Need help chossing a camo patteren.

[fire754_paramedic7903]

I am looking to buy new camo and want to use it in south east Idaho in rifle Elk season but need to know what pattern would be best. I am also looking for any topo maps and maps with the road up there on it.

[petey]

First off welcome to Huntchat!!


And to answer you question. If you're rifle hunting, I wouldn't really worry about a particular "pattern" more so than the type of material (I.e Water proof, warm, breathable, etc...)

Year before last I called in a bull to 40 yards wearing over 250 sq in of orange in blue jeans and killed him with a rifle, so I'd say camo has nothing to do with it.

If you're looking to buy some new camo, maybe make it multi-purpose so you can use it for hunting turkey in MO or archery deer too. If you're looking for quite rain gear, take a loook at Herter's jacket in Cabelas for $39. I think it's made with something called fowltech, but it is quite, breathable and does tread water well. I suggest this more so than an insulated jacket b/c you can wear layers and take off as you climb. Nothing is worse that having all your cold-weather wear wrapped up into one jacket and you're too hot.

[Kirkned]

As Petey Said it really will not matter as to the pattern you are wearing, as you are required to wear the hunters orange on all rifle hunts in Idaho.

[Skyline]

I agree with the last post by petey and kirkned.......although I would try to keep the material on the quiet side if possible.

Petey mentioned that he killed a bull in blue jeans and wearing a bunch of sq. inches of blaze orange. How true. Sorry, but the manufacturers have everyone convinced that they need to be camo'd to the max, scented, and carrying every gadget in existence to get the job done. Not so!

Anything that breaks up your outline will work. Also, as petey mentioned, a good water repelent outer garment and layers are the ticket to staying warm and dry.

[royinidaho]

Originally posted by Kirkned
As Petey Said it really will not matter as to the pattern you are wearing, as you are required to wear the hunters orange on all rifle hunts in Idaho.

The pattern of camo makes no difference to the animal. I wear camo mostly to hide from other hunters. Also I don't wear that orange stuff either until after an animal is down and I'm walking around like the rest of the folks.

Also I really wonder about that scent lock stuff

Stealth and motionlessness is more important than camo. I'm betting that more animals are shot by people wearing carharts than anything else.

Also if you're gonna hunt in eastern Idaho, good luck. You're gonna need it unless you have a lot of time and get a cow permit in Unit 69.

RE: Topo maps - go to google earth and go from there. If you know exactly where you will be hunting I'd be glad to help w/topos, maps and gps readings.

FWIW.

[Skyline]

RoyinIdaho ..........

You sound like a bitter man!

Too much hype about camo and 'scent lock'........hey, how the hell did we get it done years ago?

Mind you I am finding that if you want to get any kind of good hunting gear these days it will be camo......I have my fair share of Carhart stuff....maybe hey are missing the boat?

Cheers!

[L. Cooper]

There is as much marketing that goes into hunting "stuff" as into anything else. Camo is sold to hunters not the animals, so it is designed to look good to hunters.

What are the animals wearing? Ever see an elk in Realtree? Ever watch a white tail just dissapear after it stops, even though you know exactly where it is?

Is there anything we can learn about blending in from those whose lives depend upon blending in?

L.C.

[royinidaho]

Originally posted by Skyline
RoyinIdaho ..........

You sound like a bitter man!

Nah, not bitter. I'm just heavy handed on the keyboard

I am kind of fed up with the major part of the hunting industry, the run of the mill hunter. That leaves out most on this board but probably not all.

Nuge has it about right regarding camo. He's into the zebra stripe thing.

I've noticed that during my walk and stalk yote hunting all I need is an extra second or so most tmes to get a decent shot off. Camo doesn't get that for ya. Confusion does.

Put a brake on your rifle and miss a yote. They get confused as they can't oftimes tell where the shot came from and run towards you.

My snow camo confuses yotes and elk, I have noticed. It gives me what seems a little less than 2 seconds more time to get a shot off.

The closest I've been to a bull elk was about 15 feet. I had just came home from work and heard one bugling. I was dressed in slacks, a light colored button down collar ****. The dam bull stuck his nose to the bottom of my foot print in the tall grass and tracked me down. I was unarmed except for a ball point pen.

Camo is best for paint balling where you are hiding from people.

So what if Adams wears sentlock, advantage timber and a funny cap. Does that make my life any better. Nah! But the masses suck up that stuff thus goes the market.

Biggest buck in the valley was shot by a fella who was standing with his wife on a bare sage brush hill side. Both were international orange from head to foot. The buck never saw them. They looked like a couple of punkins

Bought me an air compressor the other day. Next is the air brush. The big project will be doing a unique camo job on all of my rifles. One thing for sure, you'll be able to lay them on the ground any where and be able to find them. And I'm betting my success rate will nudge up a bit.

Well there's ol' Roy's rant for the day. The burr under my saddle is that a 12yr old girl shot her first elk on an open hunt. They cleaned an tagged it. It was late so they left it lay and came back the next morning. All there was left was the tag. Someone else had taken it home. Now that pisses me off.

Ahhhhhhh, now I feel better.

[ol_spark]

Roy..
You sure have a way with words. I'm with ya all the way.

Confusion is my middle name.

[Kirkned]

RoyinIdaho

The idea that wearing camo is for the hunters own protection is a myth it so the game and fish can spot you, in the spotting scope from 10 miles away. The next point is that if you are hunting in Idaho during a rifle hunt then you must have the minimum amount of hunters orange on your person. Therefore if you are spotted by game and fish and you do not have the minimum of hunters orange on you may be sited. If the officer so chooses to do so. The fine can be rather stiff. but you do have that choice to wear it or not. If not then you have knownly and willfully made that choice, and that will alway brings a higher fine.

Kirkned

[royinidaho]

Kirkned,

I'mma pretty decent fella. Get along with the fish cops pretty well. Volunteer throughout the year to assist with little project.

The older F&G people are mostly trying to protect their jobs in the orgainization. The younger ones are pretty much on a tree hugging power trip. But I get along with them too, mostly be staying away from them.

I always have 100 sq in of intl orange on my person someplace. In my pouch pocket usually. But its there in case I see another hunter anywhere in the area.

Usually, due to the way I hunt, I'm usually laying flat on the ground and I hang the hat in the sage brush. If I'm up in the "big country" I don't even do that.

I'm working on a new camo pattern, for me, with some new colors. Will post results.

[Kirkned]

RoyinIdaho:

Sounds like you have it covered. I just did not want you, or any one else, getting a personal invite to the local justise of the peace, if ya know what I mean. I look forward to your post on the new camo.

As for the game and fish, I do hear what you are saying. I know how it is for these older guys. Most of them are just doing a job. It is those young bantie roosters that have some thing to prove that un-nerve me. Many of them think that by us being outdoors and carring a rifle or pistol you are automatically doing something illeagal. WRONG we all have as much right in the out doors and they do. Remember we pay their wages, so actually they work for us. I to have found that advoidance is generally the best measure.

Kirkned

[royinidaho]

First camo for the rifle:

Saw some neat stuff in my searches. Nothing tripped my trigger. Plus they all looked expensive

I've had some of my own idea so I decided to learn some techniques.

Kids went together and got me an air brush for Christmas. Never painted anything in my life except houses and fences and didn't do good job at those.

Watched the video, sprayed water all over the place for quite a while. Scrounged up some arts & crafts paint that didn't work for squat but at least it came out of the brush.

Then I scrounged around the internet for a pattern I wanted. Found on the hide of a zebra. Brought that into photo shop stretched, enlarged, focused on areas and printed. Then cut out the shapes.

Had a clunker plastic REM stock that some one had dinked with leaf patterns on. Think the thing cost me 25 bucks.

Layed out the pattern on the butt end. By the time I got to the trigger guard I was drawing the pattern free hand on the masking tape. Then cut out where I wanted paint to go.

All of this was to just prove the concept.

Took about 10 hours to get the pattern on the stock. Then in my typical fashion it took about 10 min to slap some color on it.

School bus yellow was what the wife had laying around. Pretty poor paint but heck I didn't care. Just wanted to see if I was headed in the right direction.

The below pic shows where I am heading.

Learned - don't use masking tape.
- don't tape over checkering

Learn to paint

What about colors. Been thinking about Pgh Steeler colors and a steelers logo on the cheek piece. yea, right!

[Skyline]

Well as you already know the color stinks but the concept is good.
I like it, can envision a version with colors that work in the poplars and aspen.

[royinidaho]

Yep color stinks.

Was considering a dark brown and light grey/white for snow. But since I've been studying things, there are many different options.

All yote hunting is done in sage brush areas where the sage is thick in some places and sparce in others.

Had the camera out to day looking pretty stupid taking pics of sage brush, willows, russian olive trees and grassey side hills.

We'll see what comes out.

I have the layout precesses figured out quite a bit but still have to learn to paint.