how important is camo pattern?

[xjohnsenx]

Hello, I don't post on here to often but I had a question that I was hoping I could get answered. I am going to give bow hunting a shot this year after rifle hunting for many years. I have never had much need for camo but will need some this year. My question is how important is having camo match your surroundings and or each other (i.e. pants and shirt)? I am pretty short so often my options in colors are more limited. Obviously the fancy specific patterns that are coming out now havent always been around. I will be hunting both elk and deer and the habitats they will be in will definitely be different. Thanks for any input anyone may have.

[boneaddict]

Breaking up your outline is more important than a specific pattern.   Sometimes guys have a suit on and stand in a contrasting background.   You stand out like a sore thumb.

[pianoman9701]

I believe that deer and elk are mostly colorblind. I've never tried to match colors, just to have on something with similar lines. I think if you're in the woods and you have camo with woods on it, 

[bear hunter]

I don't wear camo pants just carhartts. I do wear diffrant camo jackets and vests to help brake up my pattern. I use to archery hunt but havn't in many years. I do ML and wear orange camo hat.  The OG hat helps because I wear black carhatts. I just didn't want people glassing me on the other hill side with there scopes thinking Big BLACK BEAR. Trust me my buddy saw black and brown moving 600 yards or so. He glassed and yes it was me "BUT NOT WITH THE SCOPE" and radioed me and saided *censored* you looked like a big bear.  :yike:That got me thinking From than on I wear a orange hat when hunting big game. I don't wear all the same camo. I try to mix it up. Like a hoody and a vest all differant patterns it helps brake you up. Just look at a sold camo pattern and one that is mixed. You blend in more. Thats my opinion.

[turkeyfeather]

As stated before it's more important to just break-up your outline. I wear everything in the same pattern, but I am a little anal about things like that.

[dreamingbig]

Not very important but if you look good then you play good.  I mix up max1 with kuiu and Sitka.  Function is more important than pattern.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

Depending on where you hunt, when I hunted east, I liked lighter pants and darker tops, just because when I stood next to a tree in reprod, and that brown/yellow grass and sagebrush, and green trees....
But here on the west side, so often I am waist deep in ferns and salal that I like to reverse the colors
 (green pants, lighter green tops)
But as stated, you want to break up your outline...
For years I been looking for a vertical pattern, as I spend a lot of time in timber, see grey allot, but rarely in camo, and not very many Oak leaves....
Searching for CADPAT...

[MikeWalking]

I believe that deer and elk are mostly colorblind. I've never tried to match colors, just to have on something with similar lines. I think if you're in the woods and ytou have camo with woods on it, 

From what I've read over the years they are mostly color blind but see more of the UV/IR range than people do.  What that means is that they are more sensitive to how light reflects off clothing.  Wash whatever camo you want in UV brightening Tide etc and you will shine next to the trees.  Back in my Army days Rule #1 was break up your outline.   Rule #2 See Rule #1

I thing there's a lot of hype in the camo clothing industry.  Think shades, outline and natural fibers

[dfresh96]

me and a buddy noticed the darker camo sticks out more in open woods (mossy oak), i had a ghost rigde camo that blended well, like my buddy always says trust your camo if your not moving they wont see you.

[Todd_ID]

My opinion is that you're better off worrying about fabric noise than camo pattern.  When you're getting ready to draw on a mature animal at 20 yards, then a red plaid wool coat or a true fleece pull-over is infinitely more valuable than the most of the latest and greatest fabrics being sold now.  There is no such thing as waterproof and silent in the same package.

A big, open pattern breaks up your outline the best, but most of the patterns being sold now do not follow that simple principle.  ASAT is the strangest looking stuff, but I also believe it is the most effective camo pattern sold.

[netcoyote]

I believe movement and eye contact are more important than any particular camo pattern. Stand still and don't try to stare down a critter and they seem to forget you are there...unless they get a whiff of you.
I wondered about camo myself until I saw Jim Shockey sneaking up within a few yards of big game without a stitch of camo. I think the only camo I've seen him wear on any of his shows is maybe a white suit when hunting in snowy terrain.
I still wear some style of break-up pattern but I fret less about it than I once did.

[seth30]

I only wear cotton when hunting for yotes, deer, bear and elk.  I found that it makes almost no noise and being such a pourus material it soaks up cover scents very well.

[jaymark6655]

I believe movement and eye contact are more important than any particular camo pattern. Stand still and don't try to stare down a critter and they seem to forget you are there...unless they get a whiff of you.
I wondered about camo myself until I saw Jim Shockey sneaking up within a few yards of big game without a stitch of camo. I think the only camo I've seen him wear on any of his shows is maybe a white suit when hunting in snowy terrain.
I still wear some style of break-up pattern but I fret less about it than I once did.

  I have gotten under ten yards to deer wear a red t-shirt and blue jeans.  Kind of stayed crouched down, moved really slow when they were eating, stopped when the looked up and stared at the ground looking at them with periphial vision.  It also helps not to move directly at them, but a slowly getting smaller spiral.  Knew a guy back in AR that could catch rabbits by hand, he would just walk in a spiral and the rabbit never realized that he was getting closer. 

[D-Rock425]

Scent control hunting the wind way more important.

[Miles]

Breaking up your outline is more important than a specific pattern.   Sometimes guys have a suit on and stand in a contrasting background.   You stand out like a sore thumb.

Spot on.