Ghillie suit.

[woodsman]

I noticed a couple of people hunting with ghillie suits and it got me thinking, does it have any real benefits? Most game animals have poor eyesight, they rely on their noses and ears for detection. Wouldn't just regular cameos and scent masker be as effective?

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Most animals (and fish and birds) in this Country can easily spot movement. It's highly unlikely that a ghillie suit would lessen their ability to spot you unless you're a trained sniper who is trying to stalk your game, IMuHO.

Again, IMuHO, scents and regular camos have essentially one result...to put big bucks (pun not intended) into the pockets of the manufacturers.

Hey...if you feel comfortable spending the money on them...and feel that it will improve your hunting success...then go for it...!!

 

[wvbreamfisherman]

There have been several studies that indicate that scents and scent blockers really don't do much (if anything) to dull an animal's reactions.

In my limited experience, I've seen that deer in particular don't pay much attention to anything but movement. I suppose that if they have been spooked or harassed they will get more skittish to scent, but I've been walking along a trail, wit the wind at my back and walked up on deer.

If they didn't bolt right away, lots of times they would stay there trying to figure out what I was, as long as I stood perfectly still. I've had them snorting and stamping trying to make me move.

With respect to ghillie suits, it is my understanding that they were designed to camouflage ghillies who were attempting to find and catch poachers. Humans see things in the woods very differently than most animals.

 

[CozInCowtown]

In a close situation I would believe it does such as archery or pistol hunting.
I like to hunt in flannel shirts and jeans.
DC

 

[CaverGroupie]

With respect to ghillie suits, it is my understanding that they were designed to camouflage ghillies who were attempting to find and catch poachers. Humans see things in the woods very differently than most animals.

This could be urban legend, but I've heard that the park rangers in some national parks use Ghillie suits to sneak up on wilderness campers and others who may not be adhering to the park's policies. A friend of mine swears he saw a ghillie suit in a rangers office in a certain large national park.

Just passing along rumors, feel free to correct me!

 

[oldsarge]

This could be urban legend, but I've heard that the park rangers in some national parks use ghillie suits to sneak up on wildrness campers and others who may not be adhering to the park's policies. A friend of mine swears he saw a ghillie suit in a rangers office in a certain large national park.

Just passing along rumors, feel free to correct me!

I think it may be more for checking for illegal drug activity.

 

[Theo]

Camouflage in the traditional sense is a rather new item. Mainly developed for hiding humans from humans. People have been hunting for the table rather successfully, for eons, without the use of camouflage.

 

[ppine]

Ghillie suits are designed to hunt humans.

 

[woodsman]

As most of you pointed out, I was also under the impression that ghillie suits were intended to mask the wearer from other human beings, but I'm no expert so I thought it was worth a question. Thanks for the answers.

 

[oldsarge]

Ghillie suits are designed to hunt humans.

Wrong! They are to prevent others from hunting you!

I know some who hunt turkeys that use them. I'm not a hunter myself, but it seems that most hunting around where I live takes place in the colder months of the year. A gillie suit would suffice in keeping one warm. Any time I used one it was in hot humid climates and sweated away the pounds. Maybe I should start my own weight loss program!

 

[oldsarge]

As most of you pointed out, I was also under the impression that ghillie suits were intended to mask the wearer from other human beings, but I'm no expert so I thought it was worth a question. Thanks for the answers.

You are correct! Militarily speaking, snipers and soldiers are trained to look for those little minute details that give one away. The simple outline of the back of the heel of your boot can give you away. Some of the best snipers around are those country boys who grew up with all those good field and hunting skills. Fine tune that with some good long range shooting and you have a lethal combination to put our adversaries where they belong.

 

[dinosaur]

I agree with Theo. If they made them for deer hunters, the ghillies would have strips of hunter orange in them.

 

[Newanderthal]

I noticed a couple of people hunting with ghillie suits and it got me thinking, does it have any real benefits? Most game animals have poor eyesight, they rely on their noses and ears for detection. Wouldn't just regular cameos and scent masker be as effective?

You'd be surprised at the visual acuity of some animals, especially deer and other medium and large mammals. Some put people to shame. The problem with regular camouflage is that it doesn't break up the shape of the wearer and your silhouette is easily picked out as being unnatural. Your pattern is leafy, but you're still shaped like a hunter.

I remember an article several years ago in which they described tests involving several different types of camo. The most effective (ghillie suits weren't tested) was not RealTree. It was a man painted with diagonal dark stripes and crouched in a strange pose. He wasn't shaped like a man, so the deer didn't think he was one and ignored him.

The purpose of the ghillie suit is to break up your shape entirely. I used one in my paintball days and that suit never got splattered. I made kills from as little as fifteen feet. My suit was homemade. They work, and they work way better than a shirt and pants with leaves painted on them.

The less you look like a man the less likely you are to be seen as one.

 

[ROENIGK]

It hides you from the little critters like birds and squirrels that often give your position away to the bigger game.