Anyone hunt in solids?

[optimusprime]

While in my never ending quest for new and fun gear, I am trying to find things that I can wear in normal life as well in the field if possible. Does anyone here ever hunt in just normal earth tone solids like a standard dry earth or pine green? If you do, what are you experiences with it when it comes to encounters with animals? I am somewhere in between the school of thought that camo is functional and just appealing to the hunter. What say you?

 

[hodgeman]

I hunt in solid colors all the time. While camo is a requirement for some kinds of hunting, for most big game it just doesn't matter.

I've got some camo gear- but its mostly a function of "on sale" rather than a strategy.

 

[Owenst7]

Only camo I take on backpack hunts is my hat...simply because I liked the hat and it happened to be camo. Hasn't made much difference even being within 100 yards of elk.

I'm sure it helps. Given a choice, I'd put the money into boots or a sleeping bag first though and focus on the wind. The times I've knowingly been busted by animals were all by wind or noise, never by sight.

I don't worry about "scent-proof" clothing or anything like that for that matter. That essentially just means it's less breathable, meaning I'll sweat more, and stink more. My little bottle of wind checker seems to do a whole lot more in the terrain I hunt (western mountains).

 

[optimusprime]

I get that for sure! I am a sucker for cool looking camo, I will be the first to admit that, but I would also like to be able to wear something that costs so much money more than a few weeks a year. I had some first lite fusion on this season and had a cow and calf run right up to me 10 feet away and look right at me. Whatever they did see of me wasn't enough to bust them...but the nocking of my arrow sure was lol. I would have loved to known how it might have turned out with just some browns and greens on.

 

[JWP58]

Yep

 

[Owenst7]

This was on a scouting trip in July this past summer. I was wearing a light grey long sleeve and grey pants...blue backpack. I took pictures of them for about 30 minutes before one of the bulls started bugling at me and walked up to 28 yards. I stood up at that point and they ran off. I think body language and the hunting pressure they've experienced dictates their behavior more than anything. Three weeks ago we set up a spike camp in pretty much the same area and got snowed in for two days. We had a bonfire going and talked at a normal volume and could hear them bugling all day within a couple hundred yards. We couldn't see more than about 100 feet so just called it a zero day. My friend shot a cow from one of those groups the next morning at first light.
https://i.imgur.com/8fYFq8G.mp4

I haven't seen too many garments come in camo patterns that compare to the quality/functionality/price point of most quality outdoor clothing. I'm not going to carry an extra 4 ounces just to have a camo jacket. I'm also not going to spend an extra $100. If I thought it made that big of a difference, I'd use RIT dye or spraypaint on my gear. I'm a pretty average male build (5'10", 165 lbs, 32x32 pants), and most of the "hunting" gear I've purchased has all kinds of wildly inaccurate fitment. If a company can't get my size right, I pretty much assume they don't know what they're doing and avoid their products. I'm not going to mail stuff back and forth when I can go to Walmart and buy a pair of Wrangler tech pants in a 32x32 for $19 and have them fit exactly like a pair of Levi's in size 32x32. Or, I can buy a medium base layer at Costco and it will fit exactly like every other medium shirt I own.

 

[mfllood3800]

I hunt in FL camo when bow hunting, yet I have killed with my bow, 2 animals while leaving camp, once in a white T shirt and shorts with tennis shoes, the other just regular jeans (which is a big no no they say) and regular shirt.

During rifle or muzzle loader I hunt in camo (FL again ) tops and solid bottoms.

I utilize the FL gear for its comfort and flexibility and warmth.

On another note, My back pack is solid Coyote brown which takes my top half in camo, and makes it a solid.
lol

Wind is most important, movement second, sound third and cool looking fourth !!
Just my opinion.

I will add - I mostly use camo so other hunters cant discover me when in my secret spots

 

[N2TRKYS]

I've found that western animals don't care about camo as much as they do down here. They just don't seem to spot you as well out West.

 

[dotman]

Yup, sometimes I have a blend of camo/solid and sometimes just solids.

 

[gudspelr]

Green pants and black fleece top. My binos have a little camo piece of material for the harness that’s on my chest, so I suppose there’s that. I should say I’m hunting with a rifle and wanted some pants that didn’t cost a fortune, would dry fast, and didn’t get cheat grass and burs stuck to them. The fleece top just happens to be the right weight that I can comfortably hike in and not get overheated. I wear the pants during the rest of the year out hiking and going to the hills shooting, etc. The fleece is worn all the time otherwise, as well. I’m thinking of getting another pair of pants in khaki and maybe dying them a bit darker brown. I haven’t seemed to have any issues with mule deer caring about the solids. Matter of fact, the young, dumb deer my son shot this fall stood there for what felt like an absurdly long period of time until my boy got the shot off. We knelt down and the deer had us pegged, but actually started looking around after a while (not in an alarmed way). He clearly was spooked by us, but got to the point where he didn’t seem to know/care what we were (wind was also in our favor).

Jeremy

 

[huntsman22]

While camo is a requirement for some kinds of hunting.

So, those special animals that 'require' camo were never killed until the advent of said camo?

 

[marktole]

Had an encounter with a forky mule deer last week while wearing a solid green jacket. I was crawling on my hands and knees just to see how close to it I could get. Got down to 20 yards and he hadn't even realized I was there yet, but was also using some thistles for cover. He hopped the fence that was covered in thistles I was behind and saw me right away. My mere presence spooked him and he lightly trotted out to around 40 yards and looked back. I was stone for about 3 minutes, didn't move an inch. Deer started getting curious and coming in closer to check me out little by little. He came back in to about 25-30 yards and then totally disregarded me, hopped the fence again and went back to grazing. After he jumped the fence again I was concealed by the thistle mass again and could've easily arrowed him had I wanted to.

Im of the opinion that camo is a product of perceived need and people buy it because of good marketing. I buy camo based on whatever pattern I think just looks cool, but have a lot of solids as well. Also buy camo garments based on the performance of the fabrics they're made from (e.g. moisture wicking, quick drying, comfortability, etc.).

 

[dotman]

So, those special animals that 'require' camo were never killed until the advent of said camo?

Yeah that is interesting, wonder what special animals require camo to be killed?

 

[Trial153]

I bowhunt in Solids frequently. Honestly I dont think it makes any difference at all.

 

[wapitibob]

I hunted OR and WY in Costco travel pants exclusively, grey and black.

 

[backcountry_hunter]

Yeah that is interesting, wonder what special animals require camo to be killed?

Fowl generally speaking, but specifically Turkeys id make the argument that camo gives you a much needed advantage. Ghillie suits sometimes aren't enough for wise old toms...

I always wear camo predator hunting also...

I wear solids for virtually all big game though, elk, deer, whatever.... doesn't seem to up or lower my success rates if I do or don't wear camo.. also waterfowl in flooded timber a waxed canvas jacket.

 

[AK Troutbum]

For many years I never owned a single piece of camo and seemed to have ok success hunting. When I go back and look at older kill pictures, in some of them I'm even wearing colors that totally stand out, like dark blue. In my sheep avatar I was wearing a solid green shirt and blue shorts with black merino wool, long pants underneath. Then, about 5 years ago, I started buying better outdoor clothing, and since my primary use for it was going to be hunting, I just went ahead and bought all camo. I don't necessarily think that it helps me a great deal, but I also know that it doesn't hurt either.

 

[snowtoy83]

While hunting Colorado I call in a bull and he came in way faster than expected and I got caught in the open with the shade as my only cover wearing a od green top and grey pants. The shot was 15 yards and the bull ran right at me until I moved and it changed direction

 

[hodgeman]

So, those special animals that 'require' camo were never killed until the advent of said camo?

Try turkey hunting in your blue sweatshirt and see how slow your day is....

Lots of animals are triggered visually- turkeys, waterfowl, and predators are all spooky about stuff that doesn't blend in visually.

All of that stuff can be killed without camo so "requirement" is perhaps the wrong wording... but purposely hunting them without it becomes an exercise in frustration fairly fast. I think nothing about stalking caribou in solids- even some pretty bright ones....but duck or crane hunt? Never in a million years

 

[huntsman22]

Well, I guess it is good news that these sharp-eyed denizens will avoid extinction until camo becomes more popular....