Camo question... Why?

[twain]

I am new to the hunting thing and I have a question... I notice on TV the deer hunters all wear camo gear to blend in with their surroundings. Seem to make sense but they also wear a day-glow orange vest for safety. If they are going for high visibility with day glow why waste money on the camo gear? Am I missing something???
Thanks for the info
Twain

[fabsroman]

Personally, I wear absolutely no came when I am out deer hunting with a rifle or shotgun even though I have plenty of it because I used to bow hunt and I hunt migratory birds plenty. When hunting deer with a muzzleloader, shotgun, or rifle, I go out in the woods with an entire suit of blaze orange on, including blaze orange gloves and a blaze orange hat. If anybody sees movement from me through a bush or anything, I want to be sure that whatever is moving is covered in orange.

Here is a photo of me after shooting my first antlered buck.

[PJgunner]

Fabs, all that blaze orange is no guarantee. Many years ago, while in the military, a buddy and I hunted up in the area well north of Elko Nevada. A guy came running into our camp all hysterical. Turned out he'd shot his business partner. When we got to the scene, there was the body, clad from head to toe in blaze orange although there wasn't much left to the guy's head.
He claimed he thought it was a woodchuck. Frankly, I've never seen a blaze orange woodchuck, but then again, I've never seen a woodchuck in Nevada, and I lived in that state off and on for almost 15 years. The state confiscated his .300 Weatherby, gave him a fine, and told he he could not have a Nevada hunting license for five years.
FWIW, both gentlemen were from california, and you wonder why they have such a bad reputation.
Paul B.

[Andy L]

Good god PJ, that is scary!!

You know, its things like that why I have almost quit deer hunting. Lots of folks never get a gun out of the closet until the week before rifle deer season opens and buy their ammo and beer in the same place on the way to deer camp. Too many close calls and idiots out for that.

I have a couple of places left where you cant see from any road, and its far enough out no ones gonna walk in and the gates are locked behind me. Thats about the only places I will hunt.

I have a friend that wears camo during gun season and when he gets to the stand, takes if off and hangs it on the tree so at least it wont move when he does. No thanks.

That area north of Elko is about as remote as anywhere in the nation, from what I can tell. I have a friend that coyote hunts there. If you shoot your buddy somewhere with that little population, you sure dont need to be in the woods.

Andy

[fabsroman]

PJ,

I know wearing an entire body of blaze orange isn't a guarantee, but it is a lot better than wearing less.

Yes, a person could be tracking a running deer and shoot me by accident. Yes, a person could be shooting at a deer on a mountain across the valley, miss it, and send a stray bullet 1,000 yards my way.

As far as guarantees are concerned, I understand that there aren't any in life except for death and taxes. That is why I try to take every precaution possible to avoid risk. If you have seen Along Came Polly, I am like the Ben Stiller character that evaluates risk all the time. However, I do not work for an insurance company, I just read a lot of legal cases where people have done stupid things and I try to avoid them by forseeing them.

I guess my thing with the full body suit of blaze orange versus some blaze orange and some camo is that I seriously doubt any deer has really been spooked by my blaze orange such that I couldn't kill it.

[Mil Dot]

I believe the main reason you'll see a hunter in camo with a blaze orange vest is economics.

Camo gear is expensive, especially if it's winter wear, while you can buy a blaze orange cover vest and stocking cap for under $20 to comply with state safety regulations. By doing so you can use the same camo jacket & overalls for duck, deer, varmint etc. and still be nice and warm. While the camo pattern may not be perfect for each scenario it gets you by until you can add to your collection.

In other words, it could be equated to picking up a LL Bean catalog, finding their highest quality down jacket and having to buy one in each dazzling color for the weekend outing and then having the state tell you that you have to have 120 sq in of camo covering your head and upper body so you won't be shot.

Watch out for the fashion police!

MD

[GoodOlBoy]

I wear redneck camo. . . . . blue jeans, boots, t-shirt, and a head wrap. Sometimes the blue jeans are camo denim but most of the time they ain't.

GoodOlBoy

[IchWarrior]

If they bowhunt, the cold weather gear can be used rifle hunting as well as Mildot pointed. I however, subscribe the Outline Breakup philosophy of camoflage, not the "Oooh pretty" </Homer> patterns that Realtree and Mossy Oak put out.

They look great to our eye, but I find that at longer distances they turn into dark masses. That tends to ruin its ability to break up an outline. I think some people wear it because it looks snappy and is nice and warm.

I dont do any of the duck/bowhunting, so I really cant afford to buy pricey winter camoflage. If Im after coyotes I have slips that fit over regular winter wear. I go with regular winter garb to stay warm out deer hunting. It blends in just as good as printed camo, as if that becomes a factor with your big blaze DONT SHOOT ME coat


Works well enough, the lighter green pants blend in great with the sage of the area. Just need a coat thats not Blaze orange or black...

[Valigator]

Depends on the mood I am in and where I am hunting....I'm a girl so stuff has to match....as Wolvie puts it....I'm a Hunt Chat Diva, plus I kill more birds if I look good.......

[popplecop]

As one who has investigated a number of deer gun accidents, wear all the orange you can. And not the so called cameo orange. Wisconsin requires blaze orange while deer gun hunting, and that does not mean faded out orange either. I've seen so called hunters with almost a grand in thier rifle and scope and wearing a 3 buck wally world vest. Thank the Lord they ussually don't get over a couple hundred yards from the vehicle. But first of all make sure of your target and what's beyond. Have been retired 17 years and still manage to shoot deer in bright orange and at my size am not hard to see.

[8X56MS]

I don't wear a lot of camo. I never felt it really gave the hunter an advantage. Subdued colors, muted browns, grays, and darker greens have always done well enough for me.

I do not like blaze orange at all. I don't hunt public land, and don't have to wear it. I think government mandated blaze orange ranks right up there with government mandated helments.

[Steverino]

This topic comes up fairly regularly but I believe personally that it really depends on your quarry and how and where you hunt. As a bowhunter, I have seen camoflauge clothing work in close quarter situations that would be downright ridiculous for long range hunting applications.

The same can be applied to the topic of scent free clothing and carbon blocking agents too.

I agree with the aforementioned posts that outline protection is the most important as well.

When I am hunting public land, I am decked out like an orange neon pole, in addition to crawling back into the thickest, nastiest habitat (muddy swamps and river bottoms are great!) that I can find, I try to use the cover around me to blend in.

[Valigator]

Heck better put orange on your prize huntin dogs...in the last couple of years its amazing how many dogs have been shot....

[BILLY D.]

HEY VAL

GREAT IDEA ON THE BLAZE ORANGE FOR DOGS. REMEMBER WHEN I POSTED ABOUT FRITZ'S FIRST FISHING TRIP? HE IS REALLY DIFFICULT TO SEE AT THIS TIME OF YEAR OUT IN THE FIELD. SO THE BLAZE ORANGE REALLY HELPS.

SIDES THAT IT PROTECTS THEIR UNDERBELLY FROM BRUSH ETC.