Hunting with limited camo gear

[catman529]

So me and a friend are going deer hunting sometime during the week of thanksgiving, on a tennessee WMA. It will be my first deer hunting trip. I bought the license/permit to hunt big game on WMAs and we're both tight on money for getting the stuff we need to hunt. We got the blaze orange requirements, but under that there may only be neutral colored clothes and maybe military camo cargo pants...the only hunting camo I have is a realtree short sleeved tee which won't help too much if it's cold out. I have noticed though while hiking through the woods like I often do, that no matter what you're wearing the deer won't see you if you're completely still. Even if they see you but you remain frozen, they'll probably get closer just to investigate (happened recently with a doe I was watching). We'll also be ground hunting and possibly moving around a couple times throughout the day. Assuming we use stealth when moving and use scent cover, do you think we'll be able to manage hunting without full camo?

Thanks for any advice.

[D*N*R*]

if one morning there is a new billboard in front of your work you will notice it. someone driving by for the first time probably wont. one example of EVERY SITUATION IS DIFFERNT. For hunter and hunted moving is always paramount.

[HawT Sauc3]

Deer do not view things in the same way that we do. They really only distinguish a few shades. Its the reason why a hunter can stand around in blaze orange and not be seen by an animal but spotted by other hunters. Camo is virtually a gimmick that allows hunting companies to make more money. my first deer i killed i was wearing blue jeans and an orange shirt. The advantage to camo is that potentially it could help blend you into the surroundings, but generally other factors will come into play, such as if you used detergent recently on your clothes, if your deodorant carries a heavy scent, the direction of the wind, or how quiet you can be.

If you can afford great camo, awesome, but since to me it sounds like you're going gun hunting, and would thus be wearing blaze orange, don't worry about it. I hunt in wisconsin so my environment is different than yours, but it comes down to vantage point, the same as the military. If you're above an animal you're more likely to spot them before they spot you. Thus being up in a stand or on a hill would give you a better chance of getting a deer than being at the same level, especially if their in brush as at eye level you cant see through it but up in the air you could spot them.

basically i'd worry less about having camo on and more about what patterns you have while hunting. If you can afford some new clothes but dont have much cash i'd check out a military surplus store, most of their items will do a good enough job for hunting if you're on a low budget.

I've had success without a stitch of cammo. I think if you can control your scent and sound lack of cammo wouldn't matter. Just be STILL. Any movement will give you away. Also position yourself with something to break up your sillouhette. Good luck.

[catman529]

Thanks, confirms what I was thinking...deer never seem to know what you are if the lighting is low or if you're frozen still. I got really close to an albino buck back in June and got a video...he was circling around me till he was downwind and when he finally picked up my scent he ran off. As for scent cover, will the spray be good enough if I spray all the clothes with it and not use scented deodorant? I don't know if I have the money to buy all the scent-away deodorant, shampoo, soap, etc. Will a bottle of scent-away spray work fine if I'm thorough? Then I could also pay attention to the wind and use it to my advantage.

[buckfever]

In my eyes here is the steps I would take on a limited budget.

Wind is most important. (and free!) If you have scouted and know the direction the deer come from only hunt that area when the wind is in your favor.

I use all the scent elimination products, shampoo, shower gel, deo, spray, laundry, etc. BUT if I had to choose just one to get it would be the Scent Killer spray. Here is why

Shampoo is only good for my hair, soap is only good for my body, deo only for my arms, (you get the idea)

But with spray I can use it anywhere. I can spray my clothes, my boots, my treestand, equipment bags, hat, etc. I can cover more areas with the spray then I can with any other single product.

Go ahead and figure out what your gonna wear that day. Hang those clothes outside, let them air out for as long as you can. Spray them down with your eliminating spray. Put them in a plastic bag or crate. Leave them alone after that until the morning of your hunt. After you put everything on reapply the spray prior to walking in your woods.

As far as camo clothes they would be the last thing on my purchase list. I would be more concerned with being able to hunt safely, with a rifle that is accurate, with the wind in my favor, and my clothes and body as scent free as possible. After I cover all those basis then I would start considering to pick up some camo clothing whenever my budget would allow.

What wma are you hunting? Are you going to be stalking or staying in one location? If I could I would scout and hunt one location. Especially on public land on the opener of gun season. I would not fill comfortable walking around alot with a bunch of gun hunters out on the first weekend of the season. On a crowded wma if you are stalking you will most likely come into contact with someone hunting out of a tree stand. You will possibly mess up their hunt and yours as well trekking around the woods. Plus you have to worry about people that assume you are a deer before they see and shoot blindly. I am OUT on gettting shot at my a 30-06!!!

I hunt TN as well. I hope the tips I listed above help you out. If any of you other hunters feel I am wrong in some area please respond and throw your 2 cents in.

Good luck on your first deer hunt.

[delbert]

Remember Hunters killed deer long before camo came along
And a old gun can kill a deer just as good as a new one

[tator]

I agree with buckfever. If I were you, I would look into making homemade scent spray. There have been lots of posts on here lately about that stuff. Most of it, you may have in your home already. That could save you some money right there.
I do where camo, but I don't buy the expensive stuff. I use Real-Tree camo and it's not the scent shield or carbon lined stuff, just the cheap stuff. I do, however, wash my clothes in scent away detergent. I think that is very important because the wind can be tricky at times, and if your clothes are scent free, that will help.
Also, remember to wash your towels (that you dry off with after your showers) in this same stuff. That way your body is dried off w/scent free towel!
Your best bet hunting public land would be to find a good spot that you can see a ways. If you are hunting w/a buddy who is going to be next to you, you two need to sit back to back. That way you have 360 degree view of everything. If I were hunting public land, I'd pick the best location and then sit. PERIOD, no moving. The other hunters moving into their stands (and getting out at lunch time) will move deer. STAY in that spot as long as possible. YOu may have a jumped deer come into your location around 11am or noonish, when Jim-Bob is going home to eat!

[catman529]

Thanks Buckfever and tator for the advice. We'll be hunting on Yanahli about 45-50 minutes from my house. It'll be a couple days past the open of the season so the biggest rush of hunters should hopefully be past.

As for the scent I'll pick up some scent-away and also look into the homemade stuff since I always love making my own stuff (I figured out how to make my own grunt calls so I don't even have to buy deer calls).

Weather forecast looks wet for the weekend but I still want to try and do some scouting this Saturday. Just to find a spot near some food plots or something.

[tator]

catman- you all will probably see the rain we're getting today and tonight (friday) here in MO