Busting the myth of camouflage clothing

[tdawson]

For those folks with a lot more experience than I have (virtually none at the moment), can anyone tell me if camouflage clothing is helpful when deer stalking? I read somewhere that deer can see in colour, but unlike humans, their eyes are only sensitive to blue (and white) colours, but the green to red colours are all similar (i.e. they cannot distinguish much between them) hence most camouflage colours (green/brown mixtures) all look the same. This also suggests that you can wear bright red or orange and to deer, you look the same to them as wearing camouflage or green or khaki colours that most hunters seem to prefer to wear?

 

[JMikeyH]

Earthy/drab colours are more than adequate. No need to go for specifically camouflaged gear but if that's the style you prefer then no harm done.
The main thing is speed of movement, sound and paying attention to the wind. All the camouflage in the world won't help if you're stepping on every twig and always got the wind at your back

 

[fallow me]

For me wearing camouflage or green clothing is more for stopping joe public seeing me,

 

[palo]

A lot of the american hunters wear camo gear that has bright orange through it so that other hunters etc can see them but the deer can't so it must work.
The most experienced and successful stalkers I know never wear cammo just green olive type colours.

 

[nun_hunter]

While the deer may not know the difference there are plenty of other noisy animals when out stalking who will see you and potentially warn deer and of course the public in some places.

 

[sikadog]

Deer see movement more than shapes I once stalked in full view down a forest road for 350yds to within 20yds of a doe when she looked up I stopped when she looked down to feed I moved.

 

[Overlay]

Standing still is the best camo, low area entry , low movement around the animal as allowed, steady movement always gets the desired result

 

[J@son]

I am not an expert but as I understand it camouflage works by breaking up the form and features of the thing that is camouflaged - so it becomes less recognisable as an example that type of thing. The best example of what I am on about is probably a dazzle ship - Google it and you will see what I mean. It isn’t so much about blending in with the background as disrupting the silhouette (outline shape) and form (in-line shapes) that make a thing easily recognisable as itself. This is also why when infantry soldiers put on battle paint they don’t put loads on and make their faces completely black (I think we can all that would be a VERY bad idea for so many reasons) rather they daub it on in stripes - the idea is not change the colour of their face; it is to make it look less like a face at all by disrupting the recognisable form that makes every face face-like.

I think camouflage does have an advantage over ordinary brown/green outdoor clothing although I rarely wear it myself - on the basis that I find members of the public tend to be much more wary and less friendly when I do.

 

[Mike_E]

in general camo catches hunters... and makes them spend money. take the majority of camo patterns and stand 100m away, they just look like blob of one colour. Deer dont see detail, they see movement.

that said I have had a few highland keepers tell me that a full ghillie suit allows you to take some serious liberties if stalking hinds. Not one to wear if you are going pop in for a pint on the way home though!!

 

[Fair Hill]

From what I read when I did my extensive research one hungover Monday morning deer see colours in blocks, so my interpretation of this was and still is don't mix the colours of your trousers and top, thread lightly, move slowly and keep your eyes and ears open.

Camo stuff looks cool though and do not underestimate the psychological edge it can instill to put you in "hunting mode" and make you more aware of your movements and senses.

 

[badbob]

Camouflage is important to the military and in covert obs. where you want to be invisible to humans (also birds as well)
Animals including deer are different, so its not at all essential. but consider
1. scent....most important deer sense .keep the wind in your face.
2 movement ...dont move ,move slow,when their heads are down feeding
3 shade and texture. pale in open country broken pattern in woodland,keep in shadow not bright sun
4 silhouette, skyline ,human shape, and human face very visible.
5 noise, deer have big ears.
6 UV, IR ,wavelengths... some animals can apparently

 

[Grant.N]

I was told that wearing the colour grey was good.

 

[NP435]

Movement is more detectable than color, blaze orange is required in the USA while hunting in many if not most states and the amount of orange required depends on the state. If out calling coyotes I wear well used green Carhart trousers and well used Carhart coat in either khaki or brown. Use the local brush to break your outline and don't move it will be very hard for humans or anything else to find you. Scent counts so the less stink in the air the better. Aftershave , deoderents ect or strong soap can be detected by humans let alone animals with far better sense of smell.

 

[xavierdoc]

Some washing powders contain brightening agents that may render your clothing more visible to some animals.

 

[bogtrotter]

For those folks with a lot more experience than I have (virtually none at the moment), can anyone tell me if camouflage clothing is helpful when deer stalking? I read somewhere that deer can see in colour, but unlike humans, their eyes are only sensitive to blue (and white) colours, but the green to red colours are all similar (i.e. they cannot distinguish much between them) hence most camouflage colours (green/brown mixtures) all look the same. This also suggests that you can wear bright red or orange and to deer, you look the same to them as wearing camouflage or green or khaki colours that most hunters seem to prefer to wear?

You are partly correct, deer don't see well in the red spectrum yellow is probably as close to red as they can see
They can't differentiate between reds and greens that does not mean they seem them the same but see them as different shade of the same colour ,try to avoid blue as they can see it very clearly.
Many will tell you that deer are colour blind they are but that does not mean they see only in shades of grey they do
see colour just not the same as we see it.
I do believe camouflage has its place but not necessarily as we think of it as someone else said on this thread
the main thing is to break up the human outline at its most simple a different coloured hat, jacket and trousers can
achieve that.
The trouble with shop bought camouflage is that no one camouflage will suit all areas so pick one that has the same
colours as the vegetation in your area.
If you get a chance have a look at some Highland stalkers tweeds usually a checked pattern each estate usually
has a patern that is exclusive to them these paterns were designed many years ago incorporating the colours of
the local invironment combined with the lines of the check in a different colour it is very effective at breaking up
the human outline.
A tweed that can look quite garish up close will simply disappear into the back ground when looked at from a distance
Probably one of the oldest forms of camouflage and still as effective today as it was over a hundred years ago
Not expecting everyone who stalks to start wearing tweed but the way the tweed patterns work might show you
that camouflage js not just about random splashes of browns and greens.

 

[Oldstalker]

All the above is good advice because deer are prey species they have highly developed senses to allow them time to run away.

The military have 5 principles in camouflage:- shape, shine, shadow, silhouette and texture/colour reinforcing the points mentioned above.

With the exception of sight almost all deer species remaining senses are significantly more acute than our own. Deer use their vision for 2 primary purposes; to see what hey are eating and to avoid becoming prey. So their vision head down, and therefore looking up as they see is designed for looking at variations in the vegetation at (very) short range. That is why when they think they have seen you most deer species appear to look down their noses at you as they are using their distance vision to try to focus on you. Roe especially seem to be able to take "mental photographs" which is why when suspicious they will appear to dip their heads (as though to feed without actually doing so) only to raise them sharply a few seconds later in order to look around again. If things have changed perceptibly they will flee.

Their hearing is not only better than ours it seems to be able to tell distance as well as angle hence the success of calling deer. Whereas we can (with good hearing unlike mine now) say to within about 15º a deer will say it was in that direction, give or take 1 or 2 º and it was 450 metres away.
Similarly their smell seems able to detect intensity as well as source unless confused by something very similar (eg sheepfoil).

So for the stalker movement is the key; camouflage is useful and can be effective. The more modern ones tend to confuse the eye by printing shapes which confuse the focus of the observer's eye as well as by trying to break shape. Shine is obvious, especially with lenses. Shadow - it is often better to sit in the shadow in front of cover, which also breaks up the shape, as to sit behind it and then not to be able to see oneself. In similar vein one must remember that although one may not be visible oneself one's shadow maybe and when the sun is lower in the sky (at dawn and dusk) the shadows are invariably longer. Silhouette is obvious. Colour is also important and one should remember that one's hands are nearly as large as one's face. But there does appear to be an element of colour blindness to some parts of the spectrum hence the success of both blue and orange/dayglo disruptive patterned camouflages widely in use in southern Africa and in northern America.

I hope this helps throw a little light on a murky subject.

The first annual meeting of camouflage club was a disaster. It looks like no one showed up.

 

[Oldstalker]

I was told that wearing the colour grey was good.

Hence "pigeon grey" and the colour of German WWII uniforms. Additionally Walter Wynans - the American highland estate owner of the late Victorian era had his ponies/garrons painted with potassium permanganate which, after a couple of days turns from its characteristic purpley colour to a dull grey.

 

[bluesako]

i only wear cammo when im dogging

 

[John Gryphon]

Busting the myth​

For a start,there is NO myth absolutely none whatsoever. We as humans take our cues from the wildlife of the world,whether predator or prey and one only has to google "best camouflage pics" for examples. No matter what any naysayer says there is nothing better than 3d camo for hunters to get close to deer....period!
Yeah yeah yeah I can go and shoot a deer whilst wearing a pink frock too BUT!

 

[VSS]

I wear that sh1t brown Deerhunter clothing, so all I have to do is drop to the ground and I'm immediately disguised as an oversize cowpat.