I'm going to order some cold weather camo and was wondering if anybody had used snow camo in late winter with no snow on the ground.
I'm talking about in treestand. I have a feeling the white would blend in pretty good with all the light color bark on trees and the light color of winter sky. Or it may look like a snowman in a tree..anybody got any ideas on this?
Looks like the snow is going to be around here for a while and seasons running out so got to do something.
This is the color I'm talking about..Thanks.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Iflytrout/Pictures/s7_933746_380_01.jpg)
I have full snow camo and only tend to use it when there is snow on the ground.
I'm lucky to have a great set of camo Filson winter wool clothes, so I have the option of snow or regular camo when the temp drops.
I was in a tree for a little bit today taking a break from stalking in my snow camo.
I was looking around at the other tree tips around me and I felt as if I was extremely blended into the surrounding.
I have a box of white Tyvec suits(with hoods) for the lovely white stuff. they help keep me dry also, but a long trec in and your gonna sweat. Some hardware and big super hardware stores carry them.For the price they cant be beat!
I dont really know about out of trees but deer look right past snow camo on the ground,its great como.
I think it's a great idea worth trying, with the snow camo it wont look like a big blob in the bare tree like with regular camo. Good luck and let us know how it goes.
SNow camo is a good deal from leafless tree stands. Many have been using it that way for years. Look up at one. . the sky tends to be light / white during the winter and all you see are branches and light spaces between them.
ChuckC
Your snow camo plan for late season treestand hunting is spot on. Another great late season treestand pattern is, believe it or not, blaze orange camo. The orange looks like an overcast gray sky to the deer. My 2 best treestand bucks came from wearing my orange camo coveralls. Wearing blaze orange camo feels weird at first, but when you realize you're invisible to the deer, you get used to it.
What you don't want to wear in a leafless tree is dark, blobbing pattern like most mossy oaks or real tree patterns.
Other good late season camo patterns are Predator, ASAT and Vertigo.
That pattern you have posted will be golden for treestand hunting.
One more thing, keep the material in the front of your mind. In the colder late season, late afternoon can often be dead, dead calm. And in the cold, some materials make more noise.
Other than unlined wool and fleece, all other materials make some noise on a cold, late season sit. Even lined wool can be too noisy for deer under 20 yards. So, my strong suggestion is to look for unlined wool or unlined fleece for your outer layer.
Also make sure to wear an arm guard and to practice with the coat on. With layers if cold, the bulk can potentially cause flubs.
Thanks for all the good info. I just don't want to buy an expensive set of cold weather snow camo and then have all the snow melt and not get any use out of it. I've got some of Cabela's Wooltimate Outfitter's High Plains Camo and it's pretty light colored..(suppose to be browner than it is), but not sure just how white the Cabela's Wooltimate Snow is. Will find out.
Mojostick..I put a picture of the pullover top..but what I'm getting is the Cabela's Wooltimate WindShear Snow Pants. Already got the Woolitmate top in High Plains with Windshear.
I'll take your suggestion into consideration about the Windshear noise. I haven't used my jacket that much, but haven't noticed too much noise..although, I'm about deaf so that could make a difference.
If I could find an Asbel zip up with extra heavy wool and real light colors I'd rather have that.
Some lining is better than others. I hunt on the ground now and at close ranges, 15 and under. I'm pretty OCD about noise. Some lining may be acceptable to some. For me, no noise is acceptable.
Then again, I hunt in the central part of Michigan where temps may be lower than where you are. Here, materials other than unlined wool seem to stiffen, for lack of a better term, and you can hear that fabric "swoosh" when drawing back if dead calm and after sitting in 20 degrees for an hour plus. I've tried other material and it caused spooky late season deer to bust before I got to half draw.
I know you're right about the noise of some fabrics like Windshear, etc. Beside being almost completely deaf of high frequency sounds, I have tinnitus (ringing, 24hrs.) so I most likely just don't notice the noise.
Also, I can't get out there if it's much colder than mid teens due to blood thinners and heart, so as you said it might not be cold enough weather to make a difference.
Thanks for the info.
It even works on the ground. (http://i688.photobucket.com/albums/vv247/pukingguts/P1040309_zps300bf751.jpg)
Because sometimes, there are just no shadows!
(http://i688.photobucket.com/albums/vv247/pukingguts/P1040259_zps76a155b6.jpg)
Snow camo is the best tree stand camo there is, even early in the season. It's all I wear and have worn for about the past 30 years. When you look up into the trees you se two shades -- dark and light. Anything but snow camo, and the hunter looks all dark. Much easier for critters to pick up, IMO. The same on the ground, really. Most camos are too dark and turn the hunter into a dark blob.
Swampthing's pix above illustrates that nicely. Which one blends in best when viewed above the snow line? And below the snow line, it's no contest. Of course, either of these camos would work fine. Movement is the big culprit in determining whether game will see you or not.
I wear some old "Sky line" snow camo and it has been very effective for ground hunting with snow and tree stand hunting anytime.
It all makes sense to me..fish have white bellies for a reason.
OK . ..so it's not a trad hunting pic . .it's still snow camo (minus the Double Gulp cup)
(http://i1244.photobucket.com/albums/gg575/Doug_Simon/Facebook/2009%20SNOW/15756_1200617054218_6673937_n.jpg)
Kingsnake
Want to know how well your snow camo works, take up crow hunting, you'll lean quickly what works... Have learned all white or as much white you can cover works best.
Back in the day when we had ruffed grouse around, have had my hats almost knocked off by flushed birds while whited out.
Zbone,
If you ever build a wooden shell blind in a snowy cornfield for crows, try painting it silver vs white. It works way better than white paint since the snow reflects off the silver better. ;) :)
Using white in camo brings to mind the first piebald deer I ever saw in the woods and the "white affect".
It was an overcast day and I was in a tree down in a bottom when I saw something coming towards me at about 45yds. At first I had no idea what I was seeing..just a form of brown and white patches moving through the bottom...then my mind started putting the patches together and my first thought was.."what's a goat doing down in this bottom". Then I made out the head and nice 8 point of so rack and knew it was a deer.
(http://i1232.photobucket.com/albums/ff369/arwin29/019.jpg)
I love this Predator winter white. Snow camo feels extra sneaky for some reason. :cool:
i got to wear mine yesterday since we had snow on the ground,
(http://i958.photobucket.com/albums/ae69/arrow30_photos/005-5.jpg)
this pic is from a couple years ago.
Hey Kingsnake, I have that same outfit...8^)
Mojostick - Never really built a blind, but sometimes stack brush depending on the location, but mainly get in amongst brush or downed trees and/or logs or in open areas just snugging up against bigger trees along hedgerows. Out in the middle of cut cornfields, we've actually laid down flat before in all white camo...8^) Just like whitetails, the key is movement and trying to keep still while breaking up the human outline and white on white seemed to work best in snow but never heard of the silver thing before, but will definitely give it a try... Thanx much for the tip!
Once took a friend in late winter without snow in which he was pretty well camo-ed out except he wore a cap (can't remember the color) but it had a big white name/logo patch on the front. Anyhow, crows kept flaring way out of range and he couldn't understand why they were flaring on him and not me. Finally after convincing him to remove his hat he believed...8^)
If you can fool a crow, you can fool a deer...8^)
I totally agree. There's few critters more wary than crows.
Hoyt:
PM to you
ASAT makes a snow camo leafy if anyone wants to cover their existing clothes.Those who use ASAT will find the pattern even better with a snow background.
Go to your favorite Dept. store and buy a cheap white sweat pant/sweatshirt outfit, also pick up a can of black and brown spray paint, spray some lines on them let them air out overnite and there ya go! Oh yea cut the elastic bottoms off the pants then you can slip them on right over your boots. This actually works pretty good, it's what I've been using for a few years now!
Steve