Does Plaid Work As Well As Camo?

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

The pink tutu is all fun and games to you lot, but to me, well, I’ve seen things, things I wish I haven’t! Namely, a somewhat overweight mate of mine, on his bucks weekend, wearing a pink tutu and a g-string. It’s a sight you don’t forget, no matter how hard you try…

@opposite Pole
@CBH takes his pink tutu very seriously but I think he draws the line at the g string. Tradie brand undies is more his style as he likes to maintain his sense of masculinity.
Bob.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Gents Tweeds and Tartans are specific to each estate and area due to the foliage found there. I have found that a nice brown tweed blends into most thing in the UK. But saying that I once stalked into a group of Roe deer (no rifle just a test to see how close I can get) wearing a bright pink T shorts and Gucci loafers. Got to within 40 yards!!!! Some might say its because I didnt have a rifle. But I had the wind, terrain and sun to my advantage.

@norfolk shooter
40 year ago If'n you wore something like that out bush no one would have come near you as that was considered the type of clothes that guy men wore. Luckily times have changed.
Bob

 

[ducmarc]

When I was young I consider my dad to be one of the better turkey hunters and in the Everglades at that time to see turkey tracks nevermind a turkey was a thrill.i would wear the latest Sandinista camo he always wore khakis a red checker flannel shirt and a green fedora with feathers in it like Oliver on green acres wore.he would sit behind a tree and call them right to us.we would sit in an L pattern and ambush them.he was a big model 70 guy so if it was in the Winchester ad it must work

 

[Buffalo1]

Another famous archer who was know to wear a red buffalo wool shirt (often times covered by a thin camo shirt was Fred Bear. He too was pretty successful in his attire.

I think where people miss out is what the animal sees- a deer see black, white and shades of grey. I don't know what colors African game sees.

How many African PH's and trackers are decked out in camo? I've never experienced a one. Normally dressed in bland khaki or green. It's all about movement and scent (staying down wind of game).

Also important is breaking outline and movement that catches an animal's attention.

Just some things to think about.

 

[Rocked and Loaded]

I wonder how tweed follows this logic? It's a fairly uniform fabric I think.

Check patterns are pretty common in Scottish tweeds.

 

[MarkB]

I am sure tartan, plaid and even pink tutu does work BUT I am not giving up my closet of all the new color camo's. Love the stuff.

MB

 

[Randy F]

@RandyF
Sound like a good excuse to me mate. I think the real reason you didn't take the shot was that you forgot to load your your rifle before you left camp. It sounds better tho to say it was only young so I decided not to shoot than shit I forgot to take my ammo.
Ha ha ha ha ha
Bob.

Ha! Although that would be something I would do, in those cases it was probably more likely that I was too impatient to check them out with binoculars more and just wanted to get at it. Besides you know very well I’m the first to admit my stupid shit.

Now, as long as you brought up being disingenuous, you left out the fact that your “checked flanno” is in fact pink. It’s all over the internet, you should check it out.

I might as well tell you that the moment @Red Leg mentioned a pink tutu, you were the first to come to mind. I have most desperately, and I might add so far unsuccessfully, been trying to gouge out my mind’s eye ever since. The image is light years past frightening. Though you should know.

 

[Ridgewalker]

Most of the photos of me in my Africa trips I have plaid on with an OD shooting vest. It has worked fine in Africa as well as here in the US. It just breaks up a solid color.
I have always read animals don’t see in color, but solids verses patterns are important. So wear a Hawaiian flowered shirt and you’re good!

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Ha! Although that would be something I would do, in those cases it was probably more likely that I was too impatient to check them out with binoculars more and just wanted to get at it. Besides you know very well I’m the first to admit my stupid shit.

Now, as long as you brought up being disingenuous, you left out the fact that your “checked flanno” is in fact pink. It’s all over the internet, you should check it out.

I might as well tell you that the moment @Red Leg mentioned a pink tutu, you were the first to come to mind. I have most desperately, and I might add so far unsuccessfully, been trying to gouge out my mind’s eye ever since. The image is light years past frightening. Though you should know.

@RandyF
Mate you need a few bottles of Bundy to clear your heed.
The thought of 295 pound and 6 and a half feet of pure ugliness in a pink tutu is even frightening to me. All I can say is I'm glad you didn't imagine the g string as well. That would be too much to cope with.
Bob

 

[Cervus elaphus]

You should check out the hunting tartans of the various Scottish clans…great camouflage.

I once wore my clan tartan (MacInnes) at a duck shoot and got mauled by an English Setter.

 

[Cervus elaphus]

@Red Leg
So all this time @CBH has been hunting in the right gear all along when he heads bush in his pink tutu. If he wants to complete the set up he takes his wifes pink muddy girl 243 and pink ballet shoes so his outfit is completely colour co-ordinated.
For years and still today my hunting outfit was a checked flanno shirt and kakahi trousers, summer was kakahi shirt and trousers which is what I wore in Namibia. I do now have proper cam pants for summer and winter but still wear the same tops.
Bob

Bob, kakahi is either a NZ freshwater mussel or a small town near Taumaranui in the north island near where I used to shoot. I don't remember seeing you there at the local pub.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

I once wore my clan tartan (MacInnes) at a duck shoot and got mauled by an English Setter.

@Cervus elaphus
I took my wife to a Scottish restaurant once and she slapped me silly. Just because it was McDonald's doesn't mean it isn't flash.
Bob

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

Bob, kakahi is either a NZ freshwater mussel or a small town near Taumaranui in the north island near where I used to shoot. I don't remember seeing you there at the local pub.

@Cervus elaphus
I was at the pub but you were probably busy with the sheep at the time.
Bob

 

[Cervus elaphus]

@Cervus elaphus
I was at the pub but you were probably busy with the sheep at the time.
Bob

You're only jealous because roos are too fast for you to catch. btw merino lambs are now cheap at $5AU (per hour)

 

[Cervus elaphus]

Interesting article about the benefits of red plaid!

Does Plaid Work as Well as Camo?

Why do hunters in nearly every vintage hero shot wear plaid? It worked. Anything a predator wears (born with or bought) needs to break up its silhouette. Tiger stripes do that. Plaid does that. Camo does that.

www.boone-crockett.org

View attachment 413048

Never worn camo. check shirts in red or blue with grey shorts with or without blue longjohn bottoms depending on temp. Swandri overshirts deer cullers wore were olive green. Also did a lot of hunting wearing just working clothes, grey jersey and cutoff jeans. Caught wearing a pink tutu in the bush would mean a month or two in the funny farm.

 

[Wheels]

Ralph Lauren, the next Kuiu

 

[Challer]

Gents Tweeds and Tartans are specific to each estate and area due to the foliage found there. I have found that a nice brown tweed blends into most thing in the UK. But saying that I once stalked into a group of Roe deer (no rifle just a test to see how close I can get) wearing a bright pink T shorts and Gucci loafers. Got to within 40 yards!!!! Some might say its because I didnt have a rifle. But I had the wind, terrain and sun to my advantage.

And traditional tweed, despite local variations, is dyed from natural local others (probably some synthetic now). But they blend very well in most situations.

 

[Challer]

How do we know camouflage really works better than plaid and tweed? With game. I've never sensed a difference.

 

[Bert the Turtle]

There’s lots of ways to do it but basically, don’t look like something that presents a danger to the quarry.

one way is to not be seen- staying in shadows, behind bushes, against a matching background, in a depression out of line of sight, etc.

Another way is to not be recognized when seen- ghillie suit (if you get seen at all), sticks and branches stuck in your helmet, presenting as a non-threatening animal such as the native Americans wearing a wolf skin to get closer to grown bison, etc. I’ve even simply laid flat on the ground and had deer walk within 10 feet. Partially they didn’t see me and partially they didn’t know what I was when they did.

A third way is to be recognized as not a threat. If I’m on the tractor, deer graze without worry. This is why you don’t shoot from the truck in Africa. If the animals figure out that bullets come out of trucks, they are going to skeedaddle as soon as they hear a truck and you’ll never see anything. This also works with blinds- my son was very young when he pointed out that camouflaging blinds was ridiculous: after it’s been there a few days, it becomes part of the expected scenery and at that point all you have to do is be in it. (Of course this doesn’t apply to a newly-constructed leopard blind or some such)

Because people are quite visual creatures we tend to put a lot of emphasis on sight and end up getting busted by scent or sometimes sound.

With all that in mind, I don’t personally feel need to wear traditional camouflage. I wear dull colors and use fieldcraft and get as close as I need to get. I generally wear one color shirt and a different color or shade pants. That basically breaks the upright human form in half. What matters is how it looks at shooting distance, not what it looks like up close. As far as I’m concerned, all those super detailed patterns are designed to attract hunters in the store not to hide hunters in the field.

 

[Challer]

Same. Fieldcraft wins every time.