything but birds don't have them. Birds do.I think dogs do too.
Ever notice that all the major prey animals, deer, rabbits, mice, and squirrels are shades of grey and white? Natural camoflage against predators.
Here is some reading for you.
http://www.researchmagazine.uga.edu/summer2005/deerspeak03.htm
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1279&context=icwdm_usdanwrc
I also didn't want to chime in on the "can deer see color" aspect, but from what I have read--not blogs like this, but from degreed biologists--deer can see hues of blue.
They can also "see" the base of the dyes in clothing...which is most prevalent in the really cheap stuff. The technical term of that chemical escapes me right now....
As for getting shot? I'm WAY more concerned about getting shot in a one-color monochromatic shirt than full camo! That "light shade of grey" or "light shade of green" is much more easy to think of as a deer torso when you stop between two trees and some idiot sees motion...and if he has any clue of what a deer looks like in the woods, he pretty much knows that even though they have "one shade of brown" over white, that "brown" changes in the shadows.
So does a one-color top.
And as for orange--I get as many deer in close in full blaze orange as I do with my bowhuntin' stuff...
Just my two cents...
Marc
Years ago i watched a video on the effects of antler size on bull moose and elk in the rut. they called in these animals and waved different sized racks at them from a distance and got different responses from the same bulls. It was proven the bulls were more aggressive and came closer when the smaller antlers were used...then they called some in and stood up slowly using camo, vs solid color clothing.....the sold color clothing in the shape of a man consistently scared off the bulls, where a cammo, or plaid pattern breaking up their body pattern wasn't detected near as quickly. it was a good piece of film. I've done the same test myself with deer and elk. using a plaid shirt, predator cammo, and solid colors....the solid color is detected muck quicker in all cases. i won't even speculate on the color thing....or UV detection in some fabrics....but breaking up your body pattern is more important than color....it's a proven fact.....you wouldn't catch me hunting elk in a brown or grey solid color.....good way to get on the receiving end of a broad head if ya ask me.....Kirk
I remeber reading somewhere a while back that the best camo pattern is no pattern at all. Maybe that's why ghillie suits are so effective...
QuoteOriginally posted by Artur:
I remeber reading somewhere a while back that the best camo pattern is no pattern at all, meaning that straight lines and square edges are rarely encountered in nature. Maybe that's why ghillie suits are so effective...
Dang, I meant to edit, not quote....
if you want to see what a deer sees, put your stuff on and stand under a buglight for a pic. Some might be surprized.
Lance someone had photos on here the other day in B&W and I thought they looked very cool but yours with the period looking attire and trad longbow really sets the stage for them pics..
we need some full period camp photos with some game cooking over the fire.. always wanted to participate in (or set-up) a 30's 40's style bow hunt camp for a week--> someone should organize something and the only modern tool allowed is those B&W cameras,, or a real 50's style camera if someone has one???
nice pics--Ted
Good topic with hunting season here for some and around the corner for others.
2 pics of a friend in a stand. There blury but give you an idea of a grey scale.
(http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q344/buckmark23/100_1839-1.jpg)
(http://i348.photobucket.com/albums/q344/buckmark23/100_1841-1.jpg)
That stand looks way to comfortable, I would fall a sleep in that :) .
that's enuff to make a person wonder isn't it? personally, i believe camo is a current 'craze'.
all one has to do is look back at some of the MANY photos available of bowhunters, fred bear being a prime example, to see camo was NOT used that commonly prior to the vietnam era when camo clothing came available from milsurp sources.
i think there's enough success stories from today, that will support that MOVEMENT, SMELL and HEARING will be more critical that actual color/pattern of clothing.
i read recently that some biologists now believe that SIGHT is the first line of defense for many if not most animals; they SEE MOVEMENT, they HEAR MOVEMENT and they catch odors on the wind. basically, they, as well as us, can see farther (the antelope is reported to have 10x power vision as an example) to spot potential threats. MOVEMENT not color/pattern is key.
pigs are a perfect example: when rooting, they see more than they smell, and they may still see more than the can hear due to the noises they make while rooting.
color... you don't wear a white shirt in dark wood environment, pattern... you don't wear stripes in a polka-dot environment... movement, you don't run madly about do you? hearing...you don't have your MP3 turned up on full volume do you? and smell, you shower and keep the wind in your face don't you? they all do add up but we must make the best of what we know to make it work.
very interesting topic. lots of good thoughts and info.
lance you look like aragorn! :archer:
i read that deer see yellow and blue hues. I know that my lily white face shows up at least 800 yards away if its moving.
Hmmmm. I love gray, and believe in its efficacy. All them deer up in my neck of the woods are gray...
I refuse to think about it any more. Just lazy I guess. I will wear whatever is clean and keeps me comfortable.
Killdeer
QuoteOriginally posted by Coop:
That stand looks way to comfortable, I would fall a sleep in that :) .
You will fall asleep in it. I did! :thumbsup:
$100.00 for the stand and it has a big platform on it. I video'd my friend that day shooting his first buck with a bow about an hour after that pic was taken. :)
I've got a good idea, probably just as smelly to a deer. Trail cam photo after mowing the field on my suburban honey hole.
LOL.
(http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j87/SOS_321/Cigar.jpg)
Lance,
Grey has nothing to do with your pictures- you are just showin off your flowing locks and your handsome face once again... see Ron LaClaire's site.
Why don't we ship you to Hollywood.
:bigsmyl:
Legolas