Yep! Deer, squirrel or rabbit see movement real well. Better, maybe, than us hoomans. Their hearing, definitely better. Patterns recognized as a threat is what sends prey animals running.
Deer have a somewhat blind spot in their center vision has to do with the position their eyes are located... they catch movement quickly... they're somewhat color blind... they're curious to a point... they live by their noses mainly... [not taking away from their other senses] don't wash the clothes you deer hunt in, in normal laundry detergent [uv brighters] it'll cause your clothing to glow to the deer [deer see well in low light and dark] they are nocturnal for a reason... if you can hear your clothes scruff the deer hear it much better... yes being still is important... just don't think a deer can't see you move just because they're not looking at you...they have monocular vision... all that said your SCENT will spook a deer faster than all the above and it's like smoke drifting in the air.
I love how guys will wear the latest camo from head to toe and then go sit in a raised, enclosed blind! They could truly sit in there in a tuxedo or their jammies and the deer wouldn't see them either way.
Well said Seth, this is the simplest and most brilliant answer i have ever heard, and i'll go one step further, all the so called "hunters" that sit in hides up trees whilst waiting for animals to come and eat the bait that has been laid for them, then to shoot the poor bastards at point blank range have the temerity to call that hunting ?????. I'm not against hunting as i am one myself but i do believe in fair stalk and if i dont see anything who cares, at least i got to walk around in the great outdoors. I know this will upset some people but hey...thats their problem not mine.
@@tammamshud My state doesn't allow bait hunting, and I don't have practical experience with it. That said, I don't see a huge difference between planting a two acre turnip patch and hunting that vs. dropping corn from a feeder on a timer every day. Both get deer to come to an area on a regular basis. Both give the deer calories. Both support the members of the herd you don't take. I also don't see an obvious difference between food baits and scent baits. If a buck sniffs the air and comes running for horny doe pee or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it doesn't change the underlying cause that he came for an external artificial stimulus. What's the difference? (I'm not being pedantic here. I'm a very new hunter. I'm also a meat hunter, not going for trophies.)
1) Noise discipline 2) Patience & movement discipline 3) Wear clothes appropriate to weather 4) Read the tracks, observe the game trails, & sit still out of way but in line of sight of potential shot paths. 5) Only target after you’ve identified your target is what you’re after.
Also designates clothes that we might get dirty with stuff I don't want on my jeans. And if you have stains on your hunting clothes from blood, mud, etc...they are hunting clothes, so it's okay.
Except it’s not “cool”? I don’t wear camo and kill enough deer every year to keep me fed, like most things in America it’s just big companies taking your money for something you don’t need.
Grew up super poor and have Been wearing jeans and a solid shirt mostly from goodwill for 30 plus years. But it has gotten so out of control with $80 camo t shirts. Thanks for the great video!!
@@escapetherace1943 I have a green and black heavy flannel iv shot a good deal of game in. Don't smell like shit. DON'T MOVE! Cover face and hands even if it's just face paint. Avoid solid and unnatural colors in MOST situations
@@ammoiscurrency5706 good to know, I may take my first buck this year. I always only fished every year but I got into bird hunting this year and now have a taste for it, lol
I'm an old guy now and have hunted all my life! I must say that as a teenager I wore blue jeans, sneakers and a flannel shirt into the woods to hunt and did that up until somewhere around 2010. I must say my kill rate was not impacted one way or the other by wearing camo. You are EXACTLY right, but it does look cool HAHAHA!
You found me. I am that guy right here in East Texas. Good job Harrison asking the question. Asking men who have walked the trail long before you shows the beginning of great wisdom. Well done young man.
Having hunted since the 70's, I've worn blue jeans, overalls, and some camo-type jeans... (They were on sale after last year's season...!) My grandfather wore everyday clothes and good ol' Hush Puppies shoes and even smoked cigarettes while hunting. Grandpa taught me a few basic ideas, 1) understand where the deer will be moving and put yourself near that area, 2) move slowly and only when needed. As far as clothes go, I wear comfortable stuff that matches the temperature for the day. I like my jeans the most because they're comfortable, simple. Whatever camo stuff I own has all been bought after previous seasons when they were on sale! I started laughing as you mentioned chiggers! I'm sure every area in the world has some bugs that hunters have to deal with but chiggers are something southern hunters understand, annoyingly so. Great video, filled with a bunch of earned wisdom and experience! Take care and be well! Chiggers, oh yeah... LOL!
0h yeah, the '70's ! Deer hunters here were still wearing very heavy red & black checked/plaid "Woolrich" hunting duds. IF ... you were real high tech, possibly a pair of "Insulated" - "Northerner" rubber boots.. You carried a rope , a knife, a compass, a hand full of ammo and a turkey sandwich left over from Thanksgiving dinner. There were no backpacks, walkie-talkies, trail cams and video recorders.
The worst case of chiggers i ever had came from cleaning the tar off the bottom of my car sitting in the grass of my yard wearing shorts in the shade of a huge oak tree. Both legs and my crotch area was infected with them. This was in east central Indiana so chiggers are not limited to the south but yes TN has them too😁
Drove down to missouri to see the garden of the gods, hiked back into them woods and got chiggers AND ticks lmao was cussing like a mf 😂😂😂 flew to the country store and got the strongest deet spray i could find and doused my feet and legs, they didnt like that too much.
You are very welcome! And thank you sir for showing others that it really is possible to workout in regular cloths! Many wouldn't have ever believed it if they hadn't seen someone actually doing it. LOL
Your telling the truth I’m 71 years and I remember growing up all the men wore overalls and red flannel shirts. The camouflage came around in the 80’s just a way to make money. The deer don’t care what your wearing. As long as your still and you keep your sent down wind you should have a successful hunt a lot of times.
Deer don't see in color like we do. It's very muted. They can see blue but others are just faded/grey. Just wear something which breaks up your shape. It's why flannel works.
Before you all throw sticks at me I do most times wear camo. But I also sit still and break up my pattern. I do spray down with scent killer but I also chew tobacco while on stand. I think one of the biggest issue is you need to sit still and your clothes need to be quiet when you move. I really enjoy your video this is my first time watching your video. I'm definitely going to subscribe. Enjoy the down to earth way you explain camo and Hunting in this video. Lots of good info for us old timers and new hunters alike 👍 To add I am mostly a bow hunter and I have been hunting for 41 years this year. P.S. You can keep them chiggers down south.🙂
Chuck Adams is one of the most successful bow hunters in recent history. Check out his early pics. Green and black plaid shirt quite often. Early pictures of Fred Bear. Plaid. Here in PA it’s often cold when the hunting is good so I like merino wool. Have Filson and silent predator wools. Just this week bowhunting I went undetected multiple times with wool whipcord solid green pants, green/black plaid shirt and wool vest- mild camo pattern. I agree with you Tom.
@@woodrowcall3158camo and radios ,and 4 wheelers ,helicopters, and trampling on peoples property without permission and harrasing hunters and lying ..... among other tactics
That's exactly what it's good for trespassing fools don't like having to walk alllll the way back to the vehicle with brownie pants after someone less than 30 feet away says loudly and sternly "hey I believe you're lost fence line's that way!"
Thanks for video! I called in a Tom turkey. Right to my feet…I could have been wearing a red sequined dress…it would not have mattered. I do have real tree couch so my wife can’t find me
Love this, why, I've been hunting since I was barely a teen, and Im 74 now. My granddaddy taught me and he did not have camouflage ...I'm not sure there was even camouflage back then. What did I hunt in mostly? A plaid shirt and Dickys..if I needed a jacket I used an old military field jacket..After I retired from the military I used my old BDUs..when they wore out I went to the Army/Navy surplus and got some more or I went to Salvation Army or Goodwill and got some from there..You mentioned blousing your pants...most Army-Navy stores will carry what we used in the military...boot blousing bands..works good and last a long time..Thank you for putting this up, I for one think the marketing folks have bamboozled a lot of hunters into spending a lot more than needed...and I for one would rather spend the money on ammo and rifles...God Bless and again thank you. BTW the only color that Deer see well is BLUE so leave off the jeans..
How very true. I been using ex army khakis for years as work clothes. Yard work hiking car repairs work shirts work pants. Best 100 I spent at an auction. Camo? Yeah sure I bought a multicam one. Purely for pockets
Wearing green and black plaid shirt. Faded blue jeans I have had bull elk walk 5 to 10 yards. I would put skunk scent on my work boots. Calling coyotes always blue jeans and plaid shirt. . Grandfather wore his tan pants and plaid shirt or jacket. My brother in-law wore his blue pants and shirt almost always got his deer.
Love it, Tom. When I got into trout fishing about 30 yrs ago, I'd read articles and hear tales about having to wear proper clothes so the trout aren't spooked by your bright colors that don't match nature. I thought I'd see if this were true, and just wore whatever colors I liked when fishing small streams. I found improving my stalking skills and where I allowed my profile to show itself had way more to do with success than the right clothes. In fact, a good cast did way more than any camo clothing ever did. Where I live we have a good mule deer population. Every Spring, the young bucks wander into my yard to eat the new grass shoots and lay under the trees. They are often in the yard when I leave the house, and they're not always spooked by my presence. They seem to show a reserved curiosity. Immediate scamper isn't their way. Assessing the threat seems to be their way. I've never hunted deer but have been elk hunting, which was a day of stalking in the snow and we didn't see a single elk. That point about vision (color or not) is very important. Marketing companies want us to think deer have the same vision and the same marketing susceptibility as humans.
Several years ago a project in a controlled waterfowl and deer hunting zone, I did over flights to evaluate cover in specific hunting stations . One team was wearing their own camo and another wore neutral grey work coverall with with grey and black shirts. Aerial photos were easy identify the camo clothed volunteers as the camo did not actually match the deadfall or corn fields. On the other hand the volunteers in neutral grey and black looked like dead fall trees or stump age. It’s movement that signals to game that something may not be natural to the surrounding area. I hunt out of a grey kayak wearing grey jacket and hat with face covering as I have white hair and beard. Same outfit for deer or squirrel hunting. As you iterated camo outfits are expensive 500 and up. Excellent video. Movement is the killer. Always appreciate the “ Good Ole Boy “ communication skill that’s a camp fire atmosphere.
I've always been convinced that in most instances the deer can see you just fine; they're leery but just don't see you as a threat. "I'll run if he makes any sudden moves."
You are absolutely correct on everything you said . I’ve been hunting for over 50 years and what I’ve learned it’s your movement that gets deer attention on you . I’ve had deer within 5 yards of me wearing blaze orange before and not seeing me as long as you don’t move. The only reason I do wear camo is so I don’t get my everyday cloths muddy wet or bloody or ripped up. My point is you don’t need to go buy a $250 Sitka pants and shirt and hat. I use old military camo a lot from my 2 boys that were in the army that they gave me. Keep the videos coming , loved this one.
As a bowhunter that hunts from the ground, I wear a 30$ ghillie suit and face paint. I tuck into some type of vegetation. But the most important part is reading the behavior of that animal and being able to know when you can draw. Sometimes you only get one second to draw when that deer turns its head or puts its head down. But that's the rush and beauty of doing it this way. I've also never spooked a deer this way that was in range
100% on the gilli. Huge difference between mature bucks and small does. Cammo patterns are worthless, breaking up your outline is huge. Especially with a stick and string. You can also use brush weeds etc. One thing is modern camo has nice features like wind block and quiet material 👌 you guy's bash expensive hunting clothing and then say how you like Filson wool! Haha. Funny..
@@joshkepp756I've open field stalked deer 800 yards in a ghillie standing up walking. Moving when they dropped their bread sor looked away. Got to 20 yards. The ghillie REALLY helped
Staring at the pile of KUIU clothing I bought this year and shaking my head... :) Great video, nice to see a dose of reality injected into the subject. Disclaimer: I really like the performance features of KUIU here in the Pacific NW. We get so much wet weather that modern performance fabrics and technology are great to have.
Totally agree with you on this point. In SE WA, I archery hunt in 100F temps in early September for mule deer. Modern fabrics are amazing to keep you cool and lightweight over the miles. Solids or camo, I don’t really care either way anymore.
Another wonderful video. Thanks. Years ago, in Field & Stream or was it Outdoor Life - a 1" side bar of advice. Don't move and stay downwind, it doesn't matter what you wear or smell like. I'll bet the advertisers didn't laugh. It was too late, I had already bought two tubs of clothes. But none in the last 20 years. Now, I wear a lot of orange. It isn't spooking deer I'm concerned with.
I have passed the 3/4 century mark, I taught hunter ed for over 20 years, I live in the forest and am out every day, I have deer, elk, black bears, mt. lion, bob cat , wolves and coyotes, that I see regularly and at close range, 25 yards or less. I wear a pair of black jeans and a green sweat shirt or a dark colored jacket in the cold weather. I have been a bow hunter most of my life and grew up on the exploits of Fred Bear and Howard Hill. If you are not moving and have the wind in your favor, it makes no difference what you are wearing. Camouflage clothing works on the battle field, so unless you are hunting other hunters, save your money. Good video..j
Thanks and thanks for mentioning Fred Bear. I used to love watching reruns of his hunting adventures but I haven't thought of him in years. It's nice to be reminded of him and just how good he was.
I had a family of deer walk up to me on a jobs site a few weeks ago. The woods were clear cut and I was standing still in high visibility level 2 gear. They had no idea. I was there until I moved.
I realized years ago that plaid is effective camouflage. It doesn't hurt to choose subdued colors, though red and black plaid definitely work in the deer woods. Loden green and black plaid nearly disappears in pine trees. I think red and green become more like gray or brown to deer. Deer can see blue, so I avoid blue in my hunting clothes. Since there aren't may large blue things in the woods, I figure deer see blue as something foreign. Turkeys, ducks and especially geese notice colors. Plaid still works it it fits in the surroundings. I wonder whether Scots' tartans originated as camouflage. Most of them are colors that will blend with the local vegetation.
Tom said the magic word, marketing. I've always said, "When Marketing Starts, The Truth Departs". I am 73 and I never had a dead animal tell me that it didn't like the way I was dressed.
LOL, I had a friend look at camo I was wearing one time and he started laughing and said they haven't made that pattern in 20 years. I didn't know we were suppose to also stay up to date on our camo? For him it was almost like the expiration date had expired on it or something. Stuff like that is when know marketing is at work!
@@TomRiverSimpleLiving Tom, you silly old fool. Everyone knows that deer read Field and Stream. They are up to date on all of the latest Camo trends. Turkeys on the other hand can't read so they are much easier to hunt. I think I've got that right??
@@josephr2766 I went by the store today and picked up a woodland camo field jacket for $25! Also got a set of BDU pants for $20. Thanks for the recommendation!
mil surp! My pants don't match the shirt and neither match the jacket but all break up my outline. I think the pants and shirt were $3 each and the 'field jacket' under $10. Works for me, at least theoretically. However, I wore a forest green shirt and khaki pants on my latest successful mule deer hunt and there I relied on the DON'T MOVE tactics. Great video!
Absolutely agree with you. I also discount the use of "scent control" clothing. The reality is you must be down wind or you will be smelled by deer. No one can cover up all of their body odors and the breath they exhale constantly. Either be down wind or have your scent stream above the game, to avoid detection. BTW, I have been hunting for over 60 years.
I agree. I was really into trapping when I was a kid and you learn a lot about scent. I used to keep a downy feather on a thread attached to my bow so I could detect the slightest breeze. I have been on the ground and within 15 feet of 2-3 year old deer feeding and usually had a cigarette burning on a log I was sitting on.
As I understand it most animals, cows, and horses included can smell steel, oil, and other things that have scent other than just the human. Pay close attention to the wind.
Great video. Thank you very much. I new everything that you explained. There a lot of young and old hunters that have no idea or are completely wrong. Thank you for setting them straight. Safely is everything. If you know your environment, meaning terrain and weather. With a personal locator beacon (PLB), you can't go wrong. Also never go alone into the woods.
New subscriber. Thanks for the video. I agree completely and just tuned in to see what was said here. Now I feel like I just sat down with my grandfather and got the common sense of the day. Great content!
Tom, I hunt deer in north east Alberta, Canada. November is rifle season and I usually wait for some snow on the ground. But I found my perfect setup after 40 years! Hooded jacket and bib overalls, insulated and water and wind proof and most importantly, REVERSABLE. Regular generic camo on one side and white with some printed branches on the other. Well designed pockets on both sides. No big brand name price either. You new hunters spend good money on boots that match your conditions. Way up here I wear gortex Danners until it gets too cold then wear felt packed Sorels for extreme cold. Both pairs of boots have lasted 25 years. Never cheap out on your feet, you only get two.
Good advice shared. Limit your movement, hunt above a deer's normal field of view and wear something which breaks up your pattern. Note: Deer are not color blind and can see the color blue . For this reason I wouldnt wear Jean's while ground hunting unless I was behind cover. Flashes of white are a warning signal to a deer, and for this reason I would refrain from wearing an item of clothes which has patches of such on it. Camo clothes can be ridiculously expensive, but the benefit of such is often overlooked. Purpose designed hunting clothes often has an abundance of deep pockets and is insulated. The benefit of todays insulated clothing is it assists in providing you warmth and a better range of movement over multi layered clothing in cold weather conditions. One tip which makes a difference (my opinion) Wear a face mask to break up your face. The one thing all predators have in common are eyes which face forward. Deer focus on such to determine a potential threat , but covering your face will often have a deer which noticed you to become at ease or disregard your presence.
Face paint works wonders. I've hunted in my green plaid and my face would bust me. Started painting my face AND my hands. I started spooking a lot less animals.
As a 76 year old geezer, this is good info. I hunted in northern Wis, the mtns of Colorado, and here in deep south Texas. Camp just breaks up your pattern. Or plaid.
Hey Tom, I'm the kinda outdoor person that doesn't wear alot of camo, just hunt with the wind in my face, and keep still, thanks for the video ,stay safe and healthy, shakyjake out.
Yes, I remember those old lighter fluid fueled Jon-E hand warmers. They did provide a little comfort to the hands on those cold hunts back in the early 50's when I was a kid, while "still" hunting.
Every Whitetail, Mule Deer , Antelope and Elk I've ever Taken. I was Wearing Blue Jean's and a Carhartt work Coat. though water proof clothing has been added to my Hunting clothes. And I long ago Stopped wearing Tan Colored Carhartt Coats and Vests. ( I don't want to Be the Same Color as Deer or Elk in Hunting Season.) Another Great Video Tom! Best Wishes from Montana! M.H.
British DPM saved me from being seen poaching for 20 years or until I didn’t need to poach any more- but that’s camming for humans. For animals never wash your kit with anything with colour brighteners- it will turn you into a fluorescent beacon. Commercial camo appeals to human sense of camouflage. It’s like the hottest new fishing lure- looks fantastic, looks like it should catch fish but it can’t out fish an earthworm.
Tom you are right I decided to ditch camo this year and just went in my hiking gear that I got from wal mart and I had just as much luck this year than I have in previous years with high end camouflage.
Thank you for your videos Sir 👍 Great Job I felt like a kid again listening to the old timers at the camp and you hit the nail on the head with that wisdom. I’m from south Louisiana
Great video and absolutely right. Hunted for 50 years in a cheap pair of Khaki workman's overalls, which after a few years had bleached nearly white. made no difference. One of the most wary game animals in South Africa is the greater Kudu, who is not known as the grey ghost of the bush for nothing. I used to glass them from a high point during the first day or two and note their movements, after which I ambushed them on the routes they followed. Just wound my web belt around the top strand of a barbed wire fence and sat on it behind a small thorn bush, waiting for their approach in the late afternoon. I shot more than one from a range of 30 yards, They never even knew I was there because I could sit completely motionless while they approached even if it took an hour or more...Movement is definitely the key just as you say......
Thanks for sharing that Herman. I always appreciate hearing about how animals act, or react, in different areas and your area is about as different from mine as it gets, but we've still had similar experiences.
Carhartt duck, hooded coat cuts the wind better than any other coat I've tried. It's doesn't shed rain worth a darn. It's not breathable, so you can get sweaty in one. Here on the Great Plains, wind is the biggest concern.
I agree with you completely on camo. Long ago I noticed being able to see other hunters very well no matter what camo pattern they were wearing. I save a lot of money wearing regular clothes and they are just as effective in nearly every circumstance.
I share your thoughts on camo. I have deer on my property and it doesn't matter what I'm wearing. As long as I move slowly and deliberately and don't make movements that startle them I blend right in. Granted they are used to seeing me and don't startle easy but there have been times I have eased up on them without them knowing I'm there til I have gotten really close and I wasn't wearing camo.
This is the most common sense, real life advise ever! I've experienced much the same, bow hunting, musket, etc., in a stand or stalking. Scent control IMHO is more important than camo.
Always. Had many blown stalks, and the It's always that smell that sends them bolting! I'm sure they heard or even seen me at times, but once you're winded, it's over.
Fred Bear... :D Plaid works and has worked for me for 20 years... I have some red, but tan or even green plaid can work well too... I've spent more time learning how to walk in the forest instead... walking slowly, glassing. I've a friend here in Hawaii who could hunt in a white t-shirt and still get game... :)
40+ years ago, jeans and jeans jacket, long johns under +wool socks... Leather gloves with some wool inserts... Can't remember ever seeing anyone in camo.
I saw 4 guys getting out of their truck in identical camouflage clothing. They stuck out like a sore thumb. They hadn’t been washed and the brighteners in their pricey clothes got me laughing. I don’t think they got anything, but we’re annoyed at the blood we had on our mismatched work clothes. You are right on and deserve my sub. Great video.
100% agree. I've never even owned any camouflaged clothes. I grab my backpack-chair, shooting sticks and weapon and head to the woods. I've killed many deer just sitting in my chair. Closes was at 7 yards. Nope, camo is not needed.
@@samfranks1450 Yes sir. I don't do any kind of stand hunting. I hunt public land and I basically just sit with a tree at my back and play the wind. Taking deer and hogs by this method is actually not hard at all. Put me in a blind and I'd be all confused. No sir, I like the challenge of the hunt more then the filling of the tag. Filling the tag is just the bonus of the hunt. Can't break old school hunting.
My dad smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day until it killed him and hauled two thermos of coffee every-time he went in the woods. No camo just a plaid red jacket. Killed a deer every single year and 2 sometimes if he had the time to hunt. You are correct Tom!! Movement and silhouette are what it’s about. Vertical and lateral lines. Great video!!!
I went to a live recording of a Steve Rinella podcast and it was like a fashion show of all the most expensive camo jackets and vests I have ever seen. I wish I had worn a blaze orange jacket just as a joke.
I've Never worn camo hunting in my 59 years of hunting . I do own camo but it has been 2 down jackets purchased at Good Will at almost free prices for what they were . The rest of the camo about 4 shirts have all been gifts . Happy trails
I try to tell people this all the time. Glad someone else is telling the truth. I work in a gun store and I get people come in and say oh I need to get the such-and-such pattern for my gun. I asked them oh does that mean the ducks have already figured out the other patterns. I have found that camouflage it's just a fashion statement. I really don't know how we were able to kill anything 30 to 40 years ago without camouflage. Keep up the good work
Camouflage is for game that shoots back, and perhaps waterfowl!I like my forest green or plaid wool( green or red).And even when I bowhunted , successfully I might add, I always had a blaze orange vest as minimum!BTW I am a Stillhunter 95% of the time, occasionally sitting at the base of a convenient tree for lunch or a little rest!
This seems like ancient wisdom... and I would think your point on waterfowl may be worthwhile too because I feel like bird's vision is extremely good (or at least better than a deer's).
I been meaning to get a lumberjacks wool flannel. I recently found a bunch of vintage hunting clothes in the dumpster at my storage unit. I got Timber Ghost bibs and two matching button down shirts a pair of brand new leaf pattern pants tag was ripped out. A 80s tree bark pattern button down and a orange one pc jumper.
Kudos for your honesty and insight. Used to be, the full camo suits were the domain of bowhunters only. Within the last 10 years they have become popular with all hunters. I think they look ridiculous.
You make a very valid point regarding the art of marketing camouflage. Now, I think knife hunting might be the exception! Several years ago I actually had a mule deer walk within 2 (Two) yards of me as I froze in a small clearly on an animal trail. I wasn't wearing a stitch of camo - just my hunter Orange! I quess the deer just thought I was just another synthetic bush! Aaaahhhhaaaaahhhhh!
Best camouflage is a medium gray solid color, as it allows shadow patterns to fall perfectly on a neutral color and blend in completely when the wearer simply backs a bit into the shadows. The German Army used gray uniforms in WW1 and 2 for that very reason. Probably the single best color for blending in to any environment, urban or wild.
I have used grey wool long body cover sitting in a comfortable chair in the shadows for years. Staying comfortable is the key covering two or more feeding cycles.
I love earth colors: Light brown/dark tan cargo pants, a dark brown canvas vest or coat and a grey or green wool flannel shirt. Ducks, turkeys, deer, elk, people... they never see me. So long as I focus on smart movement and noise. Great video:)
Back in the mid 90's my hunting partner and I got into bow hunting. We figured this called for camo and out we went covered head to toe, face masks included. One trip my buddy brought along his video camera and without me knowing, he took video of me still hunting through the bush. I would take one or two slow steps and pause for several minutes, moving only my head to see all around. Later we watched the video and damn!!, every time I stopped moving, I seemed to disappear. "Magic!" But take one step and there I was, as obvious as if I'd switched on neon lights. Lesson learned. If you don't want to be seen, don't move. But if you have to move and most hunting involves getting around, it doesn't matter how good your camo is. You will be seen if deer are looking your way. A deer's visual system is acutely sensitive to movement. (So is ours'.) So choose your clothing for warmth and weather protection. If it's a camo pattern for the same price, okay. But don't think any camo will make you 'unseeable'.
There's only two things you need to do to be hard to see to deer. 1 - don't move. 2 - have a broken up outline. Camo has its uses in breaking up your outline, but it can be done without.
Tom, I don’t know how I missed this video until now… 😆 but Bravo to you sir. I’m 68 and I’ve bow/ shotgun/ rifle hunted since my teenage years and about the 1st half of that was in blue jeans and a flannel shirt. Then I finally bought some WWII camos at an army/navy store because they were cheap and hey, I looked more like the forest (even thought about 60% of my time was in field edges and hedge rows. I recently purchased some new strata camo on a sales, because it was cheap and the deer vision information seemed good, so I guess I better be able to walk up to a deer and play tag with um 😂. Thanks for shooting straight from the hip/lip… 😂. Dan
I believe that hunting/fishing shops are for hunters & fishermen. Cuz I learned long time ago, fish seem to like live bait, & hunting requires a weapon, usually something warm(I'm in northern Minnesota) & know About your pray, & ALWAYS down wind & I prefer next to a water source, as everything needs a drink. Sure I have camo, but mostly knowledge passed down to me from great hunters & fishermen, not gander mountain!
My routine for deer season is walk in with jeans and longjohns, an undershirt and an unbuttoned flannel. Once im in the stand i button up, throw a sweater on, and then put on my bib and parka. Otherwise i'd be drenched with sweat in 20-30 degree weather and thats miserable. Only thing i dont wear on the outside is blue and white colors, but i don't think that matters. This year I got my buck while eating a sandwich wrapped in tin foil, so the real secret is to shoot before they can see or hear you. This buck was pretty distracted by a doe and was about 200 yards downhill. Excellent cover cannot be over emphasized.
Black bears know camouflage. They are one uniform color. Ten yards away, if they move at all they move like playdough, and they are just a black hole among all the other black holes in the thicket. You will not see him if he does not want to be seen. He hides all four hundred pounds. It is all about how he moves and where he chooses to stand still. Camouflage is something you do, not something you wear.
Just came back from Namibia. The PH wore denim shorts and a green t shirt. Very successful hunt. I wasn't wearing camo either. Never have done. Another great video. 'Technology doesn't make us good hunters'. Amen.
Here's the first thing to remember about hunting and what should be worn for hunting clothes. I live in Jackson, MS, which has a hot semi-tropical climate. Much of our deer season is warm, with early bow seasons being downright hot...often 90 degrees or more. What's my point? Primitive man thousands of years ago likely hunted deer naked in the warm periods. Native Americans which came next in history wore a little more clothing but a loincloth still doesn't provide much camo. Did these people kill deer...and do it with extremely primitive methods? Yes, they did. When the Pilgrims arrived with their guns, it was the natives who taught them how to hunt effectively. Do you think the native Americans suggested the pilgrims purchase the most expensive scent control breakup pattern camo suits? There wasn't any camo to buy! For all but the last 50 years or less, hunters have taken deer and other game without needing to rely upon camo. But they knew how to hunt...and that doesn't mean sitting in an elevated shooting house overlooking a bean field. In fact, the settlers who came to America were so efficient at hunting that they very nearly wiped out the population of several species, including deer, turkeys, and bear. And they did that without using expensive trademarked camo patterns. Many times, all these hunters did was find a comfortable spot to lean back against a tree and wait. Yes, they did try to sit where the wind would blow their scent away from them but that was about all they did. I know how people hunted back before this crazy idea that you wont kill deer unless you spend $500 to outfit in camo head to toe. I'm about to be 69 years old and I hunted well over a half century ago. And I killed deer without any fancy camo! Skip the camo and hunt naked if you want to. Or wear a loincloth. Or wear whatever you want to. The deer don't care what you wear. Deer are not going to flee upon seeing you unless they interpret you as a threat to them. If you are not moving and particularly if you are seated and still, deer will normally remain relatively calm. Wildlife instinctively sees any living creature who is seated or lying down as not being an immediate threat to them if they are standing on their own feet. One of the reasons the guy in this video didn't scare the deer who clearly spotted him is that he was seated and still the entire time. Deer just don't react most of the time to that profile. A standing, moving human however is another matter.
They pilgrims and native Americans also didn’t have any game laws or seasons or game limits. The native Americans use to smoke there clothes and there are plenty of ways to hide your scent in nature.
I was thinking about this the other day during an early doe hunt. Got one in the middle of a road like you were wearing jeans and a blue sweatshirt. Sat still and watched one way. Been busted a lot in the past swiveling my head in camo cause I was supposed to be invisable. You can't buy experience,thanks for sharing yours for free.
My great grandfather had the best set up. Plaid shirt, jeans and boots, sitting on a 5 gallon bucket at the base of a big tree. Over 400 deer in his lifetime of 89 years. Confirmed by my great uncles and a burlap sack full of ears.
@@luxuryxcoffin Alot more than that, Riley. There was a natural cul de sac on the hunt land. All of my cousins, uncles, etc... would 'manage' the herd by clanging and banging them into that area. He did say that probably 150 or so were fish in a barrel. They would cull the weak, broken, nontypical, etc... as well as if they had too many spikes. Made for some great racks and better meat. Made for a great lineage. They'd process and take the extra all around to different families. Best was a 187 green score. Look up Charles Owen and his 'Morning coffee buck' in Anderson County, SC. That wasy great uncle. Poppie's son. Most were between 140-160.
@idahosixgun5601 for someone who doesn't know how it works, that might make sense, but the forest wouldn't have been able to keep up with the herd without it. I guess if you're not familiar with weak winters and high birth rates, along with the fact that there wasn't a grocery store on every corner and families back then had to kill what they ate; you might think so. But, who can blame you. Everything you've ever eaten has been covered in styrofoam and plastic with a sticker on it. Try feeding a wife, seven children, and your brothers and sisters' families. When's the last time you built a smokehouse and a salt room and had to hunt to survive? Closest thing you've probably ever had to pemican is a cliff bar. You know, you learn alot more by asking questions rather than passing judgment on things you know nothing about. Your statement only serves to make you seem more ignorant than you probably are. Maybe you just didn't realize or haven't that it wasn't so long ago that people lived a whole lot differently than we do now. Hard times make hard men. Hard men make soft times. Soft men make hard times. Don't be a soft man, Idaho six gun... earn your moniker and think first next time. You can do it. I believe in you.
Camouflage is 100% marketing. An article a few years ago proved this. Author wore street clothes to hunt to see if it hurt his hunting. He actually found it helped, especially with turkey hunting. The turkey were so curious as to what he was they walked right up to him. Deer honestly can't see color except blue due their ultraviolet sensitivity. I like the respect the Brits have to the land and animals, hence why they wear a button down shirt and tie when hunting. I will start doing this myself. Stop wasting money on marketing BS and start investing in items that will last a lifetime #tweed #buttondownshirt #necktie .
camo clothing works really well is you don't want humans to see you. I've been killing deer and hogs in East Texas since the early 50's and I can assure you that camo was not worn. This video was probably one of your best info vids. Hunting gear mfg's have for decades, invented gear that we think we need lol. More than happy to oblige. We do most of our gun hunting here in Texas from box blinds and I find it quite humorous to see shooters (not to be confused with hunters) decked out in full camo sitting in a box blind completely invisible from outside because they don't want to be "that guy" lol.
I'm not a plant. I don't feel compelled to dress like one when I'm in the wilds. Until moving to "fly over country," I'd never hunted whitetail deer before. I shot my share of mule deer and blacktail deer, but always hunted in states with a "mandatory hunter orange" requirement. On my first whitetail deer hunt, I let a doe get within 15 yards of me before pulling the trigger on her. I was dressed like a popsicle from the waist up. And I was on a 500 acre parcel of public Wildlife Department land. The next day, I let a buck get within 25 yards of me before pulling the trigger on him. Both of those deer were over 75 yards away when they rounded a knoll and initially walked into my field of view and proceeded to munch on acorns from red oaks, oblivious to my presence. I haven't been turkey hunting in a while, but used to do a lot of it when living in California and never wore a stitch of Mossy Oak or Realtree while doing it. No camo when hunting squirrels, rabbits, quail, or chukar, either. I'm "that guy....." The Fudd with the lever-action .30-30 wearing a plaid orange and black shirt.
For the camo enthusiast you should run the same experiment with camo on to show the difference. That way you have two examples so you don't get people that will still push back.
Some people are always going to push back and that's ok. I think the biggest key to being a successful hunter is confidence. If you weren't confident a deer was going to walk out at any second then why bother being still of paying attention? And if getting whatever camo pattern makes someone feel more confident well at least they're confident. I just didn't want anyone that wasn't sure about camo or that didn't have a lot to spend on camo to fall into that trap of thinking they needed it. But that is a pretty good idea on the comparison!
Application is everything. There were no camo clothes other than surplus when I started bowhunting. I used a yellow plaid shirt and French Army solid green pants. When it got cold I used an old field jacket. Hardly anyone hunted from a tree. "Deer don't look up!". The older deer do now. You are right, deer really pick out movement. I usually wear full orange in rifle season. I try to crawl into a pile of logs or a blowdown and try to stay low. I used to smoke like a freight train so I wore brown cotton gloves and moved my hands slow. Once the leaves are down, look how far you can see a squirrel twitch it's tail. Deer see just as far. I never believed deer are totally color blind. If you sit in front of a hemlock tree(Christmas tree for you city folk) dressed in orange, an experienced deer will pick you out. They see something. On the other hand, if you are in snow dressed in orange, deer are totally blind to it. Look at it this way. If you think deer are color blind try this. Sit in the woods before day light. When it gets light enough so that everything looks black and white, look at someone in orange. They actually appear to glow. I have been spotted by deer on dark, overcast days too. Glasses are a problem. I have had deer, squirrels, and even grouse walk right up to me and stare at my dark glasses. Spooked deer will take off right away. Never figured out what to do about that. Good video, tackle scent products next. The biggest problem for tall fat people is all the orange clothing is imported and only fits little kids,
I go to thrift stores in expensive suburbs and buy high quality soft clothing made of merino wool and other natural fibres for next to nothing. The only place I spend real money is on quality boots and wet weather clothing
I think the problem is that some people assume camo is an invisibility cloak. Does it help? Yes. Is it effective? Of course. Will it make you a better hunter?? Not even a little bit. Obviously camo vs a white T and blue jeans is better but that camo will only increase your ability to move undetected by a bit. I really like that you explained that camo isn’t bad it just happens to be on clothes that are designed for hunting which obviously doesn’t hurt anyone. I personally have 3 layers of kings camo XKG XK7 pattern camo. I never thought I needed the camo more than I needed the fact that it is a layering system that I can trust will fit the next layer comfortably. But I can’t deny that the camo looks cool and it will help a little with staying undetected! My advice would always be get what you can afford to get destroyed and bloody but If someone asked me to suggest something though I would say my camo brand and print because I like it.
Yeah go run a marathon in your jeans. Tell my how much your clothing matters. Any broken up pattern helps. And you want quiet clothing. Avoid blues because deer see blues. Also avoid UV brightener in your detergent. Also mature deer are more keen than are young deer like featured in the video.
I really appreciate this video. Life is always better with the truth and it’s certainly set me free. I am new to hunting. I want to spend the money on good quality gear but I don’t want to just throw away those dollars on stuff I don’t need. Glad I found this video.
I thought you were wearing your hunting clothes when I first saw your website. My uncle, who had been in Canada and the USA about 60 years ago told me that the hunters dressed up in bright checks so that they would not be shot by another hunter.
That actually reminds me of a story from the 2nd WW.There were American troops wearing camouflage in Normandy,I think it was your Marine Corps or something - and they got killed by their own troops because from afar the pattern looked like what in German is called the Flecktarnjacke of the WaffenSS.So if I'm not mistaken they used those clothes only in the Pacific for the remaining duration of the war.But please correct me if I'm wrong.
There was one incident alleged where this supposedly happened but no one has ever produced primary sources on it, it was a rumor going around so the troops stopped wearing the camo.
Being as still as possible, scent control, and blending into your environment are all key components for deer hunting in my opinion. Deer are definitely exceptional in picking up movement, so staying still is hands down a very important necessity....but so is staying quiet. In my view the also, spraying down with scent control before going into the woods also helps, it won't eliminate your scent, but it will reduce your smell and my understanding is that it may fool a deer into thinking you may have passed through much earlier and masked the threat that you are near by. As far as camo in my view, based on the articles I have read, blending into the woods can be helpful certainly. Wearing colors such as blue which stand out in a deer's vision isn't a good choice for example, but I wear camo especially if I am sitting outside on the ground or still hunting...I figure it's a little better to blend in than just vertical and horizontal stripes which are not as natural in the woods. Just my opinion and the way I hunt.
Good video. I'm 60 and have hunted since I was 12. I've worn everything from blue jeans and Carharts, to camo. I think like the rest of your commenters, be still, use the wind, and hunt properly. I've had game real close while I've been still. When you are winded, they spook, no matter if you have all the scent control. One other thing I wonder if game isn't conditioned to be afraid of someone in camo. Game is used to seeing people out and about without camo, and they don't pose a threat. Camoed people chase them and shoot at them. I had a guy tell me once that the best camo was work clothes and smell like gas. The deer see loggers and such in the woods and they are used to it. I thought the guy was crazy, but now I think different. Good video!!
![1930s Winter Outdoor Gear! [ Survival Items ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/d9JASRH-nfI/mqdefault.jpg)
"The best camouflage pattern is called 'Sit down and be quiet!'" - Fred Bear
Great video, Tom
Thanks Mike, and I have to say of anyone ever understood hunting it was Fred Bear.
Yep! Deer, squirrel or rabbit see movement real well. Better, maybe, than us hoomans. Their hearing, definitely better. Patterns recognized as a threat is what sends prey animals running.
Deer have a somewhat blind spot in their center vision has to do with the position their eyes are located... they catch movement quickly... they're somewhat color blind... they're curious to a point... they live by their noses mainly... [not taking away from their other senses] don't wash the clothes you deer hunt in, in normal laundry detergent [uv brighters] it'll cause your clothing to glow to the deer [deer see well in low light and dark] they are nocturnal for a reason... if you can hear your clothes scruff the deer hear it much better... yes being still is important... just don't think a deer can't see you move just because they're not looking at you...they have monocular vision... all that said your SCENT will spook a deer faster than all the above and it's like smoke drifting in the air.
I tried it with my grandson don't work so I'll take time
Ain't that the truth
I love how guys will wear the latest camo from head to toe and then go sit in a raised, enclosed blind! They could truly sit in there in a tuxedo or their jammies and the deer wouldn't see them either way.
Still gotta walk to it
Usually fat old guys who have a hard time just walking out to the dead deer.
Well said Seth, this is the simplest and most brilliant answer i have ever heard, and i'll go one step further, all the so called "hunters" that sit in hides up trees whilst waiting for animals to come and eat the bait that has been laid for them, then to shoot the poor bastards at point blank range have the temerity to call that hunting ?????. I'm not against hunting as i am one myself but i do believe in fair stalk and if i dont see anything who cares, at least i got to walk around in the great outdoors. I know this will upset some people but hey...thats their problem not mine.
Yep
@@tammamshud My state doesn't allow bait hunting, and I don't have practical experience with it. That said, I don't see a huge difference between planting a two acre turnip patch and hunting that vs. dropping corn from a feeder on a timer every day. Both get deer to come to an area on a regular basis. Both give the deer calories. Both support the members of the herd you don't take.
I also don't see an obvious difference between food baits and scent baits. If a buck sniffs the air and comes running for horny doe pee or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, it doesn't change the underlying cause that he came for an external artificial stimulus.
What's the difference? (I'm not being pedantic here. I'm a very new hunter. I'm also a meat hunter, not going for trophies.)
1) Noise discipline
2) Patience & movement discipline
3) Wear clothes appropriate to weather
4) Read the tracks, observe the game trails, & sit still out of way but in line of sight of potential shot paths.
5) Only target after you’ve identified your target is what you’re after.
#2 is actually scent and upwind or downwind.
The best camouflage is “SIT DOWN AND BE QUIET” Remember that your grandfather hunted deer in a red plaid coat…Fred Bear🏹
Wisdom right here
stocked deer for 40 years ... and sitting only now because of age ... getting a lot less deer now
@@subdawg1331
Yeah, but are you sitting “STILL”?
Can we all just agree that wearing camo while hunting is cool. Between us I'm not going to tell my wife that it's not needed.
Also designates clothes that we might get dirty with stuff I don't want on my jeans. And if you have stains on your hunting clothes from blood, mud, etc...they are hunting clothes, so it's okay.
Truth lol
Except it’s not “cool”? I don’t wear camo and kill enough deer every year to keep me fed, like most things in America it’s just big companies taking your money for something you don’t need.
I'd rather be like my grandpa who's killed everything there is to kill.
Never used camo...
Oh absolutely. Just like everything else I do 90% of any of it is just looking cool. If u don't look cool while doin it why do it al all
Grew up super poor and have Been wearing jeans and a solid shirt mostly from goodwill for 30 plus years. But it has gotten so out of control with $80 camo t shirts. Thanks for the great video!!
A solid natural color long sleeve and a brown sharpie. BOOM camo shirt
@@ammoiscurrency5706 😂but for real, flannel is perfect. They can't and don't see colors like we do
@@escapetherace1943 I have a green and black heavy flannel iv shot a good deal of game in.
Don't smell like shit.
DON'T MOVE!
Cover face and hands even if it's just face paint.
Avoid solid and unnatural colors in MOST situations
@@ammoiscurrency5706 good to know, I may take my first buck this year. I always only fished every year but I got into bird hunting this year and now have a taste for it, lol
I'm an old guy now and have hunted all my life! I must say that as a teenager I wore blue jeans, sneakers and a flannel shirt into the woods to hunt and did that up until somewhere around 2010. I must say my kill rate was not impacted one way or the other by wearing camo. You are EXACTLY right, but it does look cool HAHAHA!
You found me. I am that guy right here in East Texas. Good job Harrison asking the question. Asking men who have walked the trail long before you shows the beginning of great wisdom. Well done young man.
Having hunted since the 70's, I've worn blue jeans, overalls, and some camo-type jeans... (They were on sale after last year's season...!) My grandfather wore everyday clothes and good ol' Hush Puppies shoes and even smoked cigarettes while hunting.
Grandpa taught me a few basic ideas, 1) understand where the deer will be moving and put yourself near that area, 2) move slowly and only when needed.
As far as clothes go, I wear comfortable stuff that matches the temperature for the day. I like my jeans the most because they're comfortable, simple. Whatever camo stuff I own has all been bought after previous seasons when they were on sale!
I started laughing as you mentioned chiggers! I'm sure every area in the world has some bugs that hunters have to deal with but chiggers are something southern hunters understand, annoyingly so.
Great video, filled with a bunch of earned wisdom and experience!
Take care and be well!
Chiggers, oh yeah... LOL!
Deer do see the colors blue and yellow, just to be aware of.
0h yeah, the '70's !
Deer hunters here were still wearing very heavy red & black checked/plaid "Woolrich" hunting duds. IF ... you were real high tech, possibly a pair of "Insulated" - "Northerner" rubber boots.. You carried a rope , a knife, a compass, a hand full of ammo and a turkey sandwich left over from Thanksgiving dinner.
There were no backpacks, walkie-talkies, trail cams and video recorders.
The worst case of chiggers i ever had came from cleaning the tar off the bottom of my car sitting in the grass of my yard wearing shorts in the shade of a huge oak tree. Both legs and my crotch area was infected with them. This was in east central Indiana so chiggers are not limited to the south but yes TN has them too😁
@@paraglidingnut26 yellow and blue make GREEN 🤣
Drove down to missouri to see the garden of the gods, hiked back into them woods and got chiggers AND ticks lmao was cussing like a mf 😂😂😂 flew to the country store and got the strongest deet spray i could find and doused my feet and legs, they didnt like that too much.
Special gym clothes- As a man who often lifts in jeans and a t-shirt, thank you sir. Feels good to be validated by the wisdom of an elder.
You are very welcome! And thank you sir for showing others that it really is possible to workout in regular cloths! Many wouldn't have ever believed it if they hadn't seen someone actually doing it. LOL
Your telling the truth I’m 71 years and I remember growing up all the men wore overalls and red flannel shirts. The camouflage came around in the 80’s just a way to make money. The deer don’t care what your wearing. As long as your still and you keep your sent down wind you should have a successful hunt a lot of times.
Be aware, deer see the colors blue and yellow.
Never wear blue deer hunting. A biologist told me deer can see blue.......
Yep! The old Elmer Fudd hat and coat was the "Hunter's Uniform" for many years. Worked well too.
My grandpa's killed everything there is to kill and he does it all in levis & a cotton tee shirt.
@@lewiefrazier1041 That's stupid as hell.
Deer don't see in color like we do. It's very muted. They can see blue but others are just faded/grey. Just wear something which breaks up your shape. It's why flannel works.
Before you all throw sticks at me I do most times wear camo. But I also sit still and break up my pattern. I do spray down with scent killer but I also chew tobacco while on stand. I think one of the biggest issue is you need to sit still and your clothes need to be quiet when you move. I really enjoy your video this is my first time watching your video. I'm definitely going to subscribe. Enjoy the down to earth way you explain camo and Hunting in this video. Lots of good info for us old timers and new hunters alike 👍 To add I am mostly a bow hunter and I have been hunting for 41 years this year. P.S. You can keep them chiggers down south.🙂
Yep I camo up just like you Tom... Here in British Columbia 🇨🇦 all my game I've harvested have never complained about how I dressed...lol
Chuck Adams is one of the most successful bow hunters in recent history. Check out his early pics. Green and black plaid shirt quite often. Early pictures of Fred Bear. Plaid. Here in PA it’s often cold when the hunting is good so I like merino wool. Have Filson and silent predator wools. Just this week bowhunting I went undetected multiple times with wool whipcord solid green pants, green/black plaid shirt and wool vest- mild camo pattern. I agree with you Tom.
Something very calming about watching a Tom River video... Well done,
Camo is for hunting trespassers and stalking game wardens.
Camo is good for stalking game wardens. Idk if there's a season for them, but maybe you're on to something there
Hey! We use it to stalk trespassers also!
~Game Warden Woodrow Call~
@@woodrowcall3158camo and radios ,and 4 wheelers ,helicopters, and trampling on peoples property without permission and harrasing hunters and lying ..... among other tactics
That's exactly what it's good for trespassing fools don't like having to walk alllll the way back to the vehicle with brownie pants after someone less than 30 feet away says loudly and sternly "hey I believe you're lost fence line's that way!"
Thanks for video! I called in a Tom turkey. Right to my feet…I could have been wearing a red sequined dress…it would not have mattered.
I do have real tree couch so my wife can’t find me
Love this, why, I've been hunting since I was barely a teen, and Im 74 now. My granddaddy taught me and he did not have camouflage ...I'm not sure there was even camouflage back then. What did I hunt in mostly? A plaid shirt and Dickys..if I needed a jacket I used an old military field jacket..After I retired from the military I used my old BDUs..when they wore out I went to the Army/Navy surplus and got some more or I went to Salvation Army or Goodwill and got some from there..You mentioned blousing your pants...most Army-Navy stores will carry what we used in the military...boot blousing bands..works good and last a long time..Thank you for putting this up, I for one think the marketing folks have bamboozled a lot of hunters into spending a lot more than needed...and I for one would rather spend the money on ammo and rifles...God Bless and again thank you. BTW the only color that Deer see well is BLUE so leave off the jeans..
How very true. I been using ex army khakis for years as work clothes. Yard work hiking car repairs work shirts work pants. Best 100 I spent at an auction. Camo? Yeah sure I bought a multicam one. Purely for pockets
Wearing green and black plaid shirt. Faded blue jeans I have had bull elk walk 5 to 10 yards. I would put skunk scent on my work boots. Calling coyotes always blue jeans and plaid shirt. . Grandfather wore his tan pants and plaid shirt or jacket. My brother in-law wore his blue pants and shirt almost always got his deer.
Love it, Tom.
When I got into trout fishing about 30 yrs ago, I'd read articles and hear tales about having to wear proper clothes so the trout aren't spooked by your bright colors that don't match nature. I thought I'd see if this were true, and just wore whatever colors I liked when fishing small streams. I found improving my stalking skills and where I allowed my profile to show itself had way more to do with success than the right clothes. In fact, a good cast did way more than any camo clothing ever did.
Where I live we have a good mule deer population. Every Spring, the young bucks wander into my yard to eat the new grass shoots and lay under the trees. They are often in the yard when I leave the house, and they're not always spooked by my presence. They seem to show a reserved curiosity. Immediate scamper isn't their way. Assessing the threat seems to be their way.
I've never hunted deer but have been elk hunting, which was a day of stalking in the snow and we didn't see a single elk.
That point about vision (color or not) is very important. Marketing companies want us to think deer have the same vision and the same marketing susceptibility as humans.
Whiletail are skittish, mule deer are pretty laid back. I've walked right up to em.
This is one of those rare videos where someone is giving solid advice without trying to sell you something.
Several years ago a project in a controlled waterfowl and deer hunting zone, I did over flights to evaluate cover in specific hunting stations . One team was wearing their own camo and another wore neutral grey work coverall with with grey and black shirts. Aerial photos were easy identify the camo clothed volunteers as the camo did not actually match the deadfall or corn fields. On the other hand the volunteers in neutral grey and black looked like dead fall trees or stump age. It’s movement that signals to game that something may not be natural to the surrounding area. I hunt out of a grey kayak wearing grey jacket and hat with face covering as I have white hair and beard. Same outfit for deer or squirrel hunting. As you iterated camo outfits are expensive 500 and up. Excellent video. Movement is the killer.
Always appreciate the “ Good Ole Boy “ communication skill that’s a camp fire atmosphere.
Why didn't they do the study with a camouflage that matched? That's a huge discrepancy 😂
I've always been convinced that in most instances the deer can see you just fine; they're leery but just don't see you as a threat. "I'll run if he makes any sudden moves."
You are absolutely correct on everything you said . I’ve been hunting for over 50 years and what I’ve learned it’s your movement that gets deer attention on you . I’ve had deer within 5 yards of me wearing blaze orange before and not seeing me as long as you don’t move. The only reason I do wear camo is so I don’t get my everyday cloths muddy wet or bloody or ripped up. My point is you don’t need to go buy a $250 Sitka pants and shirt and hat. I use old military camo a lot from my 2 boys that were in the army that they gave me. Keep the videos coming , loved this one.
As a bowhunter that hunts from the ground, I wear a 30$ ghillie suit and face paint. I tuck into some type of vegetation. But the most important part is reading the behavior of that animal and being able to know when you can draw. Sometimes you only get one second to draw when that deer turns its head or puts its head down. But that's the rush and beauty of doing it this way. I've also never spooked a deer this way that was in range
100% on the gilli. Huge difference between mature bucks and small does. Cammo patterns are worthless, breaking up your outline is huge. Especially with a stick and string. You can also use brush weeds etc. One thing is modern camo has nice features like wind block and quiet material 👌 you guy's bash expensive hunting clothing and then say how you like Filson wool! Haha. Funny..
Exactly, a Filson wool coat is going to run you the same price as a Sitka jacket.
Doing the same in PA next month.
@@joshkepp756I've open field stalked deer 800 yards in a ghillie standing up walking. Moving when they dropped their bread sor looked away. Got to 20 yards. The ghillie REALLY helped
Staring at the pile of KUIU clothing I bought this year and shaking my head... :) Great video, nice to see a dose of reality injected into the subject. Disclaimer: I really like the performance features of KUIU here in the Pacific NW. We get so much wet weather that modern performance fabrics and technology are great to have.
Totally agree with you on this point. In SE WA, I archery hunt in 100F temps in early September for mule deer. Modern fabrics are amazing to keep you cool and lightweight over the miles. Solids or camo, I don’t really care either way anymore.
Another wonderful video. Thanks. Years ago, in Field & Stream or was it Outdoor Life - a 1" side bar of advice. Don't move and stay downwind, it doesn't matter what you wear or smell like. I'll bet the advertisers didn't laugh. It was too late, I had already bought two tubs of clothes. But none in the last 20 years. Now, I wear a lot of orange. It isn't spooking deer I'm concerned with.
I have passed the 3/4 century mark, I taught hunter ed for over 20 years, I live in the forest and am out every day, I have deer, elk, black bears, mt. lion, bob cat , wolves and coyotes, that I see regularly and at close range, 25 yards or less. I wear a pair of black jeans and a green sweat shirt or a dark colored jacket in the cold weather. I have been a bow hunter most of my life and grew up on the exploits of Fred Bear and Howard Hill. If you are not moving and have the wind in your favor, it makes no difference what you are wearing. Camouflage clothing works on the battle field, so unless you are hunting other hunters, save your money.
Good video..j
Thanks and thanks for mentioning Fred Bear. I used to love watching reruns of his hunting adventures but I haven't thought of him in years. It's nice to be reminded of him and just how good he was.
I had a family of deer walk up to me on a jobs site a few weeks ago. The woods were clear cut and I was standing still in high visibility level 2 gear. They had no idea. I was there until I moved.
Same thing happened to me. Five deer. I was wearing hi vis vest, high vis rain paints, red hard hat
I realized years ago that plaid is effective camouflage. It doesn't hurt to choose subdued colors, though red and black plaid definitely work in the deer woods. Loden green and black plaid nearly disappears in pine trees. I think red and green become more like gray or brown to deer. Deer can see blue, so I avoid blue in my hunting clothes. Since there aren't may large blue things in the woods, I figure deer see blue as something foreign.
Turkeys, ducks and especially geese notice colors. Plaid still works it it fits in the surroundings.
I wonder whether Scots' tartans originated as camouflage. Most of them are colors that will blend with the local vegetation.
Tom said the magic word, marketing. I've always said, "When Marketing Starts, The Truth Departs". I am 73 and I never had a dead animal tell me that it didn't like the way I was dressed.
LOL, I had a friend look at camo I was wearing one time and he started laughing and said they haven't made that pattern in 20 years. I didn't know we were suppose to also stay up to date on our camo? For him it was almost like the expiration date had expired on it or something. Stuff like that is when know marketing is at work!
@@TomRiverSimpleLiving Tom, you silly old fool. Everyone knows that deer read Field and Stream. They are up to date on all of the latest Camo trends. Turkeys on the other hand can't read so they are much easier to hunt. I think I've got that right??
Much obliged, Tom! I’ll check out the Army / Navy surplus store sometime this week. God bless!
M65 field jacket has served me well since early 90’s and now my son uses it.
Best place for a cheap overjacket. It will get torn, but so what...
@@josephr2766 I went by the store today and picked up a woodland camo field jacket for $25! Also got a set of BDU pants for $20. Thanks for the recommendation!
mil surp! My pants don't match the shirt and neither match the jacket but all break up my outline. I think the pants and shirt were $3 each and the 'field jacket' under $10. Works for me, at least theoretically. However, I wore a forest green shirt and khaki pants on my latest successful mule deer hunt and there I relied on the DON'T MOVE tactics. Great video!
Absolutely agree with you. I also discount the use of "scent control" clothing. The reality is you must be down wind or you will be smelled by deer. No one can cover up all of their body odors and the breath they exhale constantly. Either be down wind or have your scent stream above the game, to avoid detection. BTW, I have been hunting for over 60 years.
I agree. I was really into trapping when I was a kid and you learn a lot about scent. I used to keep a downy feather on a thread attached to my bow so I could detect the slightest breeze. I have been on the ground and within 15 feet of 2-3 year old deer feeding and usually had a cigarette burning on a log I was sitting on.
As I understand it most animals, cows, and horses included can smell steel, oil, and other things that have scent other than just the human. Pay close attention to the wind.
Great video. Thank you very much. I new everything that you explained. There a lot of young and old hunters that have no idea or are completely wrong. Thank you for setting them straight. Safely is everything. If you know your environment, meaning terrain and weather. With a personal locator beacon (PLB), you can't go wrong. Also never go alone into the woods.
I have to admit that as I've gotten older I don't enjoy hunting alone near as much as I did when I was younger.
Broke my BANK!! fooled by the ?? learning as i go!! Your mentorship is GREATLY NEEDED!! Thank You and your fans
Down to earth honest opinions, that's why I enjoy your videos. Cheers Tom
New subscriber. Thanks for the video. I agree completely and just tuned in to see what was said here. Now I feel like I just sat down with my grandfather and got the common sense of the day. Great content!
Tom, I hunt deer in north east Alberta, Canada. November is rifle season and I usually wait for some snow on the ground. But I found my perfect setup after 40 years! Hooded jacket and bib overalls, insulated and water and wind proof and most importantly, REVERSABLE. Regular generic camo on one side and white with some printed branches on the other. Well designed pockets on both sides. No big brand name price either. You new hunters spend good money on boots that match your conditions. Way up here I wear gortex Danners until it gets too cold then wear felt packed Sorels for extreme cold. Both pairs of boots have lasted 25 years. Never cheap out on your feet, you only get two.
Bibs are great for cool and cold weather. Uninsulated carhart bibs are great for brush busting even in warmer temps
Good advice shared.
Limit your movement, hunt above a deer's normal field of view and wear something which breaks up your pattern.
Note: Deer are not color blind and can see the color blue . For this reason I wouldnt wear Jean's while ground hunting unless I was behind cover.
Flashes of white are a warning signal to a deer, and for this reason I would refrain from wearing an item of clothes which has patches of such on it. Camo clothes can be ridiculously expensive, but the benefit of such is often overlooked. Purpose designed hunting clothes often has an abundance of deep pockets and is insulated. The benefit of todays insulated clothing is it assists in providing you warmth and a better range of movement over multi layered clothing in cold weather conditions.
One tip which makes a difference (my opinion)
Wear a face mask to break up your face.
The one thing all predators have in common are eyes which face forward.
Deer focus on such to determine a potential threat , but covering your face will often have a deer which noticed you to become at ease or disregard your presence.
It has been tested and they can also see the color green but green is a color they see all the time blue is not unless they are looking at the sky.
Face paint works wonders. I've hunted in my green plaid and my face would bust me. Started painting my face AND my hands. I started spooking a lot less animals.
As a 76 year old geezer, this is good info. I hunted in northern Wis, the mtns of Colorado, and here in deep south Texas. Camp just breaks up your pattern. Or plaid.
Hey Tom, I'm the kinda outdoor person that doesn't wear alot of camo, just hunt with the wind in my face, and keep still, thanks for the video ,stay safe and healthy, shakyjake out.
So refreshing. Old vintage hunting clothing plad wool etc. Nice and a single shot 35 Whelen. Much more fun and old school hand warmers. Nostalgic
Love the 35 Whalen. My first big game rifle 30 years ago
Yes, I remember those old lighter fluid fueled Jon-E hand warmers. They did provide a little comfort to the hands on those cold hunts back in the early 50's when I was a kid, while "still" hunting.
Every Whitetail, Mule Deer , Antelope and Elk I've ever Taken. I was Wearing Blue Jean's and a Carhartt work Coat.
though water proof clothing has been added to my Hunting clothes. And I long ago Stopped wearing Tan Colored Carhartt Coats and Vests. ( I don't want to Be the Same Color as Deer or Elk in Hunting Season.)
Another Great Video Tom!
Best Wishes from Montana! M.H.
British DPM saved me from being seen poaching for 20 years or until I didn’t need to poach any more- but that’s camming for humans. For animals never wash your kit with anything with colour brighteners- it will turn you into a fluorescent beacon.
Commercial camo appeals to human sense of camouflage. It’s like the hottest new fishing lure- looks fantastic, looks like it should catch fish but it can’t out fish an earthworm.
Aye, camo is for the human eye
Earth tones, in wool or just matt get it done.
great eye opener. plus I could listen him to him talk all day.
Tom you are right I decided to ditch camo this year and just went in my hiking gear that I got from wal mart and I had just as much luck this year than I have in previous years with high end camouflage.
All the way from South Africa.
I fully agree!!! No camo for me. I realy like your video's and make sure I watch them all. Thank You. God Bless.
Tom, I very much enjoyed your video, thank you. Remember, fishing lures catch fishermen, not fish.
Thank you for your videos Sir 👍 Great Job
I felt like a kid again listening to the old timers at the camp and you hit the nail on the head with that wisdom. I’m from south Louisiana
Great video! The hunting product marketing companies want to separate us from our money more than help us be successful in our hunts .
Great video and absolutely right. Hunted for 50 years in a cheap pair of Khaki workman's overalls, which after a few years had bleached nearly white. made no difference. One of the most wary game animals in South Africa is the greater Kudu, who is not known as the grey ghost of the bush for nothing. I used to glass them from a high point during the first day or two and note their movements, after which I ambushed them on the routes they followed. Just wound my web belt around the top strand of a barbed wire fence and sat on it behind a small thorn bush, waiting for their approach in the late afternoon. I shot more than one from a range of 30 yards, They never even knew I was there because I could sit completely motionless while they approached even if it took an hour or more...Movement is definitely the key just as you say......
Thanks for sharing that Herman. I always appreciate hearing about how animals act, or react, in different areas and your area is about as different from mine as it gets, but we've still had similar experiences.
Carhartt duck, hooded coat cuts the wind better than any other coat I've tried. It's doesn't shed rain worth a darn. It's not breathable, so you can get sweaty in one. Here on the Great Plains, wind is the biggest concern.
I agree with you completely on camo. Long ago I noticed being able to see other hunters very well no matter what camo pattern they were wearing. I save a lot of money wearing regular clothes and they are just as effective in nearly every circumstance.
I share your thoughts on camo. I have deer on my property and it doesn't matter what I'm wearing. As long as I move slowly and deliberately and don't make movements that startle them I blend right in. Granted they are used to seeing me and don't startle easy but there have been times I have eased up on them without them knowing I'm there til I have gotten really close and I wasn't wearing camo.
Great video. The truth is you can wear anything hunting and the deer won’t spook unless you move. Staying motionless is the key.
This is the most common sense, real life advise ever! I've experienced much the same, bow hunting, musket, etc., in a stand or stalking. Scent control IMHO is more important than camo.
Completely agree.
Always. Had many blown stalks, and the It's always that smell that sends them bolting! I'm sure they heard or even seen me at times, but once you're winded, it's over.
Fred Bear... :D Plaid works and has worked for me for 20 years... I have some red, but tan or even green plaid can work well too... I've spent more time learning how to walk in the forest instead... walking slowly, glassing. I've a friend here in Hawaii who could hunt in a white t-shirt and still get game... :)
40+ years ago, jeans and jeans jacket, long johns under +wool socks... Leather gloves with some wool inserts... Can't remember ever seeing anyone in camo.
The times have certainly changed, but thankfully the deer haven't.
I saw 4 guys getting out of their truck in identical camouflage clothing. They stuck out like a sore thumb. They hadn’t been washed and the brighteners in their pricey clothes got me laughing. I don’t think they got anything, but we’re annoyed at the blood we had on our mismatched work clothes. You are right on and deserve my sub. Great video.
It’s funny, when I go bird hunting, the exact opposite happens. Guys think they can just wear their work clothes and don’t kill anything 😂😂😂😂.
How can you see brighteners on their clothes? Is that even possible with the human eye?
100% agree. I've never even owned any camouflaged clothes. I grab my backpack-chair, shooting sticks and weapon and head to the woods. I've killed many deer just sitting in my chair. Closes was at 7 yards. Nope, camo is not needed.
Can't beat looking up a mature deer at a close range from up under a bush way more exciting than from any kind of blind or stand
@@samfranks1450
Yes sir. I don't do any kind of stand hunting. I hunt public land and I basically just sit with a tree at my back and play the wind. Taking deer and hogs by this method is actually not hard at all. Put me in a blind and I'd be all confused. No sir, I like the challenge of the hunt more then the filling of the tag. Filling the tag is just the bonus of the hunt. Can't break old school hunting.
great presentation. I noticed the sun is at your back; that is also a important part
My dad to me that the best camo was silence and being still!! It's worked for me for 30 years..
My dad smoked 3 packs of cigarettes a day until it killed him and hauled two thermos of coffee every-time he went in the woods. No camo just a plaid red jacket. Killed a deer every single year and 2 sometimes if he had the time to hunt. You are correct Tom!! Movement and silhouette are what it’s about. Vertical and lateral lines. Great video!!!
I went to a live recording of a Steve Rinella podcast and it was like a fashion show of all the most expensive camo jackets and vests I have ever seen. I wish I had worn a blaze orange jacket just as a joke.
Now that would have been funny!
I've Never worn camo hunting in my 59 years of hunting . I do own camo but it has been 2 down jackets purchased at Good Will at almost free prices for what they were . The rest of the camo about 4 shirts have all been gifts . Happy trails
I try to tell people this all the time. Glad someone else is telling the truth. I work in a gun store and I get people come in and say oh I need to get the such-and-such pattern for my gun. I asked them oh does that mean the ducks have already figured out the other patterns. I have found that camouflage it's just a fashion statement. I really don't know how we were able to kill anything 30 to 40 years ago without camouflage. Keep up the good work
My daughter asked for a realtree hoody this year. Had to be realtree no other pattern would do. She doesn't even hunt!
Dropping some serious knowledge about marketing and money. Insecurities and ignorance will have us empty our pockets. Thank you for the good advice.
Camouflage is for game that shoots back, and perhaps waterfowl!I like my forest green or plaid wool( green or red).And even when I bowhunted , successfully I might add, I always had a blaze orange vest as minimum!BTW I am a Stillhunter 95% of the time, occasionally sitting at the base of a convenient tree for lunch or a little rest!
"Camouflage is for game that shoots back", I think that was a great way of putting it!
This seems like ancient wisdom... and I would think your point on waterfowl may be worthwhile too because I feel like bird's vision is extremely good (or at least better than a deer's).
I been meaning to get a lumberjacks wool flannel. I recently found a bunch of vintage hunting clothes in the dumpster at my storage unit. I got Timber Ghost bibs and two matching button down shirts a pair of brand new leaf pattern pants tag was ripped out. A 80s tree bark pattern button down and a orange one pc jumper.
Kudos for your honesty and insight.
Used to be, the full camo suits were the domain of bowhunters only. Within the last 10 years they have become popular with all hunters. I think they look ridiculous.
You're right Dan. I had completely forgotten that it started with the bow hunters but it absolutely did.
You make a very valid point regarding the art of marketing camouflage. Now, I think knife hunting might be the exception! Several years ago I actually had a mule deer walk within 2 (Two) yards of me as I froze in a small clearly on an animal trail. I wasn't wearing a stitch of camo - just my hunter Orange! I quess the deer just thought I was just another synthetic bush! Aaaahhhhaaaaahhhhh!
Best camouflage is a medium gray solid color, as it allows shadow patterns to fall perfectly on a neutral color and blend in completely when the wearer simply backs a bit into the shadows. The German Army used gray uniforms in WW1 and 2 for that very reason. Probably the single best color for blending in to any environment, urban or wild.
Interesting. I've never heard that before but it makes perfect sense.
I agree, also if you consider the color of almost all land dwelling animals they are a lighter color near the ground and become darker further up.
I have used grey wool long body cover sitting in a comfortable chair in the shadows for years. Staying comfortable is the key covering two or more feeding cycles.
I love earth colors: Light brown/dark tan cargo pants, a dark brown canvas vest or coat and a grey or green wool flannel shirt. Ducks, turkeys, deer, elk, people... they never see me. So long as I focus on smart movement and noise. Great video:)
Thanks
Back in the mid 90's my hunting partner and I got into bow hunting. We figured this called for camo and out we went covered head to toe, face masks included. One trip my buddy brought along his video camera and without me knowing, he took video of me still hunting through the bush. I would take one or two slow steps and pause for several minutes, moving only my head to see all around.
Later we watched the video and damn!!, every time I stopped moving, I seemed to disappear. "Magic!" But take one step and there I was, as obvious as if I'd switched on neon lights.
Lesson learned. If you don't want to be seen, don't move. But if you have to move and most hunting involves getting around, it doesn't matter how good your camo is. You will be seen if deer are looking your way. A deer's visual system is acutely sensitive to movement. (So is ours'.) So choose your clothing for warmth and weather protection. If it's a camo pattern for the same price, okay. But don't think any camo will make you 'unseeable'.
There's only two things you need to do to be hard to see to deer. 1 - don't move. 2 - have a broken up outline.
Camo has its uses in breaking up your outline, but it can be done without.
Tom, I don’t know how I missed this video until now… 😆 but Bravo to you sir. I’m 68 and I’ve bow/ shotgun/ rifle hunted since my teenage years and about the 1st half of that was in blue jeans and a flannel shirt. Then I finally bought some WWII camos at an army/navy store because they were cheap and hey, I looked more like the forest (even thought about 60% of my time was in field edges and hedge rows. I recently purchased some new strata camo on a sales, because it was cheap and the deer vision information seemed good, so I guess I better be able to walk up to a deer and play tag with um 😂. Thanks for shooting straight from the hip/lip… 😂. Dan
I believe that hunting/fishing shops are for hunters & fishermen. Cuz I learned long time ago, fish seem to like live bait, & hunting requires a weapon, usually something warm(I'm in northern Minnesota) & know About your pray, & ALWAYS down wind & I prefer next to a water source, as everything needs a drink. Sure I have camo, but mostly knowledge passed down to me from great hunters & fishermen, not gander mountain!
I love that last part, "knowledge passed down to me from great hunters and fishermen, not Gander Mountain".
Excellent talk- in my preparation for my first hunting season in the fall, this is my favorite video I've watched. Saved me some money on camo too!
My routine for deer season is walk in with jeans and longjohns, an undershirt and an unbuttoned flannel. Once im in the stand i button up, throw a sweater on, and then put on my bib and parka. Otherwise i'd be drenched with sweat in 20-30 degree weather and thats miserable. Only thing i dont wear on the outside is blue and white colors, but i don't think that matters. This year I got my buck while eating a sandwich wrapped in tin foil, so the real secret is to shoot before they can see or hear you. This buck was pretty distracted by a doe and was about 200 yards downhill. Excellent cover cannot be over emphasized.
Those dos tend to get a lot of bucks in trouble! And congrats on the buck.
Love how you had to check if you were wearing the blaze orange hat or not.
Black bears know camouflage. They are one uniform color. Ten yards away, if they move at all they move like playdough, and they are just a black hole among all the other black holes in the thicket. You will not see him if he does not want to be seen. He hides all four hundred pounds. It is all about how he moves and where he chooses to stand still. Camouflage is something you do, not something you wear.
Just came back from Namibia. The PH wore denim shorts and a green t shirt. Very successful hunt. I wasn't wearing camo either. Never have done. Another great video. 'Technology doesn't make us good hunters'. Amen.
Here's the first thing to remember about hunting and what should be worn for hunting clothes. I live in Jackson, MS, which has a hot semi-tropical climate. Much of our deer season is warm, with early bow seasons being downright hot...often 90 degrees or more. What's my point? Primitive man thousands of years ago likely hunted deer naked in the warm periods. Native Americans which came next in history wore a little more clothing but a loincloth still doesn't provide much camo. Did these people kill deer...and do it with extremely primitive methods? Yes, they did. When the Pilgrims arrived with their guns, it was the natives who taught them how to hunt effectively. Do you think the native Americans suggested the pilgrims purchase the most expensive scent control breakup pattern camo suits? There wasn't any camo to buy!
For all but the last 50 years or less, hunters have taken deer and other game without needing to rely upon camo. But they knew how to hunt...and that doesn't mean sitting in an elevated shooting house overlooking a bean field. In fact, the settlers who came to America were so efficient at hunting that they very nearly wiped out the population of several species, including deer, turkeys, and bear. And they did that without using expensive trademarked camo patterns. Many times, all these hunters did was find a comfortable spot to lean back against a tree and wait. Yes, they did try to sit where the wind would blow their scent away from them but that was about all they did. I know how people hunted back before this crazy idea that you wont kill deer unless you spend $500 to outfit in camo head to toe. I'm about to be 69 years old and I hunted well over a half century ago. And I killed deer without any fancy camo!
Skip the camo and hunt naked if you want to. Or wear a loincloth. Or wear whatever you want to. The deer don't care what you wear. Deer are not going to flee upon seeing you unless they interpret you as a threat to them. If you are not moving and particularly if you are seated and still, deer will normally remain relatively calm. Wildlife instinctively sees any living creature who is seated or lying down as not being an immediate threat to them if they are standing on their own feet. One of the reasons the guy in this video didn't scare the deer who clearly spotted him is that he was seated and still the entire time. Deer just don't react most of the time to that profile. A standing, moving human however is another matter.
They pilgrims and native Americans also didn’t have any game laws or seasons or game limits. The native Americans use to smoke there clothes and there are plenty of ways to hide your scent in nature.
I was thinking about this the other day during an early doe hunt. Got one in the middle of a road like you were wearing jeans and a blue sweatshirt. Sat still and watched one way. Been busted a lot in the past swiveling my head in camo cause I was supposed to be invisable. You can't buy experience,thanks for sharing yours for free.
My great grandfather had the best set up. Plaid shirt, jeans and boots, sitting on a 5 gallon bucket at the base of a big tree. Over 400 deer in his lifetime of 89 years. Confirmed by my great uncles and a burlap sack full of ears.
He shot over 5 deer a year?!
@@luxuryxcoffin Alot more than that, Riley. There was a natural cul de sac on the hunt land. All of my cousins, uncles, etc... would 'manage' the herd by clanging and banging them into that area. He did say that probably 150 or so were fish in a barrel. They would cull the weak, broken, nontypical, etc... as well as if they had too many spikes. Made for some great racks and better meat. Made for a great lineage. They'd process and take the extra all around to different families. Best was a 187 green score. Look up Charles Owen and his 'Morning coffee buck' in Anderson County, SC. That wasy great uncle. Poppie's son. Most were between 140-160.
@idahosixgun5601 for someone who doesn't know how it works, that might make sense, but the forest wouldn't have been able to keep up with the herd without it. I guess if you're not familiar with weak winters and high birth rates, along with the fact that there wasn't a grocery store on every corner and families back then had to kill what they ate; you might think so.
But, who can blame you. Everything you've ever eaten has been covered in styrofoam and plastic with a sticker on it. Try feeding a wife, seven children, and your brothers and sisters' families. When's the last time you built a smokehouse and a salt room and had to hunt to survive? Closest thing you've probably ever had to pemican is a cliff bar. You know, you learn alot more by asking questions rather than passing judgment on things you know nothing about. Your statement only serves to make you seem more ignorant than you probably are. Maybe you just didn't realize or haven't that it wasn't so long ago that people lived a whole lot differently than we do now.
Hard times make hard men.
Hard men make soft times.
Soft men make hard times.
Don't be a soft man, Idaho six gun... earn your moniker and think first next time. You can do it. I believe in you.
Camouflage is 100% marketing. An article a few years ago proved this. Author wore street clothes to hunt to see if it hurt his hunting. He actually found it helped, especially with turkey hunting. The turkey were so curious as to what he was they walked right up to him. Deer honestly can't see color except blue due their ultraviolet sensitivity. I like the respect the Brits have to the land and animals, hence why they wear a button down shirt and tie when hunting. I will start doing this myself. Stop wasting money on marketing BS and start investing in items that will last a lifetime #tweed #buttondownshirt #necktie
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camo clothing works really well is you don't want humans to see you. I've been killing deer and hogs in East Texas since the early 50's and I can assure you that camo was not worn. This video was probably one of your best info vids. Hunting gear mfg's have for decades, invented gear that we think we need lol. More than happy to oblige. We do most of our gun hunting here in Texas from box blinds and I find it quite humorous to see shooters (not to be confused with hunters) decked out in full camo sitting in a box blind completely invisible from outside because they don't want to be "that guy" lol.
You are so right! Very refreshing. Thanks for posting.
I'm not a plant. I don't feel compelled to dress like one when I'm in the wilds.
Until moving to "fly over country," I'd never hunted whitetail deer before. I shot my share of mule deer and blacktail deer, but always hunted in states with a "mandatory hunter orange" requirement.
On my first whitetail deer hunt, I let a doe get within 15 yards of me before pulling the trigger on her. I was dressed like a popsicle from the waist up. And I was on a 500 acre parcel of public Wildlife Department land.
The next day, I let a buck get within 25 yards of me before pulling the trigger on him.
Both of those deer were over 75 yards away when they rounded a knoll and initially walked into my field of view and proceeded to munch on acorns from red oaks, oblivious to my presence.
I haven't been turkey hunting in a while, but used to do a lot of it when living in California and never wore a stitch of Mossy Oak or Realtree while doing it. No camo when hunting squirrels, rabbits, quail, or chukar, either.
I'm "that guy....." The Fudd with the lever-action .30-30 wearing a plaid orange and black shirt.
Being a fudd isn’t a good thing
When someone thinks they have it figured it out, but they don’t have anything figured out
I like your video. I really appreciate the information and true most of us know this. Great information and thanks again. Keep up the good work.
For the camo enthusiast you should run the same experiment with camo on to show the difference. That way you have two examples so you don't get people that will still push back.
Some people are always going to push back and that's ok. I think the biggest key to being a successful hunter is confidence. If you weren't confident a deer was going to walk out at any second then why bother being still of paying attention? And if getting whatever camo pattern makes someone feel more confident well at least they're confident. I just didn't want anyone that wasn't sure about camo or that didn't have a lot to spend on camo to fall into that trap of thinking they needed it. But that is a pretty good idea on the comparison!
Application is everything. There were no camo clothes other than surplus when I started bowhunting. I used a yellow plaid shirt and French Army solid green pants. When it got cold I used an old field jacket. Hardly anyone hunted from a tree. "Deer don't look up!". The older deer do now. You are right, deer really pick out movement. I usually wear full orange in rifle season. I try to crawl into a pile of logs or a blowdown and try to stay low. I used to smoke like a freight train so I wore brown cotton gloves and moved my hands slow. Once the leaves are down, look how far you can see a squirrel twitch it's tail. Deer see just as far. I never believed deer are totally color blind. If you sit in front of a hemlock tree(Christmas tree for you city folk) dressed in orange, an experienced deer will pick you out. They see something. On the other hand, if you are in snow dressed in orange, deer are totally blind to it. Look at it this way. If you think deer are color blind try this. Sit in the woods before day light. When it gets light enough so that everything looks black and white, look at someone in orange. They actually appear to glow. I have been spotted by deer on dark, overcast days too.
Glasses are a problem. I have had deer, squirrels, and even grouse walk right up to me and stare at my dark glasses. Spooked deer will take off right away. Never figured out what to do about that. Good video, tackle scent products next.
The biggest problem for tall fat people is all the orange clothing is imported and only fits little kids,
They've done plenty of studies that show deer can see blue reasonably well and some variations of blue green. Orange red and yellow are no problem.
I go to thrift stores in expensive suburbs and buy high quality soft clothing made of merino wool and other natural fibres for next to nothing.
The only place I spend real money is on quality boots and wet weather clothing
I think the problem is that some people assume camo is an invisibility cloak. Does it help? Yes. Is it effective? Of course. Will it make you a better hunter?? Not even a little bit. Obviously camo vs a white T and blue jeans is better but that camo will only increase your ability to move undetected by a bit.
I really like that you explained that camo isn’t bad it just happens to be on clothes that are designed for hunting which obviously doesn’t hurt anyone.
I personally have 3 layers of kings camo XKG XK7 pattern camo. I never thought I needed the camo more than I needed the fact that it is a layering system that I can trust will fit the next layer comfortably. But I can’t deny that the camo looks cool and it will help a little with staying undetected!
My advice would always be get what you can afford to get destroyed and bloody but If someone asked me to suggest something though I would say my camo brand and print because I like it.
Yeah go run a marathon in your jeans. Tell my how much your clothing matters. Any broken up pattern helps. And you want quiet clothing. Avoid blues because deer see blues. Also avoid UV brightener in your detergent.
Also mature deer are more keen than are young deer like featured in the video.
I really appreciate this video. Life is always better with the truth and it’s certainly set me free. I am new to hunting. I want to spend the money on good quality gear but I don’t want to just throw away those dollars on stuff I don’t need. Glad I found this video.
I thought you were wearing your hunting clothes when I first saw your website.
My uncle, who had been in Canada and the USA about 60 years ago told me that the hunters dressed up in bright checks so that they would not be shot by another hunter.
That actually reminds me of a story from the 2nd WW.There were American troops wearing camouflage in Normandy,I think it was your Marine Corps or something - and they got killed by their own troops because from afar the pattern looked like what in German is called the Flecktarnjacke of the WaffenSS.So if I'm not mistaken they used those clothes only in the Pacific for the remaining duration of the war.But please correct me if I'm wrong.
There was one incident alleged where this supposedly happened but no one has ever produced primary sources on it, it was a rumor going around so the troops stopped wearing the camo.
Being as still as possible, scent control, and blending into your environment are all key components for deer hunting in my opinion.
Deer are definitely exceptional in picking up movement, so staying still is hands down a very important necessity....but so is staying quiet.
In my view the also, spraying down with scent control before going into the woods also helps, it won't eliminate your scent, but it will reduce your smell and my understanding is that it may fool a deer into thinking you may have passed through much earlier and masked the threat that you are near by.
As far as camo in my view, based on the articles I have read, blending into the woods can be helpful certainly. Wearing colors such as blue which stand out in a deer's vision isn't a good choice for example, but I wear camo especially if I am sitting outside on the ground or still hunting...I figure it's a little better to blend in than just vertical and horizontal stripes which are not as natural in the woods.
Just my opinion and the way I hunt.
best camo is flannel shirt, jeans and working the wind
Good video. I'm 60 and have hunted since I was 12. I've worn everything from blue jeans and Carharts, to camo. I think like the rest of your commenters, be still, use the wind, and hunt properly. I've had game real close while I've been still. When you are winded, they spook, no matter if you have all the scent control.
One other thing I wonder if game isn't conditioned to be afraid of someone in camo. Game is used to seeing people out and about without camo, and they don't pose a threat. Camoed people chase them and shoot at them. I had a guy tell me once that the best camo was work clothes and smell like gas. The deer see loggers and such in the woods and they are used to it. I thought the guy was crazy, but now I think different. Good video!!
I've often wondered the exact same thing about looking and smelling like a logger?