{"id":2750,"date":"2019-06-28T09:51:25","date_gmt":"2019-06-28T16:51:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gregg57.sg-host.com\/hunting\/?p=2750"},"modified":"2019-06-23T10:04:41","modified_gmt":"2019-06-23T17:04:41","slug":"does-camo-clothing-improve-success-for-the-airgun-hunter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/2019\/06\/does-camo-clothing-improve-success-for-the-airgun-hunter\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Camo Clothing Improve Success for the Airgun Hunter?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Part I<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several years ago, when I started hunting in South Africa, I found that I\u2019d usually be the only hunter in the group wearing camo. There was some good-natured ribbing about the camo clad American redneck, but my local friends would tell me that if you worked the wind and shadows properly it wasn\u2019t necessary. As time went on I started dressing in more traditional khaki hunting cloths and using the natural cover to my favor, and had good results in the field. Ironically, on a recent trip most everyone else was wearing camo and I was the odd man out! It gave me a chuckle, but also got me thinking about \u201cif and when\u201d camo made a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think that while hunting with a centerfire on the Eastern\nCape of South Africa for plains game, where shots are generally over 100 yards\nand there is plenty natural cover, working the wind and staying in the shadows\nis more important than clothing. That is so long as common sense prevails and\nyou\u2019re not marching about in colors or shades that make you stand out as a moving\nmass with a rifle. But for this particular type of quarry and hunting\napplication, using the wind to your advantage has a far greater impact in my\nexperience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In South Africa I moved away from camo when hunting big game, but still found it improved success when small game and varmint hunting.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But the statement above does not hold true when the rules of\nengagement change: when the hunter is intent on getting in very close to their\nquarry for instance. This is the name of the game when it comes to airgun\nhunting, which like bow hunting is all about getting into 40-50 yard range. For\nme, the notion of hunting with an airgun is predicated on field craft, getting\ninto the right position at the right distance and selecting the right shot.\nMany of the quarry we hunt as airgunners do not have a well-developed sense of\nsmell, but rely on excellent vision and the ability to detect even slight\nmotion. And with everything in the forest out to eat these smaller animals,\nsurvivors stay on high alert, relying on that outstanding visual acuity to\navoid becoming a menu item.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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I think the terrain and type of game dictates whether camo is mandatory. Often when hunting jackrabbits in the deserts, I’ll wear earth colored clothing so I’m not waving a bright flag…. but I don’t think it is nearly as importasnt as setting up a steal;thy stalk using cover.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The short answer to the question I opened with, does wearing camo improve an airgun hunter\u2019s results, is that I believe it does. At least it does for certain game and in certain conditions. When squirrel hunting for instance, the quarry is often sitting in the trees with a clear line of sight from above. A hunter that is sitting at the base of a tree waiting for a squirrel to come out, will be busted if not able to meld into his surroundings. Even minor movement will be enhanced and easier to detect if the hunters outline is not broken up. Not only should camo clothing be worn in this setting, but gloves and face mask as well. From a tree dwelling squirrel\u2019s perspective, a hunter\u2019s face staring up from below is like a warning flag no matter how much body camouflage is being worn. And consider that the parts of the body that typically move the most are the head and hands. It stands to reason then, that covering these body parts will result in better concealment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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When setting up an ambush, such as squirrel hunting in the spring or fall forest, I almost always wear camo and believe it makes a big difference for this application.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Next week I’ll pick up on the topic of camo clothing<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Part I Several years ago, when I started hunting in South Africa, I found that I\u2019d usually be the only hunter in the group wearing camo. There was some good-natured ribbing about the camo clad American redneck, but my local friends would tell me that if you worked the wind and shadows properly it wasn\u2019t … Continue reading »<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[230,231,119,95,26,78,7,146,144,52,115],"tags":[232],"class_list":["post-2750","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-camo","category-camo-clothing","category-effectiveness","category-jackrabbits","category-pest-control","category-shooting-technique","category-smallgamehunting","category-small-game-in-winter","category-spring-time-hunting","category-squirrels","category-turkey","tag-camo-clothing-for-airgun-hunters"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2750"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2756,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2750\/revisions\/2756"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.airgunsofarizona.com\/hunting\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}