The Importance of Camouflage Clothing to Hunting   by Cynthia Govern

in Hobbies    (submitted 2012-02-02)

If you are, or wish to become, a successful game hunter, your camouflage clothing pieces should be some of your most prized possessions. Though this may seem strange, camouflage clothing can, in fact, be vital to achieving success while hunting. The remainder of this article is dedicated to exploring why camouflage is so important and the proper care of all of your camo pieces.

Have you noticed that most animals seem to blend-in to their natural surroundings? A great example of this are tigers' stripes; their markings allow these great predators to nearly disappear amongst jungle scenery. Animals' organic camouflage, in the form of color or specific markings, is essential to survival in the wild; both prey and predator must be able to blend-in if they hope to live.

An identical concept is used to create hunters' camouflage. The fabrics are specially designed for the wearer to be able to more effectively hide in landscapes such as forests or swamps.

While a hunter is stalking prey, camouflage clothing his help to hide the outline of his form from wildlife. However, it is important for hunters to remember that even if they are visually hidden, many animals are much more sensitive to movement than humans; therefore, a single rash motion could give him away.

The reason that camouflage clothing companies spend extensive time and large amounts of money to develop fabrics ideal for a variety of hunting conditions is that these patterns are truly effective, and thus are in demand by the hunting community. Hunting companies manufacture camouflage ideal for hunting any animal or in any scenery that one can imagine. Given that there are a plethora of options available, you should have at least a working knowledge of the various types of camouflage when you go shopping. It would be disastrous to arrive for a deer hunt having inadvertently purchased duck hunting gear!

Once you have paid for the appropriate camouflage for your needs, you need to care for it properly so as to maximize it's lifespan. Below are two key tips to prolonging the life of your camouflage:

1. You should only wash your camouflage with scent-free laundry detergent; also, make sure it contains no UV brighteners. The UV brighteners contained in certain detergents will sharpen the lines and colors of your camouflage's pattern. This makes it much easier for wildlife to spot you, defeating the original purpose of the clothing. There are some laundry detergents that are designed especially for ridgeline camo clothing. Not only will these detergents fulfill the previous requirements, but they are engineered to prevent camo from fading for long periods of time.

2. When hunting season is over, pack your camo clothes away in airtight storage bags. This prevents any household odors from clinging to the clothing; wildlife is generally quite sensitive to scents, and this could easily give you away next season.

About the Author

Camouflage Clothing