Camouflage Guide – What to Consider for your Next Hunt
Adam Scepaniak 12.09.19
When it comes to picking out camouflage that will be best suited for your next hunt there are a lot of things to consider. What time of year will you be hunting? What region of the country will you be hunting? What is the weather potentially going to be like? How important is camouflage if I am hunting from a blind or other enclosed stand? Many of us fall into the retail store pitfall of simply buying what is on clearance or being pitched in an advertisement in the Sunday paper. While none of us are against a good deal we still should factor in many things so it will actually benefit us during our next hunt.
Camouflage – What Time of Year are You Hunting?
Many of us are very in tune with the environments we live in and what the woods looks like outside our back door; that is our home-field advantage after all. But sometimes we let our own excitement get the best of us. If the temperature starts to drop and the leaves begin evolving into magnificent shades of orange, yellow, and brown you do not want to don that new outfit of Mossy Oak that is several perfected hues of green. Even if it is the best camo pattern you have ever seen. You need to match your clothing to the scene at hand.
Early season hunts might require you to wear a lot more green patterns that are vibrant in color. When all of the trees and foliage are lush you want to blend in perfectly with that pallete. As the hunting months grow on, you may need to dive into your closet for more neutral tones as alluded to earlier like brown, grey, orange, and yellow. If you are a true die-hard hunter at some point you might need to switch entirely to white patterns with the coming of snow and winter. Not many hunters have multiple seasons of camouflage in their closet, but if you do it can help ensure a more successful year of hunting for all of the game you may be chasing.
Camouflage – What Region of the Country are You Hunting?
Aside from matching your season to your camouflage, you need to also match your terrain to it as well. Some of us live in dense deciduous forests in the Midwest. Others are patrolling sagebrush plains throughout the Rocky Mountains and Western states. Still other hunters might be in more tropical climates like the islands of Hawaii and Florida. While many of these areas share similar game we can hunt and apply overlapping tactics, they all have different foliage, underbrush, trees, and canopy cover (or lack thereof). So these elements need to be accounted for because a solid Realtree pattern might stick out like a sore thumb if you are chasing pronghorn antelope in knee-high sagebrush.
Camouflage – What will the Weather Potentially be like?
While we have been talking a lot about matching your camouflage to your environment and the time of year you will be hunting, you also need to think of the weather. If your camouflage is so perfectly matched that no one can see you, but you are freezing to death, it is going to be a troublesome and short-lived hunt. If you are combating the cold, a simple remedy is to put on more layers beneath your hand-selected camouflage. This will keep you in the hunt longer and also maintain your concealment. If a wetter climate is your dilemma, you may need to hunt retail stores more thoroughly for something with moisture wicking properties. Most raincoats are not great for camouflage selections and once they become wet they are highly reflective. So if you can find traditional garb hoodies or coats that repel water, that may be your winning formula.
Camouflage – What is your Stand Location like?
Probably the last component to consider when assembling the best camouflage outfit possible is your stand location. What we mean is… is your stand an open environment type (you are exposed to your game in a treestand or you are still-hunting)? Or are you hidden inside of a ground blind or enclosed, elevated box stand?
If you are hunting out in the open, so to speak, you would want to take all of the precautions we have already mentioned. You need to stay warm and dry, match your camo to the time of year, and the environment. If you are hunting inside of a ground blind or box stand, you may not need as warm of clothes because you could be using a heater. The blind or box stand will significantly cut down on the wind chilling you to the bones as well. The one special consideration you may need to make is to have actually darker clothing inside of your enclosed stand setup. Regardless of the game you are hunting, whenever they walk by your hunting spot and you are not there, the interior of your blind or box stand is naturally going to look very dark; no cause for alarm. Once you are inside patiently waiting for your next trophy to walk by, you might be sporting a brighter, trendy camo pattern (that perfectly checks all the boxes it should), but it looks out of place in what should be a dark blind or box stand.
With all of the suggestions we threw your way, what do you think? A lot of it is simply food for thought in regards to the camouflage you might already own or are contemplating buying, but it could be extremely helpful. Especially when we participate in out-of-state hunts that we are not always familiar with. Venturing into new territory hunting can be exciting and quite a thrill, but do not let your camo bust your hunt early. Let us know what you think in the Comments below! We always appreciate your feedback.
