I was re-reading (for the umpteenth time) the late Gene Hill's Shotgunner's Notebook, and came across his pithy (and relevant) observation on how some hunters appear to the public, and about camouflage:
"I have long wished that hunters--all of us--would give a little more thought to our public image.
"Next time you walk into a diner during the shooting season and you see your counterpart wearing his plastic orange cap, a coat stiff with old blood stains, and sporting a belt knife that would be more at home on a sugar plantation, think about how this looks to the people who don't hunt. If you were a farmer, who do you want hunting on your land? What sort of spokesman do you want when the locals start complaining about shotgun patterns on all the road signs, and the newspapers carry the traditional story about the pet dog or cow or even horse that was gunned down?
"We all talk about 'ethics.' But the simple effort of putting our best face to the public seems to have been overlooked. I somewhat resent having to wear a license the size of a wanted poster, and I have mixed feelings about being draped in hunter orange; an incarcerated felon looks like a banker by comparison. I'm ashamed that our elected officials don't trust us not to steal game or shoot each other--but whose fault is it?
"Looking better won't solve the problem--but it won't hurt you or our image. And after you've thought about it for a long time, tell me why a person out for an afternoon in a bird cover has to wear more camouflage than a combat infantryman. Maybe it's time we all grew up before it's too late."
Well said, Gene. Well said!
Good luck, and good shooting.