There’s a lot of debate within the hunting community whether camo apparel is necessary or not for a successful hunt. History shows that hunters have been quite successful even before camo apparel was a thing, but does that really deem it unnecessary and redundant? Personally, I don’t think it does. There has been quite extensive research done on the animals we hunt, and all results suggest that most animals are colour blind to specific hues and camo apparel lets you take advantage of that fact. With that said, a good set of camouflage clothing, even if it’s the bare minimum like hunting t shirts and pants, can greatly help you hide from the eyes of your prey.
The most important aspect of wearing camouflage apparel is that it breaks up your outline. As aforementioned, many animals don’t see specific colours, but they’re much better at making out shapes that look out of place in the environment they live in. Your solid colour pants, shirt, and face are a red flag to them, given the fact that the environment they live in is a mishmash of leaf patterns and crisscrossing lines. That being said, simple camouflage hunting t shirts and pants can prove to be the most useful pieces of camouflage clothes you can find, as they can work in most environments, simply because they break up the outlines.
However, you need to think about how you use your camouflage gear carefully. Don’t expect to blend in when standing in an open field – animals are partly colour-blind, not stupid. They have depth perception, and unless you look like an awkwardly placed tree, they’re going to avoid you like the plague. That’s quite an extreme example, but you get the point. In other words, camo doesn’t make you disappear, it just makes you less noticeable. With that said, try staying close to natural objects that make your camouflage patterns blend in, and don’t make any sudden moves.
It’s important to keep your camo clothes clean, because even though it can trick their eyes, it can’t trick their nose, and most animals have a better nose than eyes. Wash your camouflage clothes regularly, otherwise, you risk getting them saturated with scents that will repel animals from far away. This is especially important if you’ve field dressed an animal, as nothing scares animals away as the smell of their buddy’s blood. Use a no-fragrance detergent that’s specifically designed for hunting clothes.
