average distance a consumer views them
from on the rack. From farther away,
some are too monotone to break up your
human profle and hide you from game.
High contrast is necessary. If a pattern
looks muddy or largely one color from
20 to 30 feet, it will clearly show your
dangerous shape to game.
A second factor to consider is overall
coloration of clothes. As I have discussed
in this column before, dark deep-woods
patterns are awful in light, open Western
terrain. Similarly, a treestand hunter in
dry-desert camo will pop out against the
leafy October treetops of Pennsylvania or
New York like a neon sign. Consider the
backgrounds where you intend to hunt,
and choose your camoufage to match.
A smart big game archer never over-
relies on camoufage clothing alone. To
maximize the efect of your duds, you
need to lurk close to natural foliage, and
always avoid being skylined or caught
against a solid-colored backdrop like a
body of water or a feld of yellow grass.
Your surroundings should be as broken
as the pattern you are wearing.
All too ofen, I see treestand archers
waiting like dark stickmen against bare
tree trunks. A few feet higher, or in an-
other tree altogether, and they could
tuck their platform in a shielding pocket
of limbs and leaves with a few narrow
lanes cut out for easy shooting.
On the ground or in the air, correct
camoufage is always a combination of
clothing and foliage in very close prox-
i m it y.
Shade and sunlight loom large as
a bowhunter waits in ambush or slips
silently over terrain. It is best to always
hug the shadows, because direct sun will
highlight your shape and draw attention
to any movements you make.
Covered tent-type blinds from com-
panies like Primos Double Bull and Am-
eristep are incredibly efective, because
these enclose the archer in deep, dark
shade. Te eyes of outside animals are at-
tuned to bright light, and cannot clearlysee into the gloom of the blind. Te main
mistake bowhunters make in pop-up
blinds is leaving side or rear windows
open so they can gawk outside. At best,
this pierces the interior with light and lets
animals see inside. At worst, game might
see the hunter starkly silhouetted against
an open rear window and run like heck!
Te best way for a stalking bowhunter
to hide is moving behind solid terrain or
shrubbery whenever possible. In broken
or rolling places, you can ofen follow
creeks, dry washes, or jumbles of rock
and stay completely out of sight. During
fnal stalks, try to keep all but your head
and shoulders blocked by foliage or terra
frma. Te less of you an animal might
possibly see, the better your clothes and
shadow hugging will work.
Sunlight is difcult to control as you
try to hunt into the wind and negotiate
through potentially noisy or open ter-
rain. But whenever possible, it is best to
keep the sun above or behind you as you
move or sit on stand. Peering into a low
sun makes it hard to see game or shoot.
Having the sun behind you makes it dif-
cult for animals to see your human shape
or the movement as you draw your bow.
A few years ago, I spotted and stalked
a big, wide-racked 5x5 mule deer. A knife
ridge let me slip within 100 yards on the
downwind side without being seen at
all. From there, I circled to put the low
afernoon sun behind me, hugged the
edge of a sagebrush thicket to hide all but
my head, and dropped to my knees for
a careful crawl into shooting position.
Te buck ’s antlers and ears were visible
the last 50 yards, and I could see his eye
from time to time. But the combination
of faded Realtree camo, dense and shady
bushes, and a low sun to my rear com-
pletely fooled the deer.
My arrow sizzled through both
lungs afer the buck rose, stretched, and
dropped his head to feed. Without care-
ful camo tactics, I would not be gazing
at his rack on my wall as I write this! ❮❮❮
WWW.BOWHUNTER.COM 17BIG GAME HUNTING TIP
Chuck Adams
Consider A Leafy SuitG
HILLIE-TYPE SUITS worn by U.S. military snipers represent a vast improvement over standard
fat-fabric camoufage apparel. These forms of 3-D leafy wear let you carry fabric foliage
around on your body. Several companies offer leafy suits to hunters, and properly used, these
can provide the ultimate in concealment from game.
There are three potential problems with such duds for bowhunting. First, some models tend
to be heavy and hot to wear, especially if you are hiking around. Second, the fuffy fabric can
snag on real limbs and leaves as you sneak through densely wooded terrain. Third, cloth leaves
in the chest area can impact the bowstring during a shot and throw the arrow wild.
Such things may or may not affect your style of hunting or shooting. The only way to know for
sure is trying a leafy camo suit. But one thing is certain. Ghillie-type garments offer superior
concealment in a wide variety of outdoor situations.SPONSORED BYYears ago, I shot many nice animals like
this record-book caribou while wearing
wool plaid and blue jeans. The plaid broke
up my upper-body profle, and I always
tried to stalk behind solid cover so ani-
mals could never see my lower body. To-
day, bowhunters have many more options
in quiet, durable camoufage clothing.
For best concealment, you need to wear
camoufage that matches the overall
coloration of surrounding terrain.