How to Camouflage When Hunting

You won't be a very successful hunter if you don't wear camouflage. If the animals see or smell you before you can mark them, you'll go home empty-handed. Both visual and olfactory camouflage is important. Though you should never compromise your safety, the more effectively you blend in to the surrounding environment, the more likely you are to get a shot at that prize animal.

Things You'll Need

• Camouflage
• Scent-control spray

Instructions

1. Go to the area in which you will hunt, and note the color schemes. Color schemes are best estimated as between a specific range of colors. "Woodsy and between green and brown" is different from "woodsy and between green and yellow." Be as specific as possible.

2. Consider the time of year when you will be hunting and what that will do to the surrounding colors. What is green in the spring may be yellow in the summer or white in the winter.

3. Remember to camouflage everything. The best suit in the world won't matter if you have a shining, reflective-steel rifle. Remember to camouflage your weapon and face as well.

4. Camouflage your scent when hunting. Scent is an animal's first sign of danger, so purchase scent-control clothes or spray, and try to stay downwind.

5. Visit a hunting supply store or website like Realtree.com to find and purchase the right camouflage suit for your hunting domain (see Resources below).

Tips & Warnings

• Take several pictures of your hunting grounds, so you can get as accurate a color estimation as possible.

• If you plan to be stationary for a long period of time, check out a ghillie suit. It will make you look like a pile of grass.

• If you hunt often, purchase more than one camouflage suit to perfectly blend into each seasonal environment. However, if you only hunt occasionally, consider military camouflage.

• Even scent-control spray and clothes won't work if you're sweating profusely, so you should bring your hunting clothes to your blind, changing and masking your street clothes within it.

• Never compromise your safety. If animals can't see you, other hunters can't see you either. Even if it is not legally required, seriously consider wearing a fluorescent hunting vest.

Resources

• Ghillie suit through GhillieSuits.com
• Realtree.com for high-definition camouflage suits