Monday, March 20, 2006
Clothes Don’t Make A Deer Hunter
A few of my buddies hoot on me about my hunting attire. Most don’t realize that I don’t dress to please them.
My thoughts on hunting clothing are rather sparse. I have the same pair of camo coveralls that I’ve worn for many years. You know the kind: a bit ragged around the ankles and a bit threadbare in places.
My coveralls have a few rips and tears, but that adds character. I wear a cap in mild weather and a heavy cap with ear flappers when it starts getting cold. When it really gets cold I add a scarf around my neck.
A pair of knee-high rubber boots completes the outfit. I don’t bother with a face mask or painting my face. Sit still with your head down and the cap pulled low over your eyes, and it doesn’t make much difference. Don’t more or make noise, and the deer won’t know you are there.
I’ve had people come to hunt my ranch, and some are duded out in the latest fashion after a quick stop at L.L. Bean or one of the better clothing retailers. Their clothing is stiff while mine is soft and comfortable. Theirs still has that new smell that clothing often has while mine smells like a fall day with a little cedar smell for good measure.
Leather hunting boots may be comfortable but leather holds every bad smell possible. Gas, cooking odors, you name it; it seems to stick to leather boots, and just think, you wear those odors into the woods. My rubber boots can be rinsed off with a garden hose and it doesn’t bother them or the deer one bit.
My clothing has no odor, and is seldom washed. There is a problem with how most people wash camo clothing.
Most detergents contain whitening agents. You’ve seen the commercials: whiter whites, brighter colors. There is a reason for that. The reason is the detergent contains chemicals that make white shirts whiter. Who wants that in the woods. I don’t own a white shirt.
Anybody have a guess what those whiteners do to your camo clothing. They make them clean but the camo patterns are brighter. Wash your hunting clothing in something without whitening agents, and the camo pattern remains the way it is supposed to look. It is supposed to help you blend in with the vegetation. Wash the clothing in clean water, hang it out to dry, and the dirt is gone without any odor or brighteners.
There is a whole raft of clothing companies that manufacture camo clothes for bow hunters. Savvy hunters know that if a person is hunting in the hardwoods, they should be wearing a hardwoods pattern.
Hunt out west in arid desert country, and green or grey camo clothing makes you stick out against the background. Match your camo with the season and the terrain being hunted.
But back to my hunting attire. My wife tells me my coveralls are getting worn, and my reply is they are getting broke in. If she says I need new stuff, I reply that I still have several useful years left with my clothing.
There is much to be said about being comfortable. New clothing can make a raspy sound when it is new. A buddy of mine hunts in wool regardless of the temperature.
He’s convinced that wool doesn’t make a noise. That’s not true; it does make a soft noise that can sound like fur rubbing against tree bark. It is warm when the weather is cool, breathes well, and is not overly warm in warm temperatures. He swears by it, and he shoots one or two good bucks every year.
For him it means the clothing makes a natural woodsy sound. Wool doesn’t rasp when rubbed against bark. Many of the fleece patterns work equally well, but I warn people about fleece backed with a hard finish cloth. It can be very noisy in the woods.
Most hunters, myself included, want comfort and quietness with their hunting clothing. It is difficult to find both qualities in new garments. Another friend of mine, when he buys new hunting jackets and pants, washes them a dozen times before he wears them into the woods. Frequent washing will help break down and soften fibers, and that means a quieter hunting garment.
Me, I’m happy with what I wear. I am quiet, feel comfortable, and the deer never pay any attention to me. And that’s just what I want.—The Whitetail Wizard