Ghillies, who uses?

S

Swampghost

New member
I'm thinking about buying a suit for this season. Nobody seems to make camo for us SoFL hunters who hunt in the piney woods and palmetto's. It's all too dark (Mossy Oak) or too brown (Fusion 3D) that I used last year. We have green and light year 'round and I'm thinking that I stand out like a sore thumb.

God's Country has some interesting stuff but I have reservations about buying broad patterns for my area.

I was thinking that if I could just mimic a moss covered stump......?
 
It's easy to make one yourself. You can pick up rolls of whatever colored burlap or jute twine you need, glue some netting to an inside-out BDU top (that way you can still use the pockets) and tie some burlap strips on the netting. Don't over due it though as most people use too much burlap than what is needed.
 
Florida? Isn't it pretty warm there? I used to live on the Gulf Coast and there were days in December and January when the temperature was an honest 85 degrees F. My 2 cents worth is that rather than a boiling all day in a ghillie suit a person might want to get some local vegetation and make a mini-blind.
 
Meek and Mild hit on my method... I just hack off some small limbs and palmetto fronds and stick them in the dirt and against tree trunks and cop a squat. You won't catch me in anything hotter than a long sleeve t-shirt most days of season.
Brent
 
its not so much the the colour of the outfit its more the pattern, to break up your solid outline. I use only a couple of outfits with all terrain, as deer and others are colour blind it does not bother me much.

It is adictive though every time i walk into a shop i wanna buy all the lines. :)
 
I prefer the original Realtree my self. I've had does virtually stand next to me in it. Too bad that Wally World only stocks the newest versions and not the original. I've had deer run across a field and stop within arms reach in it. I was completely still and they acted like I was the only tree for miles. I've been wearing it since it came out; I hunt all 3 seasons in it. It also helped me get kissing close to the biggest buck I've ever seen while bowhunting. He took me by surprise while I was on the ground having an after lunch smoke. I really thought he was going to put the horns to me; he had the look of fight in his eyes. Adrenaline rush like no other! I've looked at the ghillie suits, but there seems to be too much stuff to snag on for my likes.
 
i got a suit from sportsmans guide i really like......its jus tthe leaves sewn on to a mesh jacket and mesh pants. Its super light, and stretchy. You can wear it over shorts or jeans when its hot, over layers if its cold. Seems like i got the jacket pants facemask and gloves for like 50 bucks.
 
Take a look at Predator camo. And try not to think in terms of color, deer do not see color the same way we do. And buyers at WallyWorld just buy what they think will be popular.

And ghillies are outrageously hot and heavy.

The idea of camouflage is to break up your outline, which most camouflage patterns do not do well at all since they are too dark and are mostly designed to get people to buy them. I once read an article where the author was testing camo patterns in the field, photographing people dressed in different camo patterns agains a background of various vegetation types using a B&W camera to try to simulate deer's vision. Patterns that looked the best to people didn't always look that great in B&W, making the people's outline very dark and noticeable. Best patterns were Predator (the old pattern), 5-color desert camo (1980s vintage), tie-dye psychedelic colors (Wow, man), and solid neutral grass brown. Surprisingly, the old WWII Universal Camouflage with the green and brown splotches worked pretty well.
 
I think you've got too much time on yer hands. If you are careful about movement and are wearing anything that breaks up your outline it's going to make very little difference. We've got guys in deer camp that wear flannel shirts and bluejeans, and I can't say they are any less successful.

You'd be much better being hyper-concerned about scent IMO. Rubber boots, scent free detergent ect.
 
If you do make a ghillie,be advised all that fluffed up jute burlap burns real good.It also soaks up water.

Motion is an issue.I have laid an old,worn poncho liner over myself.Under it,my hands can move,I can scratch,etc without being seen moving.
There are sniper veils,etc..Wind flutter isn't good.

Being ghillie invisible is fun for scaring trick or treaters,but I would wonder about someone wearing one hunting.A bit over the edge?

I have been known to carry skunk scent and cottonballs as a camo.
 
I havnt used one since the military. For deer, they dont see color as much as they do shape. I have found it successful to take some old clothes (grey, green, or brown) and splatter paint on them with a brush. Not brushing it on, but dipping the brush into the paint and slinging it on using a variety of colors. You can have either warm or cool weather clothes for hunting that way.
 
I'm thinking in black and white plus shape, shine, silhouette, shadow.

Shades off from the vegitation make you stick out. Too light, too dark. Mossy Oak, too dark. Fusion 3-D, too light. Same with the patterns, they really don't blend in with the spikey (green!) palmetto's that is about all that we have for cover at ground level.

Shape speaks for itself as does sillhouette, I just rotate my head VERY slowly.

Scent doesn't seem to matter at my primary camp. It's in the middle of a working cattle ranch so the deer are used to the stink that we produce. Last season I had one walk in DOWNWIND and stand there like the perfect shots that you see on TV. I'd had a few beers the night before, a few smokes and hadn't bathed in a few days, that sucker had to smell me but just strolled along. My guestimate was about 80-90#'s and anything under 100 you have to pay extra for.
 
There are a few patterns specific for your situation. Here is one example.
http://swampycamo.com/

This British military pattern might also be good:
http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/cb.aspx?a=459619

And, I would think that original military Vietnam era "tiger stripe" would be good too.

I use a Ghillie suit that I made by cutting small slits in a BDU top and tying in strips of material cut from the legs of the pants. I also made a headnet to match using an old camo hat and turkey mask. It works great but the jacket is too hot to wear most times. My friends give me crap about the hat, but it works.
 
HiBC
Being ghillie invisible is fun for scaring trick or treaters,but I would wonder about someone wearing one hunting.A bit over the edge?
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Are you kidding? Come to Indiana for our deer season November-December. Ghillies are like a big WARM blanket, with the benefit of breaking up your outline.:)

Lonny
 
Scent doesn't seem to matter at my primary camp. It's in the middle of a working cattle ranch so the deer are used to the stink that we produce. Last season I had one walk in DOWNWIND and stand there like the perfect shots that you see on TV. I'd had a few beers the night before, a few smokes and hadn't bathed in a few days, that sucker had to smell me but just strolled along.
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If they know you are there 'cause they smell you, I don't see the benefit of uber-camo. Turkeys have phenomenal eye-sight, but a headnet, gloves and anything else to hide the skin or shiny things like a watch keep one hidden. Deer have good eye-sight, but phenomenal sense of smell. If you think you have a hard time on an elevator, a square acre is a deer's elevator.

I've NO interest in convincing you MY WAY is the right way, but I've used BDUs for years. I've been busted by scent, but never by sight with a deer I've been watching (although I'm sure I've been spotted many times before I've spotted the deer.) S-L-O-W and downwind have been my allies. Of course YMMV.
 
Locked, the swampycamo looks promising and I just fired off an e-mail to them, also asked about why they went with such a small print. Full sized would have been perfect. Funny that they don't include pricing or some way to purchase online.
 
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