If I hunt during the day I often wear camo. Even when I was bow hunting I never wore the scent lock type stuff though. Didn't seem to matter. Paying closer attention to where and how I and the animals move, always having wind in mind, staying concealed and being careful about making noise all seems more important than clothes. Of course, being dressed per the environmental conditions is a must.

I hunt hogs at night with thermal for the most part. So, I generally wear a black shirt or sweatshirt. It does two things; 1) It blends in at night (as opposed to a light colored shirt). 2) You need a solid (preferably dark or black) surface to NUC (calibrate) thermal monoculars periodically. So, it becomes part of your gear.

a little off topic... but.. Ive never been to Africa so no personal experience, but from what I see they wear a good deal of short shorts and short sleeve shirts. Is there a reasoning for the short? If I'm trudging through the bush I think I would want some jeans or similar.

I agree but still watching the Craig Boddington wannabe's with there little short shorts makes me giggle everytime...

prob bc it's very hot outside

whatever you do, do not mismatch your camo, you might as well not even wear it if you aren't going head to toe in the same pattern, its science.

Is camo necessary? Not really (some exceptions, such as turkey/waterfowl). Does it help? For the most part yes (not sitting in a box blind, but in a treestand or stalking etc).

I think movement and scent/wind is more important than camo. In the old days, didn't people hunt in red plaid wool? I've been within 50yd of game without camo and they didn't spook because a) stillness and b) wind was in my face.

That being said, I almost always wear camo when hunting. It's more a culture thing: in Europe they have their "gentleman" getup, in Africa they have safari suits, and in the outback you wear khaki booty shorts. It does help, and like someone said earlier, when I walk into a gas station I can talk the talk with other hunters. Again, as someone said earlier, camo is a bulk of my "hunting clothes." These are separate from my day-to-day wear, as the scent factor is tied into maintenance or storage.

Happy huntin'.

If I have a rifle, muzzleloader, or slug gun then I dont worry about camo. If its archery or buckshot then I do. It all depends on how I am hunting.

Situational only. In the box blind, no. Open in a tree stand it has proven necessary more than once.

Camo outside the blind. Black in the blind. My stands are painted black inside.

I wear camouflage when hunting. It's my uniform for my hobby.

Why wouldn't I? I want every advantage I can get without being stupid about it. Besides, I look sexy in camo.

Same usually.

Ever see an old VHS of Chuck Adams, blue jeans and flannel shirt, same with many older videos of well know hunters. Fed Bear another good example, from what I read, he wore it for the sponsorship.

Camo is Huge business and big sponsorship. Camo may lead a hunter to feel more confident, so that in itself may be a bigger factor IDK.

Personally, I think movement and hunting style are the biggest factors. Indians where pretty good archers/hunters, maybe used a buffalo/wolf hide occasionaly, but they still put meat on the table.

I spent good money on my winter camo, I'm a skinny guy and need the warmth in winter. Summer time it's the cheap academy camo 9 times out of 10. That extra 5 seconds might buy you the time you need to square up on a shot.

Thanks for all of the amazing feedback, guys! We used information from this thread and read a few comments on our last episode, which was Episode 10. You can check it out from iTunes or directly from our website. Both links can be found in my signature.

We really appreciate your thoughts on the camo debate and hope you'll share your ideas on any other topics we cover on the podcast. Send us your feedback if you check it out.

Happy hunting!!

-Mike

There was once a time when camo clothing did not exist. Since I wasn't alive then I don't know for sure and could be wrong but I'm pretty sure people hunted then... and did so successfully.

Camo clothing is not needed but certainly doesn't hurt.

My wife wears a fishing shirt every time we go, but it doesn't seem to help her catch fish, cast any bait without losing it, or cast in a different direction of other's lines

Since I mostly bow hunt, i usually just wear my leaf ghillie suit over my jeans and tshirt.

I do have some camo but don't usually wear more than the shirts0. Not needed in the blind.

This

The answer is easy... It's always YES to camo. Except when snow skiing in CO, that's when you can spot the Cajuns and the Texans on the slope.

Charlie

Wearing the camo keeps the girlfriend a little calmer. She actually thinks I'm going hunting when just out partying with the Boys!

I agree with most on the fact of camo being situational. Being a waterfowler pretty much everything that is designed for the sport is camo. But I think most of the camo patterns out there today are too "busy" and are made to catch the eye of the hunter.

Steve