Is Camo Necessary for Deer Hunting

[Marine Cpl]

I'm not a hunter but I've been invited to go next year with a group of guys from work. Do I need camo? Realtree or Mossy?

I still have cheap woodland goretex from the military. Is that enough?

 

[GTN]

Well considering I use to wear orange hat and orange vest so I don’t get shot I’d say no

 

[GOYABEAN]

personally colors really don't matter from my experiences I've had deer within touching distance! Movement and odors and noise will always give you away
Hunting Myth Buster: Do You Need Camouflage for Deer Hunting?

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Wait, are we saying you don’t need camouflage for deer hunting? Yeah, we went there.
Of all the statements a hunter can make in this day and age of social media, hunting television shows, and in-your-face advertising by big money in the hunting industry, saying you don’t need camouflage for deer hunting has to be insane right?

Well, think again.





Camouflage for deer hunting hasn’t always been a thing. As a matter of fact, it didn’t actually become a thing until the mid ’80s. It was around that time that Bill Jordan came out with some revolutionary camo patterns, and the rest is history.

However, the truth of the matter is that before Bill Jordan, people still killed a lot of deer. Most of them harvested a year’s worth of food wearing flannel shirts and blue jeans, just to top it off.


Hunt-Indiana.com
The science behind not needing camo is actually very sound, however camo is still recommended by the QDMA.

In 1992, a landmark study took place that attempted to figure out exactly what deer see. The results showed that deer are red-green color blind. What this means is that deer can tell the difference between blue from red, but not green from red, or orange from red. Therefore, hunters can wear green, red, or orange and blend right in, but should stay away from blue.

Deer also can see UV light in low light hours. It was suggested in the study that, during early morning or late evening, hunters wearing UV brightening fabric cleaners might actually glow blue to the eyes of the deer.

As stated above, the scientists at the QDMA do still recommend camouflage for deer hunting, if only to break up your silhouette in your surroundings. The break up patterns do help keep you hidden. However, it ranks low on the list of reasons why you get busted by a deer. Scent is the number one reason of detection in a landslide, followed by hunter movement. Camo patterns rank somewhere after that.


applecreekranch.com
Overall, there is no need to throw away all of your camo. Just make sure that what you are wearing doesn’t have a ton of UV brighteners…and isn’t blue. Otherwise, camo is pretty much camo, despite what the marketing department might have to say.

The next time you buy camouflage for deer hunting though, I would make sure it keeps you warm, first, then consider how well it will keep you hidden in your surroundings.

Next: Hunting Myth Buster: Does Peeing in the Woods Scare Deer Away? [VIDEO]

But Orange vest and cap would stand out for other Hunters hopefully and I believe required by some states! Then theirs products like
Videos HECS Stealthscreen

 

[Magnus]

I usually go hunting in an old blazer and slacks I got from the Salvation Army. Firgured they really didn’t care what I wore as they die.

But I have heard that they cannot see the hunter orange, not sure how true that is, not a deer.

 

[freddy]

I'm not a hunter but I've been invited to go next year with a group of guys from work. Do I need camo? Realtree or Mossy?

I still have cheap woodland goretex from the military. Is that enough?

Huh? Are you kidding?
Someone once said: Do the deer wear multicam?!?!
Hmmm, now who was it that said that?
Do you have some cash burning a hole in you pocket, Will?
Next thing you are going to put me on the ignore list? Ha ha!

Also, you are a hunter. Just one that hasn't hunted, yet.

 

[ArmedCorgi]

I want to look as much like woods as possible so dudes from NYC don't mistake me for a deer.

 

[GOYABEAN]

I want to look as much like woods so dudes from NYC don't mistake me for a deer.

Still have to fear when they spray downrange

 

[Marine Cpl]

Huh? Are you kidding?
Someone once said: Do the deer wear multicam?!?!
Hmmm, now who was it that said that?
Do you have some cash burning a hole in you pocket, Will?
Next thing you are going to put me on the ignore list? Ha ha!

Also, you are a hunter. Just one that hasn't hunted, yet.

I said that deer are brown and not green on a camo thread meant for human eyes. Not deer eyes.

No I don't ignore no matter how stupid the comment. That's for pussies that need safe spaces.

 

[freddy]

I said that deer are brown and not green on a camo thread meant for human eyes. Not deer eyes.

No I don't ignore no matter how stupid the comment. That's for pussies that need safe spaces.

Ok, fair enough. In that case, get Realtree Xtra! Works great with or without snow on ground.

 

[freddy]

Your honor!

... Solid regular looking Browns and tans blend in extremely well in the ground on dead foliage. Deer don't wear Multicam and blend right into the woods.

 

[MilesTeg]

I wear my old camo bottoms with a blazer orange/brown vest, so I stick out like a sore thumb. Deer don't seem to mind it. Now if I was bow hunting I might think about wearing some more camo.

 

[S&W Fan]

If you choose to wear camo Your Old military stuff will work just fine. If you don’t want to then open pattern, muted reds ,blacks and greens will work just fine. NEVER wear brown!

 

[Marine Cpl]

Your honor!

You don't see that that's meant for human eyes? Unless you think deer hunt each other.

 

[freddy]

You don't see that that's meant for human eyes? Unless you think deer hunt each other.

Personally I am more stringent with camo choices given a human adversary. Less so with a whitetail. But if you think you need camo for deer...

 

[Marine Cpl]

Personally I am more stringent with camo choices given a human adversary. Less so with a whitetail. But if you think you need camo for deer...

That's why the thread was created numbnuts.

 

[freddy]

That's why the thread was created numbnuts.

 

[GTN]

That “kick” not kiss

 

[dubleuhb]

You don't need any fancy camo. I do wear it but only because to get a good performance garment, ie; Gortex or something with a windblocker and still has a quiet outershell you kinda have to buy the camo to get it.

If it was 40° and sunny everyday I would wear my blue jeans and still take a deer.

Keep movement to a minimum and play the wind, a deers nose is it's primary defense mechanism.

 

[freddy]

That “kick” not kiss

It's the thought that counts.

 

[Airborneguy]

Movement and smell are #1 and #2. I believe moment is more noticeable so more important than smell. But, for the real big bucks, smell is first for sure.

As for camo, I’m a gear junky so I wear it. Hunting and guns are the only thing I really spend money on. I work real hard for my money and like to spend it enjoying myself. So whether necessary or not, I’m buying it.

 

[NY Leatherneck]

Deer are colorblind. Camo helps break up the outline against a similar back drop. In my experience, being quiet, still and not smelling like a dirty human is all you need.

 

[STS556]

When I first started hunting many years ago all I wore was some Army cammo cargo pants and an Army cammo hoodie and would layer underneath to keep warm. The deer didn't complain about it. Over the years I have made better cammo purchases so I can look more like a tree.

 

[Celt]

Deer are colorblind. Camo helps break up the outline against a similar back drop. In my experience, being quiet, still and not smelling like a dirty human is all you need.

Exactly, when hunting birds its best to be in camo. For deer its not about color its ypur silhouette. Camo will make your silhouette less obvious, but its not needed.

 

[GOYABEAN]

You could also use a drag lure scents
Rope and Tampons

We’ve already mentioned tampons, but if you’re not secure in your manhood, than ignore this next tip. For the rest of you, I promise it will work.

Not only do tampons make great absorbents for your drag rag, they also make exceptional scent wicks. They are sterile, come unscented and can hold a considerable amount of deer urine. Simply apply the scent or deer urine to the tampon and use it’s handy-dandy string to tie it in place.

Cotton rope will also hold a considerable amount of scent and has been used by some of the most successful whitetail hunters. By applying scent to a frayed end of the rope, the ‘wicking’ action will disperse the scent in the general area. One inch diameter rope, or larger, can also be hung above a scrape and can serve for both a ‘licking branch’ and scent wick.

When placing scent wicks, always consider the wind direction and try to hang them so approaching deer will go past your stand site and not stop short of it. Additionally, be sure to use your wind checker to see how thermals and wind will carry the smell of any scent to an approaching deer.

Knowing you fooled a whitetail’s nose and lured him into shooting range only adds to the depth of satisfaction that comes when hunting allusive whitetail.

 

[Robin]

Gun or bow, I don't wear camo. Play the wind grasshopper, and move at the speed of the woods.
Robin Tsu

 

[Defilade]

I'm not a hunter but I've been invited to go next year with a group of guys from work. Do I need camo? Realtree or Mossy?

I still have cheap woodland goretex from the military. Is that enough?

You going to bring your Fudd gun?

 

[WileyX585]

No, but you will look cool.

 

[Marine Cpl]

You going to bring your Fudd gun?

I'm considering a 9mm Carbine so I can tell everyone that I told them so. Don't know yet. More than likely a .308. we'll see.

 

[ECU Pirates]

No need for Camo. All that fancy shit does it bag hunters money.

 

[ManrisFrack]

For treestand hunting, the best way to breakup your silhouette is to make sure that (from the deer's point of view) you are against branches and not sky. I bow hunt with camo on but only because the clothing I selected for quiet movement and scent control (I'm not yet sold on the effectiveness of scent control but I use it) came in camo. Same for my Gortex rain gear.

During gun season I use these Men's Malone Wool Pants and a hunter plaid jacket. Warmth with some measure of visibility to humans are my top criteria for gun season.