Fishermen, tourists, and many hunters are convinced that their hobbies require the mandatory use of camouflaged patterns in clothing. However, unfortunately, this is not entirely true. To be more precise, it is not true at all. Camouflage and concealment suits are designed to make a person invisible to the presumed enemy or to hinder aiming. But in the woods, we are dealing not with enemy snipers but with animals whose color perception differs greatly from that of humans. Therefore, improperly chosen camouflage can not only be useless but, on the contrary, make you very conspicuous to the animals.
However, there are still suitable options for hunting. Let’s start by clearly distinguishing between the concepts of camouflage and concealment suits. If the former is used to distort the target – making the person visible but indistinct, as camouflage breaks the silhouette and blurs it, making aiming and shooting difficult – the latter allows one to become almost invisible, blending in with the surrounding landscape.
Different patterns are used in camouflage designs, which the human brain perceives differently. For example, pixels are seen by the human brain but not processed as something important; rather, they create visual noise and are not focused on as distinct objects. On the other hand, the “multicam” design prevents the eye from concentrating due to the specific arrangement of uniquely shaped spots and colors.
However, remember one thing – all of this will work only if the color of the camouflage matches the color palette of the location. Otherwise, it will not only fail to conceal you but, on the contrary, attract attention to you.
There is no universal hunting camouflage clothing or concealment pattern that will work in any situation. “Reed” will effectively hide you only in reeds, and you will have to hunt in the “autumn forest” pattern suit only in the forest and only during the autumn period. Choosing Camouflage for Hunting
Let’s begin by noting that regular camouflage, as we traditionally understand it, is unsuitable for hunting. It is all about the vision of animals; they see colors differently from humans. Therefore, many camouflage patterns will be useless, and in the case of hunting ducks or geese, whose vision is in the ultraviolet range, white spots in camouflage will literally sparkle. Naturally, the bird will become alert and fly at a higher altitude, making it unreachable for a shot.
To understand how animals perceive camouflage, it is enough to ask yourself whether you have ever seen animals with green-brown spots. The answer is likely to be no. This is because nature has long devised all colors and patterns for the best camouflage of animals. While they might not always make sense to human logic and may seem completely absurd, here’s a bright example: antelopes see the orange-black striped coloring of a tiger as a set of black and green stripes, making the tiger perfectly disguised.
As mentioned earlier, birds have more complex color perception as they use the ultraviolet range. Therefore, when choosing a suit for hunting waterfowl, opt for patterns without large white spots or, preferably, without any white elements at all. Some animals rely more on their sense of smell than their vision. For instance, a moose or a boar will smell you long before they see you, making camouflage useless when hunting these animals.
Another reason why regular camouflage might work against you is the psychology of animals. Camouflage blurs your silhouette, preventing a sniper from taking an accurate shot. However, animals are not planning to shoot; they merely need to see something suspicious, even remotely resembling a human, to hide in the thicket.
Types of Camouflage for Hunting, Exellant Hunting Jackets and Special Hunting Pants
Hunters have long developed various specialized types of camouflage that have proven themselves in different conditions. The main condition for the pattern is that it should repeat as infrequently as possible and be asymmetrical. Even better, it should not repeat at all, as the brain of any living being always seeks and isolates similar objects. The two most effective types of camouflage are recognized as follows:
Disruptive type:
Optifade:
This category includes numerous patterns based on the visual perception characteristics of ungulates and birds. The essence of these patterns is that animals are incapable of fixating their gaze on the pattern due to their physiology – the design is unappealing to them. However, its high effectiveness comes with much less versatility. For example, a pattern suitable for hunting ungulates will be completely unsuitable for hunting waterfowl, and vice versa. This technology is quite complex, and we do not produce well-working analogs, although there are many patterns “inspired by Optifade”.
Another difficulty in acquiring such a suit is that they are not sold as sets, and you will have to match the jacket to the pants and vice versa. Do not worry about the patterns being different – even different manufacturers strictly maintain the print quality, so the design will match even across different brands, provided they are from the same series.
Multicam:
This is the most versatile pattern, originating from the USA, but it is also suitable for hunting. Its main advantage is that it fits almost any type of terrain, and this very universality is also its main drawback. In terms of human vision, it is quite good and effective, showing decent results in hunting game animals. However, it is completely unsuitable for hunting waterfowl.
Bionic Camouflage:
This camouflage type is closer to concealment suits and mimics elements of the surrounding terrain where hunting is planned. This type of camouflage works excellently and allows for almost complete invisibility. However, it is highly specialized, so it won’t work at all in a different location.
RealTree, Mossy Oak, Kings Camo:
These are the most popular manufacturers of bionic patterns, and their prints are characterized by maximum naturalness and volume. With the right selection of such a suit matching the background, you won’t need additional camouflage means. However, they have one significant drawback – even among the rich variety of prints, it can be challenging to find one suitable for use in the middle zone of Russia.
Dubok, Kamysh, Les (Russian brands):
These are Russian copies of popular brands and can be executed as well as the original pattern, although sometimes you may encounter less high-quality versions. Still, you can find a suitable suit in this case if you know what to look for when choosing. Pay attention to the rhythm of the print – it should not repeat too often; ideally, it should not repeat at all. Try to avoid large white and black stripes or spots – they do not occur in nature and, therefore, look unnatural and suspicious.
General Recommendations for Selection:
If your budget is limited, and you cannot afford suits for various types of terrain, then prefer disruptive camouflage. It is a reasonably versatile option. Avoid black, white, or any other bright spots with repeating patterns – these are categorically not recommended. Good luck in your hunting endeavors!
